Planning on doing some NYC Site seeing in the near future? Visiting the city yourself or taking some guests on a “let someone else do all of the talking” tour? The Big Adventure suggests you avoid “The Ride.”
Recently, there was a no holds barred article in the NY Daily News that illuminated a fact that many of us already knew: The new tourist attraction The Ride is overpriced and underwhelming. Since the company launched in September, there have been ubiquitous ads all over town for this bus tour that’s part “entertainment experience” and part…well bus tour.
We give ‘em credit, The Ride is a new twist on the decades old, standard bus tour. For starters, they’re rolling down Broadway in a 1.3 million dollar vehicle that features comfortable stadium seating. The seating all faces the right side of the road giving everyone the advantage of looking at the same thing Plus, the coach is stacked with state-of-the-art audio and video, seats that shake, move and jimmy, and enough in-bus special effects that would make James Cameron drool.
But after you get past the allure of the cool bus, The Ride quickly goes downhill. Instead of trying to enlighten, educate and simply point out the wonders of NYC, The Ride “re-enacts” scenes from NYC life. On the sidewalk outside the bus, you’ll occasionally see a variety of performers who churn through their corny shtick among other real people. A variety of gimmicky stunts are played out mixing the tour with some quick one-act scenes. What is indented to be surprising comes off as amateurish. What is supposed to show a “slice of life” in NYC is ridiculous. Trying to be part show and part tour, it instead ends up being a lot of nothing. Plus, with the $65 ticket price needed for a seat on The Ride, your better bet is to spend that money on a real Broadway show or buy TWO tickets for one of the more traditional double-decker classic buses.
In short, The Ride is a great attempt but ends up being an overdone miss. Spend your money on one of the better,more classic options. The Ride operates 364 Days a year and leaves from the Marriott Hotel in Times Square. 75 Minutes. 4.2 Miles.Visit “The Ride” on “The Internet”:
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