My dad’s birthday fell over this past weekend. My birthday was two days prior, and my sister-in-law’s special day also falls in October. I tried to think of an awesome activity to celebrate this great trio of days. We decided on a helicopter tour over Manhattan. And it was awesome! There were several companies to choose from and, to be honest, I chose by name, and picked New York Helicopter. When we arrived at the Wall Street Heliport, I learned that all the tours left from there, so I’m still not really sure of the difference. There were a total of five passengers in our chopper, and I was very lucky and got to sit in the front with the pilot. He was very accommodating and even had some fun with us by making a sharp hairpin turn around the Statue of Liberty. It almost made me lose my lunch, but I was cool! We toured all over the downtown area and saw the beautiful cityscapes over Midtown, flew over Central Park (my favorite part!), came back down over Jersey City, went over Ellis Island and around Lady Liberty. The tour was supposed to last for 20 minutes, but it went by in what felt like a blink of an eye. It is something I recommend whether you’re a tourist or a local. It’s a unique and unforgettable way to see the beauty Manhattan has to offer. -Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher