NEW YORK -- One of this city's most popular tourist promotions,
Insider's Hour, is back for the summer.
Designed for the leisure tourist and business traveler -- as
well as residents -- who may only have one hour to spend in the
city's cultural sites, the program is available at more than 50
museums, performing arts centers, public gardens, historic sites
and zoos throughout the five boroughs.
The program kicked off on July 1 and will run through Sept.
30.
One exception this summer to the program's 60-minute format is a
two-hour walking tour of the financial district, including a visit
inside the New York Stock Exchange.
This summer's program also will include a number of
children-specific tours, including a "kid's-eye view" tour of the
aircraft at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
Institutions that participate in Insider's Hour showcase a
collection or a specific aspect of their operation in order to give
visitors the most cultural value for their hourlong visit.
Cultural tourism is big business here, with approximately 60% of
visitors participating in some sort of cultural activity while in
the city for pleasure or business, according to the New York City
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
To participate in the program, many of the institutions that
previously did not offer tours to the public had to create them.
Others had to revamp their tours to fit the hourlong format.
Schedules vary for the tours, and the regular admission fees at
most institutions are the only cost involved.
Insider's Hour brochures are available at hotels and attractions
throughout the five boroughs.
For a complete list of participating attractions, send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Insider's Hour, NYCVB, 810
Seventh Ave., New York 10019.
Details of the promotion also are available on the bureau's Web
site at www.nycvisit.com.