Greetings, it’s THE RIDE here. As I jaunt around town, I learn all kinds of fun facts about New York City. For example, I betcha didn’t know that:

1. NYC has stores that fill just about every tiny niche you can think of. For example, there’s a store that only sells buttons (Tender Buttons), one devoted to pencils (CW Pencil Enterprise), a shop for Just Bulbs and another for Just Shades (the latter two made famous by David Letterman).
2. The Empire State Building contains more than 60 miles of water pipe and 60,000 tons of steel — enough to build a double set of railroad tracks from NYC to Baltimore. It also has 73 elevators that move through 7 miles of shafts.
3. Although the Empire State Building was built with horse power rather than with the cranes, mixing trucks and other construction equipment available today, the famous skyscraper was finished 45 days ahead of schedule and $5 million under budget.
4. The city’s nickname, the “Big Apple” was originally connected with NYC horseracing, but really took off in the 1920s as a reference to NY’s big-league music venues. The term was revived in the 1970s when the tourist bureau invited visitors to take a bite out of the Big Apple.
5. THE RIDE is the largest, most technologically-advanced sightseeing bus in all of New York. Many people say that I’m the best looking bus, too!

Want to learn more about New York City? Then join THE RIDE experience or THE TOUR Powered by The Ride. Both are full of fun and trivia—and best of all, they feature me! Check out this comparison chart to see which one is best for you and then go ahead and sign up here.