New York TV and Movie Sites Tour by On Location Tours

"Must do for movie buff, but it's long for young kids"

The New York TV and Movie Sites Tour was a lot of fun.  I've been to New York quite a number of times, but never with a movie buff.  Our tour guide Kimberly was just that and she open my eyes to see New York in a totally different way.  I've watched tons of movies set in New York, but I can't really recall which movies and scenes that I love are set in which building and site.  Well, not Kimberly, she was a walking encyclopedia of movies filmed in the great city of New York.

KImberly's enthusiasm for movies and TV shows was infectious.  I've already "Netflixed" some old shows to re-watch and new ones that I missed from her list of recommendations.  My one regret is that I didn't rent all the movies mentioned on the tour before going on the tour.  It would have been so awesome to have the images fresh in my head.  It made me particularly grateful for the short clips that they screened on board the bus as we were driving around.  

Now if you're a movie buff yourself but have kids, you're probably wondering if your kids are going to be able to sit through a 3.5 hour bus ride on a tour about movies they may not know too much about.  I had my 7 year old with me on the tour and I was surprised at how much he actually enjoyed it.  He does love TV and movies, but we do limit his screen time quite a bit.  Although he didn't know about 85% of the movies and TV shows mentioned, he perked up each time we passed a place where Spiderman or Superman was mentioned.  He also enjoyed seeing the beautiful sites of New York from the bus.  The movie clips also seemed to keep him entertained.  There were at least 4-5 times where we stepped off the bus including one fun stop to pick up pizza from Ben's Famous Pizza which was the site for a scene in Men in Black II.  We were delighted to discover that this grungy hole in the wall pizza place we had popped into a few days earlier to use the bathroom was actually in a movie scene.  This was a classic example of how the tour made us experience the city with a different appreciation.  It was around the 2.5 hour mark that my 7 year old starting to get a little antsy.  I'd recommend bringing along some back up activity you can whip out if your child starts to loose interest.

All in all, I'd say the tour was a neat way to experience New York.  The bus was comfy, the tour guide was exceptional, the content of the tour was excellent.  However if you have a child younger than 7 years old, you might want to wait to take them on this tour.  If you have teenagers who have watched quite a bit of TV, they'll be very entertained.  There was one sultry teenager on our bus who seemed to perk up whenever she could answer a trivia question thrown out that no one else could.  If you're a movie buff or are raising one, you've got to take a tour of the most filmed city in America.  The only reason I am taking off a star is because families with little ones might have a tough time keeping them entertained for the entire 3.5 hours.

*This review is based on a complimentary tour. I received no other compensation and the ranch did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.  These opinions are entirely my own.