TOP 10 NEW YORK CITY TOURS

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To music fans, New York City is the birthplace of hip-hop and the American cradle of punk rock. To fashionistas, it's a never ending bazaar of designer shops and department stores. To history buffs, it's a museum of America's past and human progress, and to foodies, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. In truth, NYC is all of these things and more. The following tours showcase the City from 10 distinct perspectives, and at least one of them is bound to show off New York from your perspective of choice.

Courtesy, Gray Line New York Sightseeing.

CitySights NY and Gray Line

CitySights' hop-on/hop-off buses deliver memorable views from their top-deck seating. They're a convenient way to get around while stealing picture perfect glimpses of Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building and countless other essential New York landmarks and neighborhoods. The company also offers specialized tours with stops at retail, cultural and historical attractions, along with educational student outings. Gray Line, meanwhile, boasts unlimited hop-on/hop-off service for 48 or 72 hours at more than 50 essential Manhattan and Brooklyn stops, including Rockefeller Center, the Apollo Theater, Little Italy and the Brooklyn Museum.

Courtesy, Circle Line Manhattan.

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises

This seafaring sightseeing sojourn appeals to both visitors and locals seeking a brief cruise getaway within the City limits. Itineraries can last anywhere from 75 minutes to three hours and sport views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Tour guides range from Broadway stars to Navy officers to a former CIA agent, docents who are knowledgeable, fascinating and often hilarious. For those looking to feed more than just their NYC curiosity, beer, wine, cocktails and snacks are available onboard. Finally, if you want to turn sightseeing into an extreme sport, look no further than The Beast which roars with blazing speed around Lady Liberty from May through September.

Photo: Martha Lanzillotti.

Explore New York with Martha

Who is Martha? And why should you want to explore New York with her? These are fair questions for the uninitiated to ask, but Martha and her tours quickly provide clear answers. The lifelong New Yorker and actress is personable and quickly builds rapport with her groups. She has also accumulated a stunning reserve of New York City trivia. You can sample her NYC knowledge with the brainteasers on the Explore New York website. Martha's flexible itineraries often stop not only at essential New York neighborhoods i.e., Chinatown and landmarks i.e., Gracie Mansion but also at more offbeat sites like the Jackson Heights church where the board game Scrabble was invented. Parla italiano? Martha also offers tours in Italian.

Courtesy, Shop Gotham.

Shop Gotham

With the basics out of the way you can now drill down to the obsessions that help make New York such an exceptional city. Start with shopping. Shop Gotham knows that NYC is packed with distinctive fashion, and its expert guides give a helping hand to serious shoppers with insider knowledge and wholesale discounts. Tours cover classic and emerging retail neighborhoods, boutiques and Garment District design studios. Options include neighborhood based jaunts in SoHo, NoLita and the Garment Center along with specialized routes for sweet 16 shoppers and customized itineraries for all kinds of groups. Just ask!

Courtesy, Hush Tours.

Hush Hip Hop Tours

Hush Hip Hop Tours distinguishes itself by more than its subject matter alone. The guides have lived the history they'll tell you about. Such personalities as DJ Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Caz and DJ Kool Herc lead multi-borough journeys through neighborhoods where this popular and influential lifestyle was born and raised, tracking hip-hop's story through Harlem, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens from its invention through its acceptance as an important art form. They also take a peek into the genre's future and even give live performances from time to time. Four separate tour options give guests the opportunity to learn about different neighborhoods and periods of hip-hop history.

The New York Stock Exchange. Photo: Jordan Gary.

Wall Street Walks

When it comes to money, no place is more iconic than the New York Stock Exchange. On these Lower Manhattan walking tours, led by former Morgan Stanley employee Annaline Dinkelmann and other industry insiders, visitors learn about Wall Street, the financial and stock markets and downtown architecture. They're also a fantastic way to bolster one's knowledge of early American history while exploring, among other things, the myriad political and economic contributions of New Yorker Alexander Hamilton. Specialized tours visit the Federal Reserve gold vault and reveal the fascinating histories of Wall Street's most powerful women. From the rise of a new economic power to crashes and financial panics, Wall Street Walks covers it all. The company also offers private tours.

Watson Adventures

Watson Adventures scavenger hunts are a creative, off-the-beaten-path way to meet people and learn about New York City. Its famous "Murder at the Met" hunt, in which participants explore
The Metropolitan Museum of Art while striving to solve a (staged) murder, is always a favorite. Other adventure themes include Central Park movie and television locations, a "Grand Central Scramble" around the majestic transit hub and a delicious "Munch Around Chinatown" hunt that gives visitors a taste of the namesake neighborhood and neighboring Little Italy. Families will especially enjoy programs where kids and adults work together to decipher clues.

Courtesy, Radio City Music Hall.

Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tours

Sneak a peek behind the curtain at this legendary venue which has hosted performances by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Elton John and, of course, the beloved Rockettes. Learn all about the Great Stage, the hall's distinctive art deco architecture and its impresario, Samuel Lionel "Roxy" Rothafel not to mention Radio City's incredible Wurlitzer organ which can re-create the sound of a full orchestra. Tours also drop by Rockefeller Center and, perhaps, best of all, give participants the opportunity to meet a Rockette and enjoy an interactive, simulated photo opportunity as a virtual member of the kickline. Sorry if you really want to be a Rockette, you'll have to audition like everyone else.

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden. Courtesy, SusanSez NYC Walkabouts

SusanSez NYC Walkabouts

Remember when we said that certain NYC tours show the big city through the prism of narrow obsessions? Two words: knitting crawl. Yes, one SusanSez NYC Walkabouts tour is an exhaustive three hour exploration of New York City yarn stores. Susan prides herself on revealing New York's "hidden treasures," so it's no surprise that most of her other insider jaunts, many organized by borough and neighborhood, are nearly as specific. Options include a tasty trek down Arthur Avenue, the Bronx's own Little Italy, and a stroll entitled "The Immigrant Experience" which traces the histories of New York City's thriving Jewish and Chinese communities on East Broadway from Seward Park to Chatham Square.