Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Circle Line boat
Center
Touring by bus
Right
Carriage in Central Park
Guided Tours
Neighborhood
Walking Tours
The best way to see
New York is on foot with
a knowledgeable guide.
Top leaders include: Big
Onion Walking Tours (his-
tory oriented), Joyce Gold
History Tours, and the
92nd Street Y (Jewish
oriented). d
Big Onion
Walking Tours: 212
439 1090
•
Joyce Gold
History Tours: 212 242
5762
•
92nd Street Y:
212 415 5500
Bicycle Tours
A leisurely, two-hour
spin around Central Park
takes in all the important
sights, with a break for
refreshments. Tours cost
$35 with bike rental. d
2 Columbus Circle, 59th St
& Broadway
•
Map H2
•
212 541 8759
Garden Tours
The New York Botan-
ical Garden (718 817 8700)
holds various tours. d
Tours at 1pm Tue-Sun
to either Forest, Con-
servatory, Rock Garden
or highlights. Occasional
tours at 2 & 3pm on Tue
& Thu
•
Tickets are free
with garden admission
•
Tram tours run every 20
minutes ($2 adults, $1
children, see p151)
with multilingual guides,
plus Brooklyn tours and
Harlem gospel tours. An
all-day tour costs $60
including a bonus Statue
of Liberty boat ticket and
one-day subway/bus pass.
d
Gray Line Bus Tours:
212 397 2620.
Backstage Tours
Among the insider's
offerings are Lincoln
Center
(see p139)
, the
Metropolitan Opera,
Radio City Music Hall
(see p13)
, NBC Studios
(see p13)
, Carnegie Hall
(see p125)
, Madison
Square Garden, Grand
Central Terminal
(see
p123)
, Gracie Mansion
(see p135)
, and the New
York Public Library
(see
p124)
. d
Lincoln Center:
212 875 5350
•
Metro-
politan Opera: 212 769
7020
•
Radio City Music
Hall: 212 307 7171
•
NBC Studios: 212 664
3700
•
Carnegie Hall: 212
906 9765
•
Madison
Square Garden: 212 465
6080
•
Grand Central
Terminal: 212 340 2347
•
Gracie Mansion: 212 570
4751
•
New York Public
Library: 212 340 0849
Architectural
Tours
The Municipal Art
Society, dedicated to
preservation and
excellence in urban
design, offers enlighten-
ing “Discover New York”
tours highlighting the
city's buildings and
neighborhoods, led by
architectural historians.
d
Municipal Art Society:
212 935 3960
Museum Tours
The Metropolitan
Museum of Art
(see
p133)
offers 20 different
guided tours daily in
several languages, cover-
ing the highlights of the
museum as well as
specific galleries; tours
are included with the
price of admission. The
Guggenheim Museum
(see p133)
offers family
tours of museum high-
lights, also free with the
price of admission.
Boat Tours
Circle Line offers two-
or three-hour cruises
around Manhattan, as well
as Harbor Lights evening
cruises and one-hour sails
from South Street Sea-
port. New York Waterways
has 90-minute harbor trips.
d
South Street Seaport:
Pier 16 & Pier 83, 212 563
3200
•
New York Water-
ways: 800 533 FERRY
Park Tours
See the glories of
Central Park with Urban
Park Rangers or volun-
teer guides from the
Park Conservancy. Free
programs are held most
weekends and some
Wednesdays.
d
Park
Conservancy schedules,
212-310-6600
•
Urban Park
Rangers, 311
Carriage Tours
Horse-drawn cabs
take passengers on a
short, old-fashioned ride
through Central Park
(see
p26-7)
. Rides cost
$34-54.
d
Central Park
South at 59th St
•
Map H3
Bus Tours
Gray Line offers two-
to ten-hour double-decker
and motorcoach Man-
hattan sightseeing trips
164
