Artsbus Offers a Cheap Trip to (and Opportunities in) NYC

A day trip to New York City usually can get pricey fast. But thanks to the Mason Artsbus, sponsored by the Art and Visual Technology Department and the College of Visual and Performing Arts since 2004, a day trip to New York City will cost no less than $65.

Artsbus makes three all-day bus trips each semester to New York City; the trip was originally designed for AVT students only but tickets are available for Mason students as well as the general public.

Participants gather to board buses at 5:30 a.m. in Lot H, and the buses head out at promptly 6 a.m.. The buses arrive in NYC at around 10:30 a.m. and return to Mason at roughly 1 a.m., giving students a total of nine hours tooling about the city. 

However, after forking over upwards of $20 at the entrance of many museums, such as the Guggenheim, students quickly realize the advantage of living in the Washington, D.C. area where museums are free.

“It is a good opportunity for student to expose themselves to a different environment,” said senior AVT student Charlie Church. “The Museum of Modern Art is my favorite, it’s $20 to get in but it’s well worth it.”

An alternative for the money-conscious students is to tour the art galleries in Chelsea, a neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan, which is peppered with a wide variety of styles, artist, and galleries. Conveniently, certain buses take students to uptown NYC, dropping them off in the heart of Chelsea while others venture downtown.

Students are provided with pamphlets once they board the bus for “top picks” of NYC galleries and museums, as well as other tips concerning museum visitation. While touring the city, students have the opportunity to sample NYC street fare as well as typical NYC cuisine such as pizza and cheesecake; a strong recommendation when looking a place to eat is to avoid eating around Times Square at all costs.

Buses pick up students at the end of the day at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York (a.k.a. The Met), the last stop of the trip; which has no entrance fee, but a “recommended donation” is welcome.

“It seems like a good deal, but when you can get a round trip bus ticket for $25 on any Chinatown bus - plus the fact that art majors have to go a total of five times throughout their college career – [the idea] makes me resentful,” said senior AVT major Julia Compton. “It’s a great opportunity, but opportunities usually only come around once, not five times.”

Many AVT students suggest that even though it is tough to make the trip early on in the semester, beautiful weather and getting the trip out of the way makes up for early hours.