We've been traveling this week, so this is a good time to highlight the CityPass discount booklets, available for eleven cities -- across the U.S. and Toronto.
Each booklet concentrates on the most-visited attractions, with no more than six per city -- featuring art museums, aquariums, science centers, natural history museums, zoos, themed attractions, and historical attractions -- plus viewing towers or waterfront cruises when appropriate for the big view of the city (i.e., the Empire State Building and a Circle Line or Statue Cruises in New York, or the Prudential Skywalk Observatory in Boston).
These are great when you are visiting a city, of course, and also helpful when you have friends visiting and want to set them loose to see the landmark sights. And there's a further bonus -- CityPass tickets allow you to avoid waiting in the main ticket lines at some sites (including the Empire State Building, MOMA, and Guggenheim Museum in New York).
Each ticket also includes information on the attraction, including hours, directions, and insider tips with the best time for visiting. And the booklets also include additional pages with additional special offers, city maps, and city information from National Geographic Traveler magazine on shopping, restaurants, and nightlife.
The New York CityPass is $74 and the Boston CityPass is $44, around a 50% savings from standard prices (see the CityPass website for price information on each attraction). Lower prices are available for kids, and the booklets are valid for 9 days.
More on the New York and Boston CityPass booklets --
CityPass is available for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hollywood, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California and Toronto.
The New York CityPass is $74 (a $134 value), or $54 for kids, and is valid for 9 days.
You can see the whole city from the Empire State Building Observatory, and see the water view of lower Manhattan with the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises or Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Scenic Cruises. Then visit the major city museums from midtown to Central Park, with the American Museum of Natural History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum. The CityPass booklet also includes coupons for additional sightseeing, and a Bloomingdales shopping package.
The Boston CityPass is $44 (an $85 value), or $24 for kids, and is valid for 9 days.
Again, you can view the whole city from the Skywalk Observatory on the 50th floor of the Prudential Center (and dine two stories higher). Then explore the major attentions around the city, with the New England Aquarium on the Central Warf near Faneuil Hall, the Museum of Science on the Charles River, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and the deeply moving John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum designed by I. M. Pei (but no, not Fenway Park). All are accessible via The 'T' -- Boston's extensive subway (and surface) system. The CityPass booklet also includes coupons for restaurants, tours, and a whale watch trip.