Tickets for New York's new tourist attraction go on sale

Organizers took the wraps off New York City's latest attraction August 12, promising that "The Ride" will offer an "entirely new way for tourists and New Yorkers to experience the city."

Using eight $1.3 million (€1.01 million) vehicles, The Ride will take visitors on a tour of the city that combines sightseeing with performance and technological wizardry described as "spectacular and immersive."

Visitors board the vehicles at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, the start point of a 4.2 mile (6.8 km) journey in the tallest vehicles allowed under federal law, equipped with stadium-style seating and panoramic windows.

Along the route, on-board hosts entertain riders with comedic send-ups of common New York sites, created by a team of writers and producers whose credits include well-known TV shows such as Late Night with David Letterman, The Colbert Report and Saturday Night Live.

“THE RIDE is about experiencing the fabric of New York – honestly and unflinchingly – through the eyes of talented and truly funny people who love the city and its history, and who have chosen to be life-long residents here,” says company founder Michael Counts.

The engineers behind the eight 3.9-meter-high buses say that they have crammed "an IMAX theater's worth of equipment" inside them, including more than 3,000 LED lights, 40 video screens, an advanced surround sound system and three rows of seats.

Tickets for the attraction, which opens September 16, are priced from $59 (€46).

http://www.experiencetheride.com