So, you decided to choose a chauffeured tour of New York City. How about you and a group of pals, on your first trip to New York, using the chauffeured tour to visit places off the beaten path. After all, most people who come to New York spend their time in Manhattan. Why see stuff you can see from any city bus for $2.75 on a Metrocard?
So, let’s say you’ve mapped out an excursion for you and your buddies. So, when you call Chauffeured Tours of the Big Apple Info, tell them you have the New York music tour in mind. Pay for the tour, and they’ll assign you a limousine for the six of you, a driver, and a block of time, say from 8pm on Friday night to 3am Saturday morning. And if you keep the limo longer, there’s an hourly charge. Never mind what it is, if you need it it’ll be worth it. So you’ll be on the clock for seven hours. Or as they say on the website, “. . . tour hours are individually tour dependent. And tour times and locations are personalized to each client.”
So, where you go and what you do is up to you. Now, what can you do for seven hours?
Open a Google Maps window. Look at the city in perspective. It’s a big place. New York City is 305 square miles of land, and 165 square miles of water. Rockaway in Queens is 35 miles southeast of Riverdale in the Bronx. And in this town, that could be a two-hour drive. This isn’t Omaha where you can travel across the entire city in 10 or 15 minutes, during rush-hour or at three in the morning.
So, here’s an idea. The limo picks you up at your hotel. It’s 8pm. Tell the driver to swing over the 59th Street Bridge and find The Ravel Hotel at 8-08 Queens Plaza South, just off the bridge in Long Island City. Head upstairs to Penthouse 808 and start the evening with drinks, a snack (there’ll be more food later), and relax on one of the comfortable couches with a billionaire’s view of Manhattan. Hang out for a while. Who knows, there might be some of the flashy New York flora and fauna the city is so well known for, and you might not want to ever leave, even if there are bands you’d like to hear later on. But let’s assume you decide to head to your next destination by 9pm. Hop into the limo and minutes later you’re at the next stop on your New York music tour in Greenpoint, still in Queens, a mile or so south, and you and your buddies step into Coco 66 for some serious rock and rolling to hot local bands. And the crowd’s hot too. But this is a smorgasbord, and there’s more to try, more to see. It’s time to change boroughs. Brooklyn beckons.
Williamsburg first. You’re at The Brooklyn Bowl. Bowl a few games, knock down some pins, and listen to rock. Or you can enjoy not only the local talent strumming their instruments, but the people who’ve crammed in here and make it one of the most popular night spots in New York. Don’t be afraid to gawk. Perhaps they’ll find you just as interesting. Mmmmm.
Okay, so you’ve bowled, had a few beers, and you head outside onto Wyeth Avenue (this is Brooklyn, in case you’re unsure), and there are so many people mingling about you almost feel as if you’re in Times Square, except for the neon lights.
Head over to The Warsaw for plates of pierogies, kielbasa, and blintzes as you rock to a different roster of local bands.
Now, how about live Jazz? The Up Over Jazz Café in Park Slope plays jazz all night. Catch the 10:30pm show, in progress.
If you want to try a wilder scene, find your way to Studio E, a rock club in Crown Heights. Gentrified Brooklyn. By now it should be well after 1am. And your night’s still rocking.
Okay, enough rock. How about some food? Extra Fancy serves lobster rolls, oysters and clams on the half shell, as well as mussels and more, until 330am. Bon appetit.
On your way back, take the Williamsburg Bridge. On the Manhattan side make the right onto Clinton Street and swing up the Lower East Side into Alphabet City. Cut over to Avenue A – the last stop on your New York music tour – which should still be jumping. Decision time. Do you really want to go back to the hotel while it’s dark outside?
For more unmissable things to do and see, check out our guide to the best New York tours.
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