*This is a hypothetical post that imagines what this product might look like, should Go City Card choose to issue it in the future. This product does not currently exist and none of the information on this page applies to a current product.
If we were to imagine what a Go New York Card could look like, it would probably be pretty similar to the Go Cards in other cities where Go City Card operates. It would be an all-inclusive pass that covers admission to your choice of the city’s best tours, cruises, and museums. It would likely be available in durations of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7 days, given the popularity of NYC and the fact that many people take vacations of varying length to this top destination.
The included NYC attractions would be very similar to the current product, the New York City Explorer Pass. You could do the big-name observation decks like the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock, explore prestigious museums like the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and enjoy cultural tours of the city and beyond. It might also expand the current New York Explorer Pass product with premium attraction options like helicopter rides and luxury dinner cruises.
Theoretical Top Included NYC Attractions
Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty Ferry
Metropolitan Museum of Art (including the Cloisters and Met Breuer)
Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour
9/11 Memorial and Museum
Museum of Modern Art
Central Park Bike Rentals
Sightseeing Cruises
City Tours (of different neighborhoods, too, like uptown, downtown, Harlem, Brooklyn, etc.)
These are attractions currently included with the New York Explorer Pass, and it would be logical for these to be the same or similar. Go City Card already works with these attractions and could continue to do so.
How a Go New York Card Might Work
As with all of the Go City Card products, the Go New York Pass would be a digital pass. It would cover admission for all of your included attractions and you’d pay nothing additional at the gate.
You would be able to choose how long you wanted to sightsee for, with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7-day durations being your options. (6 is typically not included because it’s not a very common vacation duration).
The pass would be designed to be used with the free Go City Card App. The app is well-reviewed and easy to use, and this new product could be incorporated with no additional work on their part.
The Go New York Card would be valid for a number of consecutive calendar days. New York is quite compact geographically and it would be easy to enjoy multiple attractions in consecutive days. Unlike cities in, say, California, where you might take day trips elsewhere, people visiting NYC tend to stay in NYC for the duration of their trip.
In an ideal world, the Go New York Card would also include a number of premium attraction options. These could include things like helicopter rides over Manhattan, a luxury sunset cruise with dinner or champagne, or even theater tickets.
Why Would a Go NYC Card be Good?
As mentioned, the pass would be a digital file that you could use via the app. You wouldn’t need to hold onto paper products or remember individual tickets.
The Go New York Card might also include some stuff that the New York City Explorer Pass currently does not (as hard as that might be to imagine given their expansive attraction options). For one, the Bronx Zoo is a popular family-friendly attraction that isn’t currently part of the pass.
As with the other Go City Card products, this one would come with an invaluable guidebook including all of the relevant information about the included attractions, plus maps.
It would also come with the opportunity to skip the line at popular attractions, as the New York City Explorer Pass currently does at the Empire State Building. This would be a massive benefit in a high-traffic destination like NYC.
In a perfect world, the product would also come with included extra discounts on dining and shopping, as the New York City Explorer Pass currently does. Go City Card could offer similar discounts, or expand the offerings even further to include things like a percentage off at museum gift stores, etc.
How Would You Get Your Money’s Worth with a Go NY Card?
While this product doesn’t currently exist, we could estimate that it might save visitors between 50% and 55% on combined admission prices. This is roughly what the New York City Explorer Pass currently offers and it would make sense for the Go New York Card to be comparable.
The way to make the most of this product would be to make the most of your time – see and do as much as you can during your valid card days. This would be easy in a city like NYC, where many attractions are very close together and you would have minimal transit distance (transit time might be another issue altogether, though).
Another good tip for making the most of the product would be to use the pass for the higher-priced attractions (here, usually museums and cruises). If you run out of time with the pass, then you would visit the less expensive things by paying out of pocket.
It would also be vital to use your premium attraction option. These attractions are typically around $100 and taking advantage of that could save you big – they’re called “premium” for a reason!
It would also help to use the extra discounts at places like restaurants and shops. They would be at places you might already be planning on spending money (especially when it comes to gift shops or restaurants).
Where Could You Buy a Go New York Card?
The Go New York Card would be available online or over the phone directly from Go City Card.
Why Doesn’t a Go NYC Card Currently Exist?
For starters, New York City is a very popular market that is currently saturated with discount NY attraction pass products. Go City Card may currently feel that they wouldn’t be competitive with other existing products.
It’s also possible that they wouldn’t feel that the Go New York Card could offer new attractions to be worth making a new product. This would involve cultivating new relationships with new attractions, which can’t be easy work.
The New York City Explorer Pass is already an immensely popular product and has a long history in NYC with a loyal customer following. Go City Card may not want to cut into how well this product is doing by introducing another.
Other passes that cover New York City include the New York Pass, New York CityPASS and the New York Sightseeing Pass.