New York City: Gray Line Tours

Choosing Gray Line

Using a recommendation from a "native New Yorker," our family chose The Gray Line New York "All Loops Tour." This particular package is a 48 hour "hop on and hop off" tour of all the major city's attractions. Once your package is activated, you have 48 hours of unlimited tours to four separate loops. There is a Gray Line "on and off" site near all the popular hotels, shopping, and food. The double-decker bus is air-conditioned on the bottom and of course, the air is forced on the top deck. The tour guides are outstanding. Gray Line offers other packaged tours. For us, the "All Loops Tour" fit our needs. Centered on its loops, tour guides, and ease of use, it is the best family tour in New York City.

After studying several different tour lines as we were preparing for our trip, we went with the recommendation of the Gray Line. There are several different packages with this line. We chose the "All Loops Tour" because we wanted to see a little of everything. Knowing we had 48 hours for the tour helped us plan our trip accordingly. We decided to take the tour the first part of our trip. Encountering first, all the loops from the bus and guide perspective made us feel like we were in a helicopter hovering over the city. When it came time for us to wander out on foot, we felt like we had more control on where we were. Each loop is distinctive. We chose the "Uptown Loop" first. We were staying in Times Square, so we enjoyed the ride up. We started out in the coolness of the morning. Our evening dinner plans were in Times Square, so we ended up our first day in Downtown. Wanting to get an eyeful of where we were staying, we went ahead and took the "downtown loop" before dinner. The next day we set off for the "Brooklyn Loop." We had lunch along the way, stopped to shop, and easily found a "hop on" spot. We took the "Night Tour" that evening, having only the following morning to finish the 48 hours of our unlimited tour.

A Passenger's Gray Line Tour Video

The Tour Guides

On our first tour, we figured we had gotten lucky with tour guides. The first guide knew the area well, could spat out figures and facts, and indulged us with out of the way trivia. We all commented that we were fortunate and probably would not see the same on our next loop. On the Downtown loop the guides changed. We were not prepared for our "Downtown Dude." This guy was hilarious. He had all kinds of jokes to go with the history and facts he parleyed. He pointed out the best spots to eat and gave us some great tips for navigating through the crowds (Beware: avoid the "suits" at 5:00. These are the men and women who work in the city. When they are done for the day, they head out of the city. It is advised to not get in their way.)

We assumed we had capped out our luck and our last two tours would be minimally interesting. Our family decided to get on the bus in the early morning taking the "Brooklyn Loop." Afterwords, we would eat and rest a bit, then do the "Night Tour." Our Brooklyn loop guide was so informative we felt like we had a history lesson with our tour. After dinner and a nap, we hopped back on for our night tour. Getting back on the bus, we were welcomed by our guide. Supposedly off for the day, the guide informed, "I saw the weather report, and I called myself in." He went on to tell us how he loved to guide at night when the sky was clear. "Tonight" he said, "Is going to be uncharacteristically clear." He was an amazing guide. The view from the top of the bus, the clear night sky, and our guide's inevitable "gift" of creating an unexpected tour presentation was close to perfection. That night is still the highlight of our family's trip.

Tour Information

Gray Line New York Sightseeing

777 Eighth Ave. btw. 47th & 48th Sts.; PABT, 42nd St. & 8th Ave.; Times Square, Bdwy. btw. 46th & 47th Sts.

800-669-0051

Summary

The Gray Line New York "All Loops Tour" is straightforward. You pay your money at the Gray Line Visitors Center and get your tickets. The rest is just "hopping on and off." Of course, you get an inside view of the city from the tour. The buses are clean, fellow travelers polite, the loops informative, and the tour guides superb. It will be the core of your trip, providing the best family experience in the city.