New York Hop on Hop Off bus June 2013.
We looked at leaflets from a few bus companies trying to decide on the best line to buy tickets from and decided on Gray Line which has the red buses. We were expecting to pay $99 each for a 3 day pass but ended up getting a deal at Times Square for $59 each for 4 days – very good price.

The quality of the tour all depends on the tour guide providing the commentary – we have had some shockers and some great ones – again all pot luck.

Day 1 we took the Uptown loop to Harlem and then did the Bronx Loop to see Yankee Stadium. On the uptown loop we had a sarcastic lady as narrator who was a real shocker – she upset so many people I didn’t see anyone leave a tip as they got off the bus.

We went for a walk in Harlem to get some lunch and ended up in a restaurant called NATIVE on the corner of 118th St and Lennox. The menu for lunch was good, drinks OK and service good. We must have been hungry earlier than the locals as there was only one other person there when we arrived, but when we left there were quite a few tables taken. We saw a Trip Advisor sticker on their window so have since checked it out and it has a good rating.

Then we walked back to the bus stop to take The Bronx loop. On this loop we had a good guide so we learnt quite a bit about the history of the area. We also met a young Aussie couple from Perth – Aussies seem to be everywhere here.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGoToEqGTgQ&feature=youtu.be[/tube]

We had some time at Yankee Stadium but didn’t do a tour inside. When we were waiting for the bus to leave we saw a really interesting site. About 15 NYPD cars lined up behind our bus with their lights flashing – but going nowhere. Then there were 3 helicopters overhead – it seemed very strange – see the photos and Paul’s videos. To me it seemed like a snippet from a Blues Brothers movie, but I am sure there was a purpose for this action as the locals didn’t seem to bother about it.

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Once back in Harlem we took the Uptown bus back to Times Square and found a bar to have a few drinks. While in the bar we saw on the news that some window washers were trapped on a high rise building as their scaffolding had jammed and they needed to be rescued. We then realised that’s what the helicopters were doing – taking footage of the rescue for the news. This still didn’t explain the police cars in The Bronx, about an hour drive away. This rescued caused traffic chaos between 7th and 8th avenue so it was pointless trying to get a taxi home so we walked for a while along 49th street and stopped at the Pig and Whistle (an Irish Bar) for some dinner.

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About an hour later we managed to get a cab home once peak hour and the traffic congestion had subsided. A lesson learned – its best to NEVER be in a hurry in the centre of New York. I should have known that from the Sex and the city movies.

Day 2 we walked from our apartment to 1st Avenue and 9th Street ( about a 10-15 minute walk through Tompkins Park) to catch the Gray Line bus at Stop15 for the Down town loop. We passed Saks on 5th Avenue, The Waldorff Astoria and Michael Kors fashion House. This took us back to 49th St near the Rockefeller Centre. We got off here instead of finishing the loop up around Central Park, and walked to Times Square on 7th Avenue to catch another bus for the Downtown loop to take us to the 9/11 Memorial. We got there at 2.30 pm and came face to face with some Aussies we had met on our Caribbean Cruise. What a small world – over 6 million people on Manhattan every day and we ran into them at the bust stop. They gave us a few tips about how to get to the memorial as the bus guide told us nothing about where to go. This made it much easier as we didn’t see any signage. It is free to go to the Memorial but they ask for a donation. For a $10 donation you get a wrist band. It’s quite a walk from the ticket office to the actual Memorial – but well worth it. You also go through several security checks on the way. It was a quiet and solemn experience.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6BOJ5aXUIQ&feature=youtu.be[/tube]

There are currently two pools where the original twin towers stood, each with a 30 foot cascading waterfall, edged by the names of the almost 3000 victims. In 2014 the museum should be open to the public. We met some Americans who come here every time they come to NY to see what else has been put in place. The Freedom Tower is still under construction and will be 5 storey higher then the original towers.
We were there about an hour, then headed back to catch the bus. But it was beer o’clock so we stopped at an Irish Pub adjacent the Memorial for a few drinks which was very interesting as the bar staff had known many people who were lost on 9/11 and shared their stories with us. Paul bought a few T Shirts that had been printed as a memorial people can wear. When he asked how much, the barman said $10 each – we won’t make money out of 9/11, we like people to wear the shirts. About 5 other patrons also had the shirts on.

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When we found our bus stop again we took the Downtown loop through Wall Street, past Battery Park, along the waterfront of the East River and back to 1st Avenue. We had seen a restaurant area in 2nd Avenue when we were in a taxi the day before so we walked across for some dinner. It’s very easy to navigate here with the letters and numbers so it is easy to remember where things are.

Day 3 we wanted to do the Brooklyn loop on the bus which can only be accessed from the 9/11 Memorial stop in Lower West side.. We again walked to Stop 15 on 1st Avenue, went to the Rockefeller Centre on 49th Street, walked to Times Square to change buses and took the Downtown loop back to the 9/11 stop. This time we had a fantastic tour narrator and I learnt so much that I had missed the previous day that the repeat travel was well worth while.
The guide talked about the YMCA on 14th Street as we went though Greenwich Village and how that is how the Village People were named.

We got to the stop at 2pm and caught the Brooklyn Loop that took us over the Manhattan Bridge.

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Buses are not allowed on the Brooklyn Bridge, but we took lots of photos of it. We decided to explore so got off the bus when we saw some restaurants etc. The other reason for getting off the bus was the tour guide – what a shocker. It was like listening to a non funny Vinnie Barbarino – who thought he was finny!!! He talked the whole time – mainly about himself or the passengers and we were happy to get off as were many other passengers. He told us the last bus back would be about 4pm. We were at the stop at 3.45 but the bus that came was already full so we waited for the next one. It went straight past us even though we tried to wave it down.

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So we wandered around for awhile and tried to get a taxi, but they don’t want to go to Manhattan as they would take ages to get back across the East River in peak hour. Eventually we came to a subway station and as we had a Metro card, we caught the express train back to Union Square on 14st Street, not far from our apartment. When we came out of the subway it was raining. It was sunny when we left Brooklyn 30 minutes ago. So again it was difficult to get a cab in the rain. It took about 15 minutes and then one stopped. A short ride and we were home.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6KTANO-dFI&feature=youtu.be[/tube]

That night we went to a local Irish pub for a few drinks and then ate at Georgian Restaurant nearby. The food was great but the service was very basic.

We have been past so many amazing buildings that I have added a set of photos just on architecture – some easily recognisable and others I just found interesting.

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