I like to use the BigBus Ho/Ho service in big cities the first day or two, to get a good overview and take the strain off driving and parking. You can learn a lot of history and trivia, and sometimes get some photos. If the weather is nice, it is a great way to get some air and sun atop the double-decker. You can hide on the inside if the weather is not good. On this trip to NYC, planned to be just sightseeing & shows, we did the BigBus option of 2 days + Circle Line Cruise + Night Tour, and had a mixed bag of experiences. 75% of the guides were very good! 10% were so bad that we bailed just to avoid listening to their voices any longer. 15% were just acceptable. All the drivers were amazing-- whew-- that traffic. . . Tour bus drivers should win awards of some kind. The buses had route and stop limitations due to marches /protests/ parades, and that is not their fault, but did skew our plans for riding vs walking (or alternate transport) to some places. The online BB map route does not match with the printed map they hand you when you board, and in some cases with the downloaded App. BigBus should be able to ensure they sync. Note that it is harder to find the stops than in some cities: the signs are smaller and immediately under the regular city transit signs on the same pole, so look for those. In some cases, but not all, there is a human there to help you know which direction the route is going, and which color route it is (some stops are for more than one color route-- like for uptown, downtown, Harlem, etc- and you can transfer there. Be careful to NOT get on the wrong tour line's bus; some of the ticket sellers are aggressive and will not try to "clarify," just sell you a ticket for their own bus. This IS the "big city," people, so caution is called for. The Circle Line cruise (we purchased as part of the BigBus tix) is excellent, and the night tour is worth the tix price for a different view and less pushing and jockeying for seats. Everyone sits on top, as they take multiple buses. The day lines end at 6 PM. It is really not advisable to plan to use the Ho/Ho Big Bus as point A to point B transport, unless you do not have a "schedule" with reserved times that you must be at a destination. They do try to keep a schedule, but they cannot be precise given all the variables. Flexibility is called for; it is a sightseeing activity. Enjoy!