by toombsey

October 19, 2004

From journal A Week in New York

The night tour is very good and it takes in a lot of the sights from the uptown, downtown, and Brooklyn tours but, yes, you’ve guessed it, at night.

You need to pick your timing here. The tours start from around 6pm, but if you want to start the tour in the dark, you need to allow for this. We went in September and started our tour at 6.30pm, which meant that the sun was just starting to go down, but it was still light. The tour starts and finishes in Times Square, so if it is not quite dark when you depart, don’t worry, you will see it all again in all its glory when you return at the end of the tour.

We travelled around Times Square, and as we went down one of the roads, we caught the top of the Chrysler Building. The sun was just setting, reflecting off the building and making it look like it was made of gold – stunning.

We went past the Empire State, which lights up different colours depending on the special event or occasion. We went past when it was pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Week. We then went through Greenwich Village, Soho, China Town, Little Italy, and then across the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn.

From Brooklyn, you have the most fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline at night. We did this tour on the evening of the third anniversary of 9/11, and they had the beams of light stretching up through the sky. The sight was awesome and would have been worth the price of the whole tour just for that. When we pulled over to get the best view, most of us on the bus just sat and stared in awe - the guide had to remind us to take photos. This will be one of the lasting memories I take away from this trip.

After a quick tour of Brooklyn, we returned across the Manhattan Bridge and then travelled alongside the East River towards the East Village and onto the main roads of Manhattan. Here you get great views of the Empire State Building, and many other buildings, all lit up. You then head up towards Central Park. The change in temperature as you round the corner of the park is shocking. It dipped several noticeable degrees, and the darkness of the park at night is quite strange.

After the park, you venture back Times Square with all its lights blazing and flashing. It is stunning by day, but at night, it comes alive.

The night tour is well worth doing, but even in the summer, remember that you may need a jumper as the night draws in, as it can get chilly. We had 85-degree weather by day, but were shivering on the tour in t-shirt and shorts at night. Our tour guide was excellent; very friendly and happy to answer questions. I can definitely recommend this tour.

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