Travel
CityPASS Luxury Two Ways
CREDITS: NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM - AMY
DREHER; AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - AMERICAN
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY; EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - EMPIRE
STATE BUILDING; STATUE OF LIBERTY - NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE
By Lillian Africano
E
veryone loves a bargain.
CityPASS is a genuine bargain,
a book of admissin tickets to
major tourist attractions with
savings of up to 50% compared
to the combined regular box office
prices. But even better: CityPASS
ticket holders have the luxury of
saving time and the convenience by
skipping ticket lines (no matter how
long they are) and heading straight for
the entrance of whatever attraction
they’re visiting.
Some years ago, I became a hero to
my family when we used my New
York CityPASS booklets to visit the
American Museum of Natural history
during a school holiday period. Yes,
I knew this wasn’t a great time to
visit a top attraction in a busy city
crowded with visitors. But when else
do you take a school-age child to
visit a museum without having him
skip school?
Anyway, when we got to the museum,
the line was horrendous, snaking down
the block as far as the eye could see.
We were, to say the least, discouraged.
But wait – the guard called out:
“CityPASS holders, this way” – and just
like that, we cut the line! Next, we cut
another line – the one to buy tickets.
There was a special window for
CityPASS holders, and all we had to
do was hand in our coupons and receive
an admission ticket, along with an
appointment for the Rose Center
(planetarium) show. My family seemed
to believe I had performed some sort
of urban magic to get us into both the
museum and the planetarium in just a
few minutes, with a minimum of fuss,
on a day when scores of people were
waiting to get in.
Fast forward to our next experience:
the Empire State Building Observatory.
This time, because the weather was
cloudy and chilly, the line was fairly
short, but still we sailed through with
what seemed truly like VIP treatment.
Once again, my family was impressed,
especially as the audio tour was
included in our ticket.
The newest CityPASS for New York
City, (adults, $114; youths 6-17, $89),
includes the Empire State Building, the
American Museum of Natural History,
the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Three more attractions are included
and these involve choices: The Top of
the