There are many opportunities for professionally guided or self-guided sightseeing tours in New York. It is a crowded city, and it can be hard to get around by public transportation or by foot at rush hour and during the holiday season. Peak rush hours are generally 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunchtime and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Plan sightseeing by neighborhood where possible to cut down on transportation costs and lost time from waiting.
One site you're sure to see on a tour, New York's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building, is a sight all by itself, but it also provides breathtaking views of the city and beyond. As seen in many Hollywood movies, the outside observation deck on the 86th floor provides bird's-eye views of Manhattan. It's closed during storms because the building is struck by lightning around 100 times a year. From the indoor observation deck on the 102nd floor, you can see 80 miles on a clear day. Visibility is posted in the ground-floor lobby. Elevator operators and guides on the observation decks help orient visitors to the scenic views.
A few bus companies offer sightseeing tours on double-decker sightseeing buses. Manhattan is a big city, so different themed tours are available: Midtown, Uptown, Harlem, Downtown, Brooklyn, nighttime and amphibious. As in other cities, commentary in multiple languages is offered on the buses.
Circle Line is the most famous of the sightseeing tour boats. Guided sightseeing tours sail around the island of Manhattan giving visitors great views and some history. Circle Line also has a ferry service to the Statue of Liberty. An inexpensive way to see the classic skyline of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is from the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry has been transporting commuters to Lower Manhattan since it was started in 1810 by Cornelius Vanderbilt. Today, five vessels make 109 trips daily.
