RiseNY

RiseNY sits just off Times Square on West 45th Street and is built around one idea: tell the story of New York indoors, then let you fly over it. You start in a rotunda that drops you into the city's history, then move through galleries devoted to music, Broadway, television, film, fashion and the subway system, with props, costumes and screens rather than long text panels. The finale is the reason most people book. You are lifted in a suspended seat in front of a wraparound screen and carried over the harbour, the bridges, Central Park and the skyline while the seat tilts with the footage. It runs roughly an hour end to end, which makes it one of the few Midtown attractions that works with small children, older visitors and a rainy afternoon at the same time. Because everything is inside, it is a reliable backup plan when weather cancels the rooftop or park part of your day. Buy a timed ticket online and arrive a few minutes early — the flight runs on a schedule and latecomers wait for the next one.