I am not a ride person and I never was. You know that kid who didn’t go on the class trip to Great Adventure in Junior High School? That’s me. I don’t like scary books or scary movies or scary anything. So, it makes sense that I would want to know ‘Is Rise NY scary?’. The website and reviews are kinda vague, so I figure I will find out when I get there. When I inquired, all staff members replied with a shrug: “don’t ask me”. I’m sure this is how they are told to reply for liability reasons, but it’s extremely off putting. Anyway, here is the raw, honest, vulnerable truth as I see it. Please be kind in the comments.
Why did we go to Rise NY?
Here we are…back in NY for the first time after our 2-week road trip to Canada . Our plan for the evening is dinner at Bodrum (one of our fave local restaurants), and then hanging in with personal screens. We are all really looking forward to vegging tonight….
Then lo and behold! THE INTERNET IS OUT!! Omg! What are we gonna do?! How are we gonna live? Momma to the rescue with booked tickets for Rise NY. Horray!
But what is Rise NY?
Of course no one wants to go after dinner. We almost abandon ship like three times. I explain to everyone that we already paid and we are going. (BTW: Tickets aren’t cheap…beware of fees and taxes. Deceptive marketing big time!).
I read the website which says:
“Meet RiseNY: a breathtaking journey that lifts and connects you to New York City’s most famous sites and moments. Start with the city’s expansive pop culture evolution through a multi-faceted, interactive journey through time, then fly over the iconic skyline on a thrilling, soaring ride that suspends you 30 feet in the air! Get ready to fall in love with New York all over again.”
Warnings: There is a 40” height requirement. This isn’t recommended for pregnant women, people with sensory impairments and other issues.
First impressions
You walk into a building with a guy behind a desk and a security guard. They direct you into an elevator that moves slowly and shakes. It is obviously going farther up than just one floor. Here are my thoughts and some comments from Nina and Alex (age 12) as we wait to be admitted into the attraction
- “This is scary”
- “This place is creepy”
- “How long do we have to wait?” (It is difficult to understand the instructions from the greeter, but we didn’t have to wait very long)
- In the waiting area you can hear competing noises from several of the rooms. It doesn’t sound nice and it’s overstimulating (BTW: I am neurotypical)
- “Is a murderer coming out of that door?”
Movie
The greeter says that we will watch a “short documentary about the history of New York” and shuts the door. There is no one else in the room and we are all a bit anxious, but the movie starts and it’s super cool! It is projected on three walls, has surround sound and I can feel the seats move! The history lesson is mostly on Times Square, with a lot about Broadway and nods to the Statue of Liberty. I enjoy it and look forward to what is coming next.
Museum
There are a few rooms with mostly bland exhibits about basic New York history, finance and landmarks. We all find these spaces pretty dull. Then we get to the cool part…memorabilia of famous New Yorkers in the areas of
radio
television
film
and music
There is a section about fashion with a video that seems interesting, but I can’t really hear it because of competing sounds from another room.
The ride
First
We are ushered into a room that appears to be an elevator and made to feel as if it is out of order. I didn’t like this at all, but I can handle it if this is the worst it gets. There is no warning of what is coming next so I feel anxious and tense through the whole thing.
Then
We are told to stand on a numbered circle. I am still shaking from the elevator (sad but true) and now I have to stand on a number?! Why? I feel like the circle will drop down any minute and I will go through some sort of worm hole…but that’s not how it is. In actuality, we stand there to watch a movie about New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The staff yells at people who try to file out of the room before their turn. I’m sure glad it wasn’t me!
Finally
We sit on bench-like seats and strap in. I can’t believe I am doing this. When the guy comes over to PHYSICALLY check my seatbelt, I should have followed my instincts and run out of there as fast as possible. But I didn’t. I’m between Nina and Alex and they complain that I am squeezing their hands too tightly. I am scared. I don’t like secrets.
Here are my thoughts:
- The cinematography and effects are amazing.
- They produce mist to enhance the experience which is cool (literally and figuratively)
- The sensation of flying is accurate (for me, this feels ok when we go slow but I close my eyes when we hit into or nearly miss objects).
- The chair tilts up and down. Plunging to the earth makes me feel queasy, but looking straight ahead feels better than staring downward. Closing my eyes also helps.
So…Is Rise NY Scary?
* Alex, recently sullen 12 year old says:
“I don’t remember the ride because I kept my eyes closed the whole time”. As for the rest of the experience “it was okay, I guess, but I didn’t really like it”
* Renato, dad of few words (age undisclosed) says:
“The ride is the best part” and the “other stuff is pretty boring”.
* Nina, uncharacteristically enthusiastic 12 year old says that:
she would gladly remain seated and do the ride a second time…then again, she is the one who did paragliding in Cali. She thinks “the whole thing is great” and the ride is “really fun!” The lady I met in the bathroom afterward totally agrees with her. (BTW: The bathroom at Rise NY is absolutely DISGUSTING…picture a gas station facility that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. Come on NY…you can do better!)
* You already know how I feel:
It’s now about an hour after the ride. My heart rate is still too fast and my legs are still shaking…but my shoulders have receded from my ears now. I am on my couch writing this blog while stress eating the Insomina Cookies I ordered in the taxi on the way home 😂.
I really loved the second half of the museum and would’ve been happy to spend more time there. I read in the FAQs on the website that you can skip the ride if you want to…if I ever go again, I certainly will.
Thanks for reading my post ❤️
For some of our other experiences here at home, check out
