Buy A City Pass

Last year when Jeff and I were getting ready to visit NYC, we tried to prepare well in advance for the many things we wanted to see. We made a list of all the things we hoped to see and then listed them in order of importance. Because two days of the trip would be work days for Jeff, I knew I would spend those two days doing the things that he didn't care to miss. Being the frugal gal I am, I did a lot of research to figure out how to see the most for our money. A lot of our trip was so uncertain that it made it hard to pre-purchase any attraction tickets.

Now that we've been there and know the layout of the city, we know that we could see more for our money by purchasing a New York CityPass . This pass allows you to see six attractions for half the price of buying each ticket individually. The pass includes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, American Museum of Natural History, a trip to the Empire State Building Observatory, and a trip on a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise. You'll also get a map and insider information which shares the best times to visit these places. Now, I can attest to the fact that this is an excellent deal because I took a cruise on the Circle Line and went to the Empire State Building Observatory and paid more than if I'd purchased one of these passes. These also happened to be my two favorite attractions this time around. The lines were not bad because we went in December. However, with this pass, you bypass all the lines. That's a wonderful selling point in my book.

If you know someone who will be visiting NYC, the city pass would make a wonderful gift. If they will use the pass after December 15, they can take advantage of the winter special. This makes the pass valid until March 15. So, if they go up in December and can't see all of the attractions in the pass, they can make a return visit before March and still be able to use it to see the attractions they didn't get to previously. Since December seemed to be a great time to visit because the crowds were low, we will probably make a return trip during that month. Don't worry, this pass will be on my Christmas list as soon as we decide to go that way!