Charitable Gift Giving

I work in New York City, and one ubiquitous sight I see when walking to and from work are tour buses. They come in all shapes and sizes. But the one tour bus that has always stood out has been the bright red Grey Line double-decker bus. They’ve actually been providing tours of New York City since 1926, so they’re an institution in themselves.

I admit, I always feel a little like an animal in a zoo when I see one of these tour buses pass by. Just for kicks, from time to time I’ll deliberately make silly faces to try to ruin the pictures of the tourists snapping pictures of me. Of course, when they go home and look at the pictures, it probably just reinforces their notion of a typical New Yorker. Still, like the monkeys in the Zoo, we New Yorkers don’t mind it when people stare at us, point at us, and take pictures of us. As long as we can get fed our daily fill of falafel and shawarmas, shish-kebobs, and dirty water dogs from the street vendors, we don’t go ape and bother the tourists in the buses.

I’ve actually never taken a tour of New York on a Grey Line bus before, but from the faces of the tourists staring down from on high, they seem to really love it, especially on a beautiful day. And from someone who’s taken subways, bikes, cars, public buses, and every other mode of transportation through the city, I really can’t picture a better way to view it than towering over everyone. If you’re coming to New York City, I’d definitely say it’s worth it to sign up.

Here’s something to make it even sweeter. A few days ago Gray Line and The Breast Cancer Foundation officially launched their pink color buses (during the ceremony Gray Line also made a generous $10,000 donation).

They did so at a big celebration that included Miss USA, Olivia Culpo.

It’s a 1.5 hour tour that takes you by the best tourist sights in New York: downtown where you can view the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, and midtown where you can see the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Times Square (where you’ll have the best chance of snapping a picture of me).

Unlike their standard red buses, this isn’t a “hop on, hop off” tour, so for the 1.5 hours it’s like your own private tour without any distractions. And best thing about it, $1 of every adult ticket goes to the Breast Cancer Foundation. Given that they give rides to thousands and thousands of people each year, this is a great way to help.

You can purchase tickets here, and they’re good for one year from the date of purchase, meaning that if your plans change you’ll still be able to use the tickets at another date. There aren’t many better ways to see the City. Just remember not to feed the animals 🙂