In planning our trip to NYC, we visited the Gray Line website to see if they had any tours that might strike our fancy. Tours are always a great place to start because they often include the most popular stops in an area and provide a great overview of a city in a relatively short amount of time.

The one that really caught our attention was the Night on the Town evening tour. We weren’t necessarily interested in any Broadway shows, so we were looking for a way to effectively use our evening time. This tour included several activities that were already on our “to do” list. The first was a trip on a NY Watertaxi with close views of the Statue of Liberty. This was appealing as we have never been disappointed with water tours in other cities. Night on the Town was also attractive because of the visit to the Top of the Rock Observatory. Whenever we travel to a new city, we always seek out that view from above.

Dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in Little Italy was also a great stop that we would not have otherwise found. We love having a meal included in a tour package, and the Grotta Azzura did not disappoint. We had a delicious meal and would gladly recommend the restaurant to others visiting NYC.

Finally, our visit included the Chelsea area of NYC including the newer Highline Park and the Chelsea Market. These two places were quick visits and the Market was closed, but the stop served its purpose as we liked both of them enough to return there on our final morning in NYC.

The running commentary one receives as you drive from place to place is always a great way to learn the history and location of places within the city. Overall, this is a tour we would recommend to others. It met all of the goals we look for in a tour package and led us to places we would not otherwise have investigated

— provided by Mark & Sharon Sampson

See our Food Channel review of the Gray Line tour, complete with video, here.

See our iRaves.com listing for the Grotto Azzura, too!