THE RIDE a new New York experience

Those who've visited Times Square recently may have noticed a strange bus travelling around filled with tourists staring out of large glass windows.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is THE RIDE a new experience that combines theatre, sightseeing, comedy, and multimedia elements to create something unique and highly entertaining.

Our evening started out at the New York Marriott Marquis where we sipped cocktails at The View, New York's only revolving rooftop restaurant.  Drinking cocktails in a slightly too warm space that is slowly spinning is a perfect way to feel tipsy really, really quickly.  After a brief speech from the CEO of The Ride it was time to head down to the bus.  Judging from the boisterous group of Concierges who boarded the bus, we weren't the only ones feeling a little tipsy.

ready to begin the journey

The bus is one of the coolest things about The Ride.  The side-facing, stadium-style seating immediately lets you know that this will not be your average New York City bus tour.  This is further enhanced by the incredible number of video monitors of various sizes embedded into what feels like every inch of available space.  These are used throughout the ride for everything from historical video clips to karaoke.  The bus is also equipped with a powerful sound system and hidden cameras which are cleverly used to add to the many surprises during The Ride.

Your experience (the CEO was very clear that they do not consider this a "tour") is hosted by two very perky tour guides who add historical information, point out important sights, tell jokes, and expertly vamp during traffic delays.  They also set-up and interact with the various performers on the street who are really the most interesting piece of the overall Ride experience.  Throughout the bus journey, the audience encounters various "people of New York" who perform on the sidewalk.  These performances take place while the real people of New York are hurriedly making their way down the sidewalks.  As you might imagine, people react in a variety of ways to someone beside them suddenly bursting into song and/or dance.  Some stop and listen or watch, some shoot dirty looks, some take pictures, and some walk by completely unfazed by the nonsense going on around them.  The reactions of the regular people on the street are priceless.  The interior of the bus stays pretty bright, so the people outside can see the audience very clearly making it fun to wave and point as you make your way around midtown.  Every stoplight, every performance, is another chance to scan the crowds for people to interact with.  Whether on the inside or the outside, everyone really seems to get a kick out of the seeing this glass-walled bus make its way down the streets.

confused pedestrians (as seen from The Ride)

I would love to go into more detail about the various performances during The Ride, but part of the fun is not knowing what is going to happen next.  Every person you see becomes a potential source of entertainment as you wonder "is that guy just walking to work or is he about to do a tap dance?"  I would hate to ruin the fun for anyone by spoiling the surprises.  That said, it seems to me it would be fairly easy for the operators of The Ride to make changes in the performances along the way, so there is great potential for The Ride to be an ever-evolving experience.  I hope they choose to do this, because I would love to be surprised again!

The Ride helped me see and appreciate the City in an entirely new and entirely entertaining way.  At $65 for peak-time tickets ($59 off-peak) the ride isn't cheap, but you will certainly get your money's worth.  I will definitely be recommending The Ride to my guests as a great alternative to traditional sight-seeing tours.

Want to see for yourself? Click here for tickets.