5 Day New York City Group Tour
Day 1 You'll See:
- NBC Studio and Rockefeller Center
- Top of the Rock
- Macy’s Herald Square
- Times Square
Day 2 You'll See:
- Midtown New York City Tour
- Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
- Fifth Avenue Walking Tour
Day 3 You'll See:
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- 9/11 Memorial
- Wall Street Walking Tour
- Broadway Play
Day 4 You'll See:
- Today Show
- Central Park
- The MET
Day 5 You'll See:
- Chinatown or Little Italy
Day 1
NBC Studio and Rockefeller Center
You and your group will kick off your Big Apple adventure with a trip to NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center! Lucky guests on this sellout tour are marshaled through those hallowed halls and right into the belly of NYC operations. You’ll have the opportunity to check out Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show and MSNBC, and you’ll drop by the NBC/Sharp Globe Theater and Broadcast Operations, tour the Makeup Room and visit the High Definition Mini-Control Studio. Feelin’ photogenic? Souvenir photos are taken at the news desk, and two extra-audacious types from your group will get a crack at reading the news and giving a weather demo in front of the “green screen”! Afterward, explore landmark Rockefeller Center’s extraordinary gardens, spaces, and buildings, wander the Concourse - an incredible network of underground passageways and retailers connecting every building in the Center, and – for a grand finale – head to the Top of the Rock!
Top of the Rock
Rockefeller Center invites you and your group of intrepid itinerants to experience the magic of the “City that Never Sleeps” from a beyond breathtaking vantage point. Step inside a supersonic elevator and soar straight to the twinkling, LED-lit “Top of the Rock” for exhilarating and utterly matchless 360-degree views of Central Park and the iconic city skyline!
Macy’s Herald Square
Next up: a trip to Macy’s Herald Square! This beloved NYC tradition, especially enchanting around the Holidays – is billed as the largest department store in the world, featuring eleven floors housing a vast and exciting inventory of more than half a million items. Built-in 1902, Macy's Herald Square was the first building to house the modern-day escalator; it presently occupies an entire city block. Visitor Tip: Isidor and Ida Straus, co-owner of Macy's, perished tragically when the Titanic sank; a memorial plaque honoring the two can be seen on the main floor at the memorial entrance. Experience the magic of Macy’s – and bring your cameras.
Times Square
It’s almost too much, the undiluted cosmopolitan vibrancy and undeniably kinetic energy of iconic Times Square; its huge digital billboards, brilliant neon lights, and dazzling storefronts are just a part of the amazing explosion of sights, sounds, and attractions awaiting visitors to this world-famous intersection in the heart of the Theater District. Times Square, referenced and portrayed time and again in popular cinema, is the home of the annually televised New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, the Paramount Building, Planet Hollywood, the Good Morning America show, and so many other hotspots and highlights it’s earned another nickname: “Center of the Universe”! And so closes your first day in the City that Never Sleeps.
Day 2
Midtown New York City Tour
Day Two of this fabulous 5-Day getaway has your group heading to Midtown Manhattan - unquestionably the busiest, most exclusive and most crowded piece of real estate in all of New York, and home to many important landmarks; you’ll discover plenty of “classic city skyline”- type architecture here. Stops on this delightful jaunt include the Times Square Theater District, Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and everybody’s favorite Big Apple icon – the Empire State Building! Bring your camera, wear walking shoes and prepare to be amazed by this fascinating and informative two-hour Midtown trek!
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
A visit to this “Wax Museum to end all wax museums” is an absolute imperative while exploring New York City. Madame’s presents the ultimate “celebrity wax experience” in the heart of Times Square, showcasing more than 225 celebrity figures so authentically rendered you may expect them to duck away from your cameras. A little trivia: THE illustrious Madame Tussaud began sculpting at the tender age of 17; during the French Revolution’s infamous Reign of Terror period, she was arrested and her head shaved in preparation for execution by guillotine. In a phenomenal stroke of good luck, she was spared that grisly fate and commissioned to create remarkably lifelike death masks from victim’s heads, which were paraded through the streets on poles like horrifying revolutionary flags.
Fifth Avenue Walking Tour
A 5th Avenue walking tour acquaints visitors with the history of this legendary luxury street, including the upscale stores and iconic landmarks that have made this fabled and glamorous thoroughfare an enduring favorite destination for NYC shoppers and tourists for decades! This five-mile stretch of road beginning at Washington Square and ending at Harlem River is loaded with prestigious designer shops and flagship stores and architectural stunners; these tantalizing exploratory jaunts can be customized to include your very own “NYFabulous” 5th Avenue shopping experience!
Day 3
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
The 151-foot tall Statue of Liberty was a generous gift to our Nation from the good people of France and is one of the most recognized statues in the world. She towers, vigilant, tall and proud on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a breathtaking monument to freedom and democracy around the globe. Statue Cruises provide excellent traditional tours, ferrying you and your travel group out to meet our stoic Lady, then on to landmark Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum for a little family tree research. Did your ancestors come to America through this notorious National Gateway, once a hanging site for pirates?
9/11 Memorial
Every NYC travel itinerary should include a visit to this stunning commemorative landmark. The National September 11 Memorial Museum serves as our country’s principal institution concerned with exploring the implications of the horrific events of 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which it accomplishes through a series of moving and relevant exhibitions. Portraits of more than 3000 9/11 victims are displayed on-site and a section of the “Survivors’ Stairs”- the stairwell by which hundreds of would-be victims escaped with their lives after the 9/11 terrorist attacks – as well as portions of the twin towers’ structural columns remain, sobering reminders of this horrific act.
Wall Street Walking Tour
Centuries ago, notorious financial hub Wall Street was declared NYC’s official slave market, and yes, there really was a wall – a wooden wall, built to keep out the British. Modern Wall Street is home to the New York Stock Exchange, which had its humble beginnings as a group of businessmen working away under a Buttonwood tree – as well as a host of other important landmarks. Groups exploring Wall Street will see the ornate 19th century Trinity Church, New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Hall National Memorial, the Financial District, the 70-story Trump Building and - if you’re lucky enough to get next to it - can have a fellow traveler snap your photo with the Charging Bull of Wall Street!
Broadway Play
Whether you’re after razzle-dazzle, loads of laughs or simply an enchanted New York evening, a Broadway production is just the ticket to perfectly close your third day in the city! Select a play, get to the theater, then sit back and enjoy the show – there’s nothing in the world like the time-honored tradition of the Great White Way experience! P.S.: Don’t forget to linger by the stage door for autographs.
Day 4
Today Show
Rise and shine, sleepyheads, and grab a quick bite! Day 4 begins bright and early – your group is headed for the Today Show Plaza at Rockefeller Center to watch a live taping. You’ll learn how it all comes together, with awesome tips from the pros on how to create a high-visibility poster; pick a spot at the front of the barricade for the best chance at being seen on TV and tell your friends and family back home to watch for you. For a shot at meeting the hosts, you’ll want to line up on the 49th Street side of the Plaza; how EXCITING - and so New York!
Central Park
A stroll through the Big Apple’s 843 acre back yard is a mainstay of any NYC experience; this familiar landmark is an oasis in the heart of the busy city, affording harried locals and wide-eyed visitors, alike, a peaceful respite from the frenzied crush of crowds and dizzying pace of life amongst the serious skyscrapers. Our Country’s first real park showcases two ice skating rinks, 90 acres of natural woods, dozens of unique bridges and arches, twenty-one playgrounds, one of the largest merry-go-rounds in the States, its own Zoo, a 106-acre reservoir encircled by a running track and a breathtaking heirloom rose garden. Central Park is wound about with scenic footpaths; birding and wildlife watching opportunities abound, and boat/kayak rentals can be secured at Loeb Boathouse.
The MET
“The Met”, as it’s commonly called, is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world, showcasing a stunning compilation of comprehensive collections in more than 400 galleries and hosting endless exhibitions and special events. Your travel group is welcome to explore this magnificent institution on their own or enjoy popular Museum highlights on any one of a variety of engaging, hour-long special tours conducted by trained volunteers that depart every fifteen minutes from The Great Hall throughout the day.
Day 5
Chinatown or Little Italy
Day Five shakes you and your group out on your own; you’ll have a chance to explore some of the most exciting, inviting, popular and picturesque neighborhoods in all of Manhattan. Wend your way through the traditional, old-world color and flavor of Little Italy or stroll down exotic streets peppered with humble dumpling joints and intriguing open-air markets in the city’s ever-growing China Town. Prepare to experience sensory heaven; you’re going to want to sample!
