Saturday, October 21st, 2023
After yesterday’s washout weather, we were hoping for a miracle today and that the deluge would recede, but upon waking, nothing could be further from the truth and the rain was continuing to pour. Our plans were in tatters we just hoped the weather would crack at some point and the sun would finally come out… there was a potential break forecast…but it was touch and go.
Rise NYC – $42
To pass the time before the rain passed we had a few ideas, we started off with the new Rise NYC attraction which was literally the street down from us. This is something we have not done before, however we have had similar experiences all over the states, Vegas, San Francisco, and of Course Disneyland where these flight simulator rides started with Soarin’.
Rise NYC is essentially one of these Flight Simulator rides but with a little extra sprinkled on. It starts off with a Video presentation, narrated by Jeff Goldblum, and then there is a short museum-style experience, showcasing the City. It’s not amazing but it’s quite fun and we spent 10-15 mins exploring.
Finally, you enter the ride experience. You board the ride Vehicle, which is then lifted into the air and spins around placing you inside the theater projection Dome. With your feet dangling you are taken on a tour of NYC from the air. It’s a lot of fun.
New York’s incredible style is perfect for this kind of ride, chock full of epic landmarks and tall structures for the glider to soar over and drop down from. It’s not as advanced as the Disney version with much more limited up-and-down motion and more reliance on shaking for motion which was pretty weak. There are a few bursts of scent and the odd water effect. It’s good but obviously a lot Cheaper than the ultra-high-end Disney sims.
At $42 per person, this would be an expensive attraction and not really worth the cost. A family of 4 costing well over $150! That is a big outlay for attraction that took us 45 minutes. Of course, being on the pass helped soothe this a little as it felt like an added bonus!
After Rise NYC, we headed back towards the Rockefeller Center to get our tickets swapped out for tonight. We had booked to go up this morning as the weather had previously shown a short break, but this changed and it was a total wash-out. Once you have a timed ticket, the Top of the Rock happily swap it out as many times as you like, so we booked a late-night visit tonight.
Brunch – $59 (Non-Pass)
After this, we had Brunch reservations. When the weather doesn’t play ball, it’s best to hit the drink and an all-you-can-eat Brunch is the perfect solution. While not overly synonymous with New York, we decided to hit the highly rated Maya, a Mexican restaurant over on 2nd Av, that offered All-you-can-eat food AND drink. Most Brunch options offer unlimited booze but limit you to one Entree. The Maya offer very small plates, but in an unlimited number meaning you can try almost the whole menu.
And it was really good. They started us off with Tuna Crevche Chips and Dips. We literally had one of everything we wanted from Shrimp enchiladas, Port Tacos, Cheese Quesadillas, Short Rib enchiladas, Maya Hotdogs, and Salmon, and finished off with Mini Waffles and Churros. It was pretty epic and we left Stuffed.
But let’s not forget the Boozy side of this, for $59 you get unlimited food and drinks (it’s $49 if you just want food) a $59 meal tab in New York is pretty phenomenal value, but when the food is this good and drinks are unlimited it’s staggering value. We started with a Bloody Mary and Maya Mimosa before switching to Classic Margaritas for the rest of the meal, we had at least 4 drinks each, and at New York prices that would have been over $59 in most places alone! The Margs were really good too.
We left a little tipsy, very full, and perfectly satisfied with our rainy Saturday Morning activities…but the Restaurant served up one final treat while we were dining…SUN!
One World Observation Deck – $47
With the clouds magically parting and the sun coming out we jumped onto the subway and fired off to the World Trade Center. No visit to New York is complete without visiting the Memorial. We had done the Museum again recently and while we keep going, it’s not something we want to do every trip…it’s pretty hard emotionally, but the Memorial is a must. This event is woven into the very fabric of the City now.
We took a look around the Memorial, which is always sobering, and a little annoying watching people snapping happy smiley Seflies at what is essentially a burial site! Afterward, we headed to the symbol of victory over those who tried to destroy our way of life, the Freedom Tower, now glistening resplendently in the sunshine.
We headed into the Observation Deck entrance knowing you cannot always get an instant ticket to go to the top with a Go City Pass, when busy you get the next available which can be a few hours away. However, you can either pay to upgrade, unlike Top Of The Rock or just come back later at your allotted ticket time. There is no way to do this online beforehand so it’s a bit of a gamble, but there is a lot to do in this area and we planned on going to Brooklyn so figured we would see what time the return ticket was and then head over to Brooklyn and come back at our ticket time.
In this case, the next available was now. so we grabbed the tickets via the new and super easy-to-use Automated kiosks, scanning the passes as we went, and then straight down to the Elevators to the top.
The ride to the top is a fun one with a video showing the Evolution of the City from marshland and forest to what it is today, with a bit of an emotional lump near the end as the Twin Towers disappear! You then enter the theater of forever, and without any spoilers, this is our favorite element of any observation deck out there!
We did not have VIP tickets so we did not get the Digital Tour devices, they offered us the chance to rent them, but honestly we would pay NOT to have them, a real pain in the bum when looking around the deck.
The Observation deck was really quiet, we think people had not anticipated the rain clearing this quickly. and we had a really nice time wandering around taking in the stunning views. The one thing we don’t like about the One World Observation deck is the glass. The reflections are really bad, especially in bright sunlight, there is so much that can bounce back and ruin a shot or a view. There were some really nice angles we found but we just couldn’t get a shot due to reflections. We also really struggled with contrast, with the bright lights outside not allowing us to get a bright enough inside shot while not being blown out outside.
It’s a strange deck really is should be so good, but the indoor nature and the endless reflections just take the shine off it a little. Even a small outdoor space would really help elevate the experience.
We considered heading up to the Amazing Bar but decided as we had spent the whole morning downing Margs, we would get on with our day rather than spend more time drinking.
Brooklyn, Dumbo, and Brooklyn Bridge – Free
The next stop on our trip was to be Brooklyn. No trip to New York is complete without heading across the river to take in probably the best view in the City. We hopped onto the Subway and headed across to Dumbo.
Heading into Dumbo we fought with the crowds to try and get the ultimate composition of the Empire State Building in the arch of the Manhatten Bridge. It’s a great shot, but very much an Instagram vs reality shot as there are tourists everywhere!
From here we headed down to Pebble Beach, with amazing views of the downtown skyline and Brooklyn Bridge. We followed the river along to the Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier1 which offers simply stunning views of the skyline. This is our favorite view in the city and never ceases to take our breaths away.
From here we decided the best way to get back into Manhattan was walking and the only way to walk was the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a seriously iconic hike and offers amazing views of the City, The East River, the Statue of Liberty, and the throngs of tourists that line the bridge. It’s also one of the cheapest places in the City to buy souvenirs, especially on the Brooklyn side as not everyone makes it the whole way across so there are more tourists and higher prices on the Manhattan side.
It’s a really fun walk and really unlike any other walk on the planet as you are just treated to endless views of the stunning skyline and bridge architecture. It’s highly recommended.
The Ride – $79
Back in Manhattan, we had time to head back to the Hotel to freshen up before heading out to our final attraction of the trip, The Ride.
The Ride is a seriously touristy thing to do but it’s a lot of fun and despite having been on the attraction several times we still have a laugh with the cast and crew as they take us on a short tour of the City. There is no doubt that is very corner and touristic so anyone looking for an authentic New York experience, whatever that means, is probably not going to like the Ride, but it’s a lot of fun and a light-hearted way to see some of the City.
This is one of those attractions where if we had to pay the full entry price there is no way we could justify it, but on the pass, it seems more of a bargain!
If you do not know the Ride is basically a Guided tour on a Modified bus that has horizontal stadium seating looking out of panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s like you are at the cinema, only the screen is a window looking out into New York. As you drive around, you are guided by two tour guides who provide commentary and skits about the various locations in the City, this is often hilarious and their ability to pad, when the bus is inevitably stuck in traffic, is seriously impressive.
At various points along the journey, you are witness to a selection of Street Acts. These are Rappers, Singers, Ballerinas, Dancers, and various acts that pop up “spontaneously” on the street. One of the highlights of this is seeing the various passers-by’s faces as someone starts performing right in front of them on the street.
it really is a lot of fun and if you are just looking for a fun experience and to see a few sights in the City it’s a great tour.
Halal Guys
After the Ride, we ignored the advice of the guides and headed out to get some “Street Meat”! Some of the Hotdog Carts in the City have become tourist attractions in their own right and far from the basic Hotdogs they now sell every possible kind of food a certain kind of cart has really caught on, in no small part thanks to Iron Man. These are the Swarma Carts of the Halal Guys and Adel’s Famous Halal Food along with various others who have transformed the Hotdog Cart Scnene in the City. Queues of over an hour are regular occurrences and there is fierce debate about who was first and which is best…
…Our advice is to try both Hala Gys and Adels and see which you prefer as really there is no better or worse, just preference. We love both but head to the Halal Guys as the queues are just a little shorter. We have to credit both carts with the fact that they have barely hiked their prices. With the internet fame that has come to them could probably double their prices but have remained pretty competitive with a Regular Platter (which is pretty huge) costing $11 and a Wrap costing $8, where else can you get that value in New York?
The food is also amazing, but trust them when they tell you the red sauce is spicy…it’s really spicy!
Top Of The Rock – Paid for on Day 1 ($43)
With our stomachs filled with Shwarma, we headed off for the final attraction of the Day, the Pass, and even this trip to New York. This was paid for by the pass on the first day, so we are not counting the cost again in the run-down below, but we still needed to fit it in and this was the last opportunity, but it was a great one.
Before heading up we spent a little time in and around the ice-skating rink enjoying the Plaza and watching the good and not-so-good skaters perform ticks and slide around on their bums!
The Night was seriously clear. The morning rain had cleared the air really nicely and now we had stunning crystal-clear views out over the City. The Rock had been manic on the day we first visited but now, late at night, it was pretty quiet. However, there were some pretty slow queues heading up to the top. This was partially because so few people had gone up over the last few days due to the rain.
At the top, it was nice and quiet and we think the Center is limiting access to keep it fairly nice at the summit. Based on the queues we thought it would be manic, but there was hardly anyone up there which was nice.
The evening was peaceful and serene and the view out over midtown is truly stunning. On the other side of the building, the view over the park is now largely obscured by Billionaires Row, but it’s still nice, but the view over the Empire State, the Summit, and Downtown Manhattan is unbeatable.
We love the Top of The Rock as it is the ONLY deck that offers full, unobscured views of the City. Every other deck has glass, or fences, or something in the way. This is to stop people falling it dropping things off the edge, but the Top Of The Rock has a unique layout. The bottom deck indeed has glass separating you from the drop. But the upper deck is smaller, so the edge only drops down as far as the lower level. If you fell, you would only probably bust your ankle. so instead of a glass or wire fence, there is a waist-high wall, this means when you look out over the City it’s just air in front of you. It’s really hard to express how much better that is.
You feel the rush of the wind, can hear the hubbub of the City and your photos have zero reflections. We can sit up here for hours just looking out over one of the most stunning cityscapes in the world.
Compared to the Tacky Summit, the Top Of The Rock is timeless and magical. You can avoid the Selfie takers and crowds of people more impressed with shiny reflections than the city you came to look at. We know many disagree, and the summit is highly rated, but for us, nothing beats the cerebral sensation of actually looking over the best city in the world!
After taking around 10 billion images, to go with the 40 billion we already have the cold was starting to bite after all this is an outdoor deck at high altitude in late Fall, it was a touch nippy! So we said our final goodbyes and headed down, and back to the hotel, after picking up some supplies for tomorrow.
This was our last night and we were heading out of the City Tomorrow, but do not worry, our trip is only just beginning and we have a lot of cool, Halloweenie stuff planned!
Go City New York All Inclusive 3-Day Pass – Running Total
- Attractions Today – 3
- Total Attractions – 10
- Attractions Cost – $168
- Running Total – Day 3 of 3: $489
- Cost Of Pass – $249
- Savings – $240
The final day of the Pass and we had saved an incredible amount of money! Despite not being able to use the Pass as we had first planned due to the weather we still got amazing value from it. Over $240 savings from the pass making around 50% saving on all our attractions.
We also did not chase the pass too hard and instead fitted in a lot of fun free activities, and lots of dining, and even a few early nights and late starts. We did not use the pass to define our trip instead, we built our plans around the attractions on the pass and made sure we did as much as we really wanted to do.
We did a few things we would not have done without the pass, some we really enjoyed some were not so great, but that’s one of the advantages of the pass, you really can try things safely in the knowledge they are not really costing you anything but time.
And if you want to save even more, take a look at our Discount Codes HERE
Walking Total – 25,147 Steps – 12.1 Miles
Today we had a really solid day on the feet. It started easy but we really closed some significant miles up around Brooklyn and the Bridge Walk. Overall it felt really great to get back to the Hotel and get off our feet!
<<< Rain – Moma – Gallaghers Lunch – Catacombs – Little Italy – Early Night