The Ride Brings Holiday Entertainment and Fun Into NYC on Wheels

Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets to The Ride to facilitate our post. All opinions are our own.

As New Yorkers, we often don’t take advantage of some of the city’s best “tourist” attractions, like Central Park, Rockefeller Center and Times Square which we have at our fingertips. The holidays in New York attract tourists more than any other time of year, and this year, we decided to sit back, relax, and take in New York in a way that would appeal to both locals and visitors by experiencing an attraction we’ve been meaning to check out for years – THE RIDE. And because we’re in December, we experienced THE RIDE: HOLIDAY EDITION, where the Holiday Magic of New York came to life right before our eyes in a special and unpredictable way!

THE RIDE proves much more than simply a bus tour of New York City. Like the city itself, THE RIDE comes alive, and does not disappoint. Not only do all guests face one way in stadium seating (so there’s not a bad seat in the house – or the bus – to miss the action!) but we were joined by three hosts – Julie, Stewart, and the voice of THE RIDE itself, who filled our 90 minute bus tour through New York City with wit, song, and facts about Manhattan that even us locals didn’t know!

During our tour, music played, lights flashed, and we even were treated to some surprises along the way – such as a “maintenance worker” (who happened to be part of THE RIDE) breaking out into a tap routine on 42^nd Street, Tiny Tim greeting us in Shubert Alley and again on Eighth Avenue, and even a hip hop dancing Santa who breakdanced by Grand Central!

For just over four miles, we whizzed through our route, from Times Square all the way up to Central Park – where we delighted to see two ballet dancers unite in an electric routine staged just for us. By Carnegie Hall a performer serenaded us with carols. Our energetic vibrant hosts kept us all laughing and entertained, while waving at tourists who were either really excited to wave back or confused why Santa was breakdancing for people sitting sideways in a bus. All part of the fun!

What better way to conclude our tour than with a rollicking karaoke version of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York?”

Our entire tour was having so much fun delighting in the holidays of New York. We highly recommend this attraction because of the engaging, talented tour guides and performers you’ll meet along the route! A great way to kick off the holiday season and sit back and appreciate New York City in a new light.

THE RIDE: HOLIDAY EDITION runs through January 3, but if you aren’t here in New York for the holidays, we recommend taking THE RIDE to experience New York City no matter what season your visit falls in! For ticket prices and schedule times, visit http://theridenyc.com

Lorianne Lacey