Exploring with CityPASS

November 18th, 2024 by Grace Steffen

One of the best things about being a student in NYC is living in a city where people want to visit you. Back in August, before school started, my best friend from high school came to see me for five days. It was her first time visiting New York, so I knew that while I may be used to getting to do the tourist things whenever I wanted, my friend was getting to experience it all for the first time. To make the most of her time in the city, we each purchased the New York City Pass. With this pass, we accessed the Empire State Building observatory deck, the Natural History Museum, and three other attractions from a given list. The selection list had a little something for everyone. The Guggenheim for the art buff, the Intrepid Museum for the Maritime enthusiasts, the 9/11 Memorial and ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for those looking to learn more about the history of the city, and the final two options: a sightseeing cruise and Top of the Rock Observation deck for those just wanting to experience the wonder of New York. 

With something for everyone, it was difficult to choose which three attractions we wanted to do. I surprisingly still needed to cross many of these sites off my NYC bucket list, and having my friend there gave me the perfect opportunity to be a tourist. We ended up going with the sightseeing cruise, 9/11 Memorial, and the boat ride to the Statue of Liberty.  A few things I enjoyed about the City Pass was it gave us 9 days from the first visit to utilize all our tickets. This allowed us to space out the activities over the 5 days she was there without getting overwhelmed. We also spent under $200 for all five activities when they are normally priced well over $200. Now I will say it may have been a big spend, but if you have people visiting you, it's well worth it to introduce your visitors to the city you call home. 

To learn more about the CityPASS and treat your visitors to many iconic NYC sights, or even play tourist yourself, visit the link below. 

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