Tours are always best done when the person giving the tour not only knows a lot about the area, but also loves the area. This could be no more true than The Street Teacher who offers a number of tours that range from going all over the New York City, to just around a few select blocks. The teacher is always helpful, has a lot of knowledge about the streets and has a lot of fun showing off.
The original idea for this was a brilliant one. People like to take tours, and there are a lot of people who come into New York City without a lot of working knowledge of where things are or where they want to go first. Many of these people are coming in on their own buses anyway, so why take them off one bus to put them on another one. It is called a step on tour, and the guide instead of getting their own bus to show a group around will step onto the tour bus and give the tour from there.
Like any good idea this one got a little out of control and has blown up into a full blown business with options to do a lot more than that. They now do walking tours of various areas, as well as advertising that they will help you find the place your great grandparents lived, or just give you a tour while you are waiting for your flight out of there.
This isn’t the only tour that is out there. If you want something a little more alternative once you have settled into one of the luxury hotels New York City has to offer take a food tour, or take a tour at your own pace with a hop on hop off tour line that will take you all over the city and let you get off at any of the sites.
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The tours are a great idea for a first time visitor to New York but the real joy of New York is exploring the city by yourself. Many people are concerned about safety but taking normal precautions is usually adequate. Mayor Juliaani certainly did an excellent job cleaning up the city and making it safer. I remember going there years ago and seeing armed police with dogs on the subway from the airport. Thankfully those days are gone. I have walked around central manhattan by myself at 2.00 and I did not feel afraid.