Is the New York Pass 2024 worth it? We review prices and value here
One thing that New York City is famous for is being expensive, and for good reason. It’s an amazing place with some of the world’s most famous attractions, but unfortunately they are almost all pricey. In fact, things like the Empire State Building, Hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus, Circle Line harbor cruise, and Madam Tussauds are all between $40 and $80 EACH! The New York Pass can be a great way to save money and time if you are someone who wants to see the top attractions during a visit of only a few days.
Below we review the New York Pass in full and provide tips for getting the most out of it along with recommendations of who should NOT get the New York Pass. The short version is that the New York Pass can definitely save you money if you are able to plan ahead and start early. New York City also tends to be crowded, but there are great included attractions that are not crowded in the mornings, and others that are open until 10 PM each day. Read on for our advice and feel free to ask questions in the comments at the bottom.
Note: This article was last updated March, 2024. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, which helps keep this site going.
Price of the 2024 New York Pass
Adults (ages 13+)
- 1-day: $154
- 2-day: $214
- 3-day: $259
- 4-day: $299
- 5-day: $339
- 6-day: $359
- 7-day: $379
- 10-day: $399
Children (ages 4 – 12)
- 1-day: $114
- 2-day: $169
- 3-day: $199
- 4-day: $229
- 5-day: $264
- 6-day: $279
- 7-day: $289
- 10-day: $299
The attraction pass is good for one year so you can buy now and validate it anytime in the next 12 months.
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for PriceOfTravel readers: Save 5% off all New York Passes using the link below and the promo code “GO5POT”. Look for “Have a promo code? Click here” in Review Your Order in the checkout process to enter the code. If a larger discount is available you’ll get the lowest price with the link.
Note: If you decide to purchase you can buy the New York Pass here at 5% off or the lowest available price.
As of 2024, the New York Pass is all online and downloadable instantly for free. You’ll download the New York Pass app and your purchase will activate the valid pass that you’ll show when you enter each attraction.
Most popular attractions included with the New York Pass
- Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Double Decker Bus Tour: $80
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum: $33
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry: $24
- Empire State Building: $51
- Edge (new open-air glass platform 100 stories high): $50
- Circle Line harbor cruise: Up to $49
- Museum of Modern Art (MOMA): $30
- Guggenheim Museum: $30
- American Museum of Natural History: $28
- Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum: $33
- Madame Tussauds + MARVEL Universe 4D: $48
- Madison Square Garden All Access Tour: $37
- Top of the Rock observation deck: $43
- One World Observatory – New observation deck on the 102nd floor: $48
- RiseNY – Simulated ride over New York’s rooftops and more: $42
Most of the other included attractions are at least a bit cheaper than those listed above, but these are the most popular (and expensive) ones that nearly everyone wants to visit. Interestingly, the New York Pass includes every one of the best attractions in the city. Most passes in other big cities don’t include at least one or two of the most popular sights, but this one is complete unless you want to do the Ground Zero Museum Workshop, which isn’t all that great anyway.
New for 2024: There are now FOUR observation decks included!
The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock observation decks have been included with the New York Pass for decades, but as of 2024 there are two new and very impressive observation decks in town and both of them are also included.
Edge, located in the new Hudson Yards complex might be the most impressive of all of them. It’s a huge glass deck on the 100th floor with views of all of Midtown Manhattan and the Hudson River, with only a glass retainer holding you back so you can get the best photos without all sorts of gates in the way.
One World Observatory is also new in the landmark building where the World Trade Center used to stand, so you’ll be passing by it for sure anyway.
These observation decks each cost around $45, which seems expensive, but isn’t so bad if you have the New York Pass and can literally do all of them in a day or two. Better still, all of them are open until at least 8 or 9 PM each evening, so it’s perfect to save at least one for after sunset. You’ll be tired and almost everything else will be closed for the day, but you don’t need much energy to hop on an elevator that takes you to an observation deck.
Recommended New York Pass attractions in brief
Hop-on, hop-off bus tour ($80)
New York is filled with famous sights and the best way to see most of the top sights in a short time is on the double-decker hop-on, hop-off bus. All two included routes (Downtown Loop and Uptown Loop) have convenient stops in or very near Times Square. I highly recommend taking the full Downtown Loop on your first full morning in town. The Downtown Loop is more interesting and runs more frequently (every 20 minutes compared to every 60 minutes). Both leave from the same place in Times Square, so you can easily jump on the next Uptown Loop after you finish Downtown. The Uptown Loop gives you a great tour of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan.
Circle Line Cruise ($41 to $49)
You’ll see more than half of the famous sights from the hop-on, hop-off bus, and you’ll see all the rest on these excellent Circle Line Cruises. Combine the cruise with one lap on the HOHO bus and you’ll feel like you’ve seen most of New York City in one day.
Better still, they all spend 10 minutes right in front of the Statue of Liberty, so this is the best way to see it up close and to take the best photos. When I lived in NYC I would always take the Circle Line cruise with every visitor who came to town, so I’ve done it at least 6 or 7 times now. It’s a bit of a hassle getting to the dock, but once onboard it’s WAY better than anyone expects.
Empire State Building and Top of the Rock Observation Deck (about $50 each)
Manhattan looks impressive from the ground, and even more impressive from the observation decks on the tops of these buildings near Midtown. Do one during the day and the other at night for the best combination.
Madame Tussauds + MARVEL Universe 4D $48
If you’ve never been in one of these wax museums, you’ll honestly be amazed. You can be in and out in an hour or so, and since it’s included with the New York Pass and located in the heart of Times Square, it’s a quick thrill and excellent value. The attraction now includes a “4D” cinema experience featuring various characters from the Marvel Universe.
Here's a great way to build an itinerary for 2 or 3 days with a New York Pass
If you are like most others, your visit to New York City will be 4 days or fewer and the 2-day or 3-day New York Pass will be all the time you have. If this is the case you can maximize your time AND see the most memorable sights by starting with an itinerary like this.
Day 1: Hop-on, hop-off bus tour, Empire State Building (daytime), Madame Tussauds, and one other attraction of your choice
Day 2: Circle Line Cruise, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Met Museum (or something else), and Top of the Rock observation deck at night.
Even if you only have two sightseeing days in New York City, you can do the attractions above quite easily in two days. Altogether they would cost around $350 for an adult, and a 2-day New York Pass is still under $200 (using a discount). If you have a third sightseeing day you can usually get a 3-day New York Pass for only a bit more because there are often promotional prices, and you’ll still have another full day to get value and see the things that interest you most.
The New York Pass includes a free smart phone app that is very helpful
Any visitor to New York City might consider downloading the free New York Pass app for iPhone or Android. It’s well organized and a very comprehensive look at the most popular sights in New York City, complete with a map and the opening hours for each. I used the app on a visit in late 2018 and it was a great helper for using my New York Pass, but honestly it’s probably worth a free download even if you don’t buy a New York Pass.
The advantage of the New York Pass
Not only are you very likely to save quite a bit of money if you plan your day well, but you’ll be skipping most of the longest lines at ticket booths, which means you’ll have time for at least one more sight per day than someone paying for each one separately.
And since New York City can be so expensive on a quick visit, locking in literally all of your sightseeing funds at once can help you worry less about the ever-mounting costs. It can be shocking and depressing when the day nears its end and you realize each person has spent $150 on admission fees. Once you download the New York Pass app, which you can do for free before buying, you’ll see that more and more attractions require an advance reservation. You can make most of those reservations in the app as well, so it saves time before you even get there..
The downside of the New York Pass
Of course the price itself seems like a lot of money all at once, so those on tight budgets might be ruled out altogether. Another thing to seriously consider before buying a New York Pass is that doing even 3 or 4 main sights in a day is going to be busy and probably frantic.
There are plenty of free and cheap things to do in New York City, so for many people they are better off visiting perhaps one major sight per day and then spending the rest of the day shopping or visiting neighborhoods or taking photos. A trip like that might be more memorable in the long run, and it will certainly be more unique than rushing from sight to sight. If you prefer a more relaxed sightseeing schedule, don’t buy the pass.
Who SHOULD get the New York Pass?
- Visitors who want to see the most things in a short time
- Anyone who already plans on going to many of the most expensive attractions
Who SHOULD NOT get the New York Pass?
- Backpackers or those on very tight budgets
- Those who’ll be staying in New York City for over a week and would prefer to see sights at a slow pace
Important advice: Start early and plan ahead
Once in a while I’ll get a message from someone who bought the New York Pass and didn’t feel like it was good value. I’ve noticed that these unfortunate visitors tend to make two major mistakes, and if you can avoid them you should be very happy with your purchase.
1. Start early in the day, around 9am if possible
Believe it or not, even New York City’s top attractions tend to be somewhat uncrowded in the morning, so getting an early start is essential. If you can leave your hotel by around 9am you’ll have time for two popular attractions before lunch, and then time for two or three more before dinner. You’ll still have the whole evening open for dinner and other fun, or you can visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock observation decks for amazing views as they are at least as impressive at night and you should plan on doing at least one of them after dark. But if you don’t get out until almost noon, you’ll feel rushed and behind schedule all day because every place you go will be crowded.
2. Plan your route ahead of time
Many of NYC’s top attractions are clustered together, so if you plan ahead you can see a few things in a short time on foot. The New York Pass comes with a free and handy smart phone app (you can download it before you even buy a NY Pass), and it has all the included attractions on one map, with the hours and description for each just one click away. If you plan your route before you leave in the morning you can see a lot, but if you only plan one thing at a time you’ll quickly get frustrated.
About the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus that is included
Even though they are officially “hop-on, hop-off” buses, it’s really not advisable to try to use them as transportation between attractions. While they do come about every 15 minutes in Manhattan, they can get crowded and there are many stops where almost no one ever gets off. This means that you might wait 15 or 20 minutes for the next bus and then find that you’ll have to stand on the bottom floor (instead of the open deck on top), and you might have to squeeze in.
My advice is to take each bus tour all the way around starting from one of the most popular stops, and then maybe ride it a bit more later if it looks to be convenient. That way you get the whole tour at once and if you use it again later it will just be a bonus. If you only need to go one or two stops to see your next attraction, it will be faster to walk. And if you need to go a longer distance you’ll find that the subway system is much faster and also very efficient. You’ll get more out of your New York Pass by moving quickly between attractions rather than waiting around for a tourist bus.
The bottom line
For the New York Pass, it’s actually a really good deal for many people. Honestly, the sights included are almost all very worth visiting, which isn’t true of the expensive sights in some other cities. For example when we investigated if the Paris Pass is worth it, the answer is no for most people. Our review of the London Pass shows that it’s actually very good value as long as you are interested in the famous attractions it includes rather than the many free museums.
On the other hand, New York City is a destination that many people will return to over and over, so you might consider pacing yourself on the major sights, only taking in a few on each trip. On this latest update in early 2024 we noticed that prices of MOST of the top attractions have gone up by around $5 each in the second half of 2023. The New York Pass price went up a bit as well, but it’s still now an even better deal for those who want to see the most famous attractions on their visit.
It might also be worth considering getting only the 1-day or 2-day New York Pass, even if you are in town for much longer, and just planning on fitting as many things as possible into those days. It would be a mistake to try to see 4 major sights every day you are in NYC, so be sure to schedule some time to just wander around and take the city itself in.
Buy your New York Pass
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for PriceOfTravel readers: Save 5% off all New York Passes using the link below and the promo code “GO5POT”. Look for “Have a promo code? Click here” in Review Your Order in the checkout process to enter the code. If a larger discount is available you’ll get the lowest price with the link.
Note: If you decide to purchase you can buy the New York Pass here at 5% off or the lowest available price.
Thinking of doing a 1 day New York pass.Is it possible to do 911 memorial,bike tour of Central Park and maybe a show in 1 day ?
DorothyShinn,
You could easily do those three things in one day, and at least one more thing as well. You could do the 9/11 Memorial in the morning, and then the 2-hour guided bike tour of Central Park starting at 1pm. Finishing at 3pm, you’ll have plenty of time for a show (although I’m not sure which show you are referring to). And better still, you can go to either the Empire State Building or the Top of the Rock in the evening (they are both open until around midnight) and enjoy the amazing night time views of the city. You could even pop into Madame Tussaud’s for an hour as well. As long as you take the subway, you can get anywhere in Manhattan in 30 minutes or less. Have a great trip and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
I will be in NYC for the thanksgiving weekend and does the pass include Macy’s parade
John,
Macy’s has some grandstands along one part of the parade route, and those are reserved for family and friends of the parade participants, and VIPs for Macy’s. But the majority of the route is just a normal street, and it’s free to stand anywhere along it. The trick to getting a good spot, of course, is to arrive early. Have a great trip. -Roger
Dear Roger,
I am planning for 1 day or 2 day NY pass with my 13 year old son. If I decide to do only 1 day pass what attractions do you recommend and what order? It is our first time in NY.
Thank you advance for your advise.
Paige,
It’s tough to make recommendations with confidence without knowing your tastes, but I’ll give it a shot based on what most people seem to enjoy in New York City on a first visit. Needless to say, if you can do the 2-day New York Pass, you’ll have many more options with less rushing around.
I’d start as early as you can on the Big Bus hop-on, hop-off tour. Do the Downtown Loop first, as it’s the more interesting of the two, and stay on through the whole loop. If you feel up to it, especially if you got the 2-day version, you might also do the Uptown Loop at some point.
You could then walk a few blocks to Madam Tussauds for a 1-hour visit. A wax museum might sound corny, but these things are actually really impressive in person, and there is a bit of a show going on as well.
Discovery Times Square is also very close, so you could do that one in addition or instead.
Then walk or take the subway to the Empire State Building, which is only about a mile away.
The next key thing I highly recommend is the Circle Line Cruise. There are several options that range from 1 hour to 2.5 hours, and all of them are far more interesting than you’d probably expect. There are even cruises in the evening, and all of them go directly in front of the Statue of Liberty and spend 5 or 10 minutes there allowing all guests to get excellent photos. Visiting the island itself, along with Ellis Island, is actually a bit boring for many people. Since most people really just want to see the statue up close and get some good photos, the Circle Line Cruises are the best option. The shortest cruise doesn’t do much else, and the longer ones show you much of lower Manhattan, which is FAR easier to appreciate from the water than from within all of the craziness on the ground.
Another thing I highly recommend is the Top of the Rock observation deck in Rockefeller Center (only a few blocks from Times Square). It’s not quite as high as the Empire State Building, but the view is also spectacular, and quite different. The Top of the Rock has an excellent view of Central Park and all of the buildings around it. I recommend doing one during the day and the other at night. The Rock is open until midnight, and the ESB is open until 2am. Since both are included with a New York Pass, and it’s easy to do both in one day (they take about an hour each, even with a normal wait going up the elevator), that’s $63 for an adult right there. And a 13-year-old should really appreciate both of them as well.
Depending on the tastes of your son, you should also consider the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, which is right next to the main Circle Line Cruise dock. The Intrepid aircraft carrier is the centerpiece, but there is a lot more to it than that.
Also depending on tastes, the American Museum of Natural History is worth considering, as it’s probably the most famous dinosaur exhibit in the world, partly due to its setting in the Night At The Museum films.
There is also a Clipper Ship Cruise, which is on the same pier as the Downtown Circle Line Cruise.
All of those suggestions could almost fill two busy days alone, and the adult admission price on all of them put together is $316. These would be busy days, but you’d still have time for one or two more things because many things are a short walk from other things that you can do quickly since they are close and free.
Many people do the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, so that’s something to consider as well. I’ve never been inside, and I’m not much of a fan of those things, partly because I used to live only a few blocks from there and the whole thing seems so sad to do on a vacation. But it’s very popular.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,
I’m looking at buying the NY 10 day pass for the 8 days we will be in NY in December this year. Although we won’t use it on 2 of the 10 days, it’s still worth paying the bit extra for the 8th day I think. The current special which expires today is for $60 off each ticket which is actually better than 20% off as we have 4 adults and 3 children in our family. Are you aware of any other specials during the year that are better than this one? Thanks, Melinda
Melinda,
To me it looks like the $60 off is a bit less than 20% off on the 10-day passes, so you might want to wait for that. Lately they have been running sales most of the time, as a new one begins shortly after the last one ends. In other words, you don’t have to buy today to get a discount. On the 10-day pass I think 20% is the best deal they offer during the year. Or if your math is right, the $60 off is. Anyway, since you are going in December you can check every few days and see what the offer is. There is no risk of having to pay full price. On the other hand, if you are ready then you might as well buy it.
The New York Passes usually go up in price in late January, but last year they also raised the price in the middle of the year because several of the most popular attractions had raised their prices. Have a great trip. -Roger
Hi again Roger,
Thanks for your earlier response. I’ve now decided to go ahead with the 7 day pass and I see that there is a 20% discount sale on at the moment until the end of May. My husband thinks we should wait and buy the tickets later in the year as it will cost us $1600 for 7 adult/child tickets and that money is better in our pocket for now given we aren’t going until late December. Are you aware of other 20% discount sales during the year? It seems they are having sales regularly so this might occur again later in the year. Thanks again, Melinda
Melinda,
Your husband makes a good point, but in this case it might be a bit risky. On one hand, they do run promotions almost constantly through the year, though some are far better than others. Honestly, the 20% off one is the biggest discount they have, and I’ve been surprised that they’ve offered it at the end of each month this year so far, and sometimes in the middle of the month. Last year I think the latest they offered it was February. Since June through September is their high season, they might not go deeper than 15% anymore. Or they might keep up with the 20% off and on.
And again, last year they raised the price of the pass itself in the middle of the year because several of the top attractions had raised their own prices. I doubt that will happen again, but it did happen last year. Best of luck with this, and I’m sure you’ll have an excellent time. -Roger
I am reading about how wonderful this pass is. I am trying to figure out the catch. My fear is this pass will get me in the door and then I will have to purchase an additional ticket to get where I really want to go. I also don’t want to have to wait in additional lines to convert my pass into a ticket once I get to an attraction. I am trying to determine if its better to purchase the pass or to buy tickets to certain venues individually. I am also concerned that many places where you purchase a ticket directly has you booked for a certain time. How does this work for the pass if you don’t have a specific time reserved? Do you have to wait until the next time opens up and can that mean you wait around for hours in some instances? The Rock NBC tour, Yankee Stadium, Empire State building are my biggest concerns.
Thanks.
Maddie,
I understand why you might be skeptical of a pass like this, but I can assure you that it’s real, legit and it works just like they say it does. The “catch” if there is one is that the passes aren’t cheap so you have to start fairly early in the day and be well organized in order to get great value out of them. I tried to provide a lot of advice on how to do that in the article above.
I’m not aware of any attractions where you have to pay more once you are inside. Some museums have special exhibitions that might have an extra fee, but even those are rare and the popular attractions are all included.
There are a few attractions that require a reservation, and you can make that time-specific reservation after you buy the pass. But most of the attractions are going all the time so you can just show up and get into the special New York Pass queue or the main entry queue, and then show your pass and you walk in. For example, the Top of the Rock observation deck has a dedicated line for New York Pass holders, while everyone else has to stand first in the ticket line.
On the New York Pass website, and also on the free smart phone app (ios and Android), every attraction is explained with hours of operation and other important details. If a reservation is required, it will tell you there, and tell you how to make it. The smart phone app is also great while you are in New York because it shows you other nearby attractions on a map that are included. As a result, you’ll probably do a few more things in the same amount of time because many of the included attractions are clustered together. I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions or if I missed anything. -Roger
Going to take our 3 grandchildren to NY in July. And another set of grandparents as well we were wondering about the 3-4 day passes. The have never been to NY before. Wanted to show them Central Park, Brooklyn bridge( walk over) Wall Street Empire State bldg or Statue of Liberty , American museum iof history.. We are sseing a show matinee and of course they want to shop . any recommendations?
Jan,
Based on the things you’ve mentioned that you want to see, only about half of them are covered by the New York Pass. Obviously visiting Central Park is free, as is walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and there isn’t much to see on Wall Street except for a very narrow street that is crowded during the day and empty at night, but that is free as well.
Once you add in the theater visit and some shopping time, I don’t think you’d get good value out of a New York Pass for your group on this visit. The NY Pass is ideal for people who want to do many of the more expensive included things, such as the hop on hop off bus tour, the (highly recommended) Circle Line boat tours, and seeing both the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock. Those are all expensive attractions that are cheaper and faster when bundled with an appropriate NY Pass. But again, if you are only interested in a couple of those things, just buy tickets as you go and you’ll have a great time. -Roger
Hi, we are going for 8 days and want to see as much as possible. Do you recommend a 7 or 10 day pass? And once you get the pass do you still have to book times to see attractions or just turn up? Thanks
Eileen,
I’d go for the 7-day pass. You’ll have plenty of time to see all of the included attractions on your list in 6 or 7 days, and it might be nice to have that other day where there is no pressure to do sightseeing and you can just wander around some neighborhoods.
For most attractions you just turn up and look for the admission queue or sometimes a special “New York Pass” queue where you can skip the ticket line. There are a few that do require a reservation, I think. The best thing to do is to download the free New York Pass app (iPhone or Android). It gives you descriptions and opening hours of everything that is included, and it tells you if you need to reserve in advance. Best of all, it shows you all the nearby attractions on a map once you are in NYC, so you can see anything close that you might want to see on a whim.
Have a great time and let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger, I would not want the hop-on, hop-off bus option, but on the site I do not see the option to remove it. Can you tell me something ?? Thank you. In addition there is a PromoCode for groups of 20 people. Greetings
Sal,
This is interesting. It appears that they’ve recently bundled the HOHO Bus into all of the passes. I’ll write to them and find out the details, and then I’ll update my article. This is news to me.
As for a group discount, right now you can get a 15% discount on all orders through Sunday, which is very good. I doubt you’d get a better discount than that, but you might email them to ask. A group of 20 is large enough that they might have something for you. Thanks for letting me know about this. -Roger
Roger, I checked NY pass and the pass from smartdestinations.com and I find the pass from smartdestinations much more cheaper. I am planning to purchase the pass with these attractions 3 Attractions: Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Landmark Cruise which is $69. Please tell me your input about it. For Lady Liberty and Ellis Island I will purchase it in their website. When I have a pass, I will not fall in line anymore right?
Hi Roger,
Me and my aunt will be visiting NY this coming May 4-8, 2016. I just wanted to ask what will be the weather in that month since you previously live in NY. We are also debating in whether to buy the pass or not. Are all the lines for the attractions are usually long? We are planning to go to these destinations Timesquare, ESB, Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden, 9/11 Tribute Center, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island,Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Square Park, Rockefeller Center, Radio City, Top of the Rock, Chrysler Bldg, MoMA, St. Patricks Cathedral, and Carnegie Hall. In those mentioned tourist attractions which of those that has entrance fee? Thanks
Claire,
Early May is a perfect time for NYC weather because it should be warm with no chance of being really hot and humid. Of course it might rain, but you’d be very unlucky if it rained for more than an hour or two here and there, and chances are that it will be dry.
The ticket queues at the major attractions will be long in May because the city is very popular in all but the coldest months. And since it’s not yet high season, they might not have all the ticket booths open, so the lines can be long. For Ellis and Liberty Island Ferry, for example, the lines can be well over an hour to buy a ticket unless you get there before they open in the morning. ESB is also famous for long lines until late in the evening.
Most of the attractions on your list have fees and are included in the New York Pass. But obviously things like Washington Square Park and the Brooklyn Bridge are free. You can’t really visit Carnegie Hall (on the inside) or Madison Square Garden without buying a ticket for whatever is on at the moment.
I’ll also recommend the Circle Line Cruises to you, which are included with the New York Pass. As I’ve said many times above, I’ve done them about 5 times even as a NYC resident, and I think they are the best way of seeing the whole city and the amazing architecture. Most of them also have the best views of the Statue of Liberty, even better than the Liberty Ferry itself.
If you decide to buy the NY Pass you’ll get a downloadable smart phone app, which shows all of the included attractions on a map, including hours of operation. Once you have that you should find it easy to plan your days with all of the best things. Have a great trip and let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Thank you so much for the response Roger I really appreciate your input. I heard that MoMA is free on Fridays. Is ESB line shorter early in the morning? I was planning to buy the 3days NY pass since they are on sale. Say for example I will visit ESB in the morning and want to come back in the night, can I do so?
Claire,
Yes, MoMA is free from 4pm to 8pm each Friday, but if it’s anything like the “free Fridays” I attended while I lived there, it will be so crowded that you’ll probably regret it. Unfortunately, those free nights are very popular with broke residents who line up an hour or two in advance to save the US$25. It’s a bit of a party and many people have had a few drinks before entering (that’s what I did too). So if you want to see a few things and you enjoy large crowds, it’s a way to save money. But if you really want to see MoMA, I’d go any other time.
I haven’t been to the ESB in a few years but I can pretty much guarantee that the queues are shortest just as they are opening. That’s true at virtually every attraction like that around the world.
Unfortunately, you can only enter the ESB once on a New York Pass. However, the pass also includes entry to the Top of the Rock, and it has a somewhat similar view that is also quite different. The ESB is more for the Midtown and Downtown skyscrapers, while the TOTR view includes an amazing look at Central Park. So do one in the morning and the other in the evening, and you’ll love them both. -Roger