Customer Reviews - Real New York Tours - Real tours from a Real New Yorker

Real New York Tours - Your Say

The following customer comments are from various tours and companies I have worked for throughout my career.

Click here to read what people are saying about us on TripAdvisor!

We were thrilled with our half-day downtown tour. Trey is a knowledgeable, personable, and animated tour guide. He shared interesting stories and information with us, as we walked through Greenwich, Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho, Noho, etc. It was a unique experience for us to have our own personal tour guide. It often seemed like we were just "hanging out" with a buddy from New York City. We could ask Trey any questions we had and linger at sites of interest. We even stopped for a quick visit to Greenwich Letterpress, as we had heard great things about their handmade notes (made on Heidelberg letterpresses). Trey was patient, relaxed, and easy going. Thanks Trey for an amazing day!

-- Toured by Trey Gibbons

Me and my wife Jeana and our twelve-year-old son Trevor, had the pleasure of taking an all-day tour with Real New York Tours' Jimmy Napoli.

It was a superlative experience!! Jimmy met us at our hotel and asked about our personal interests and places we might like to see. He synthesized that information and guided us on a terrific tour.

We are history buffs, so going to see the first federal capital where Alexsander Hamilton set up our banking system was a real treat, not to mention the history of Wall Street and the famous churces and building, notable politicians and discussion of events that helped shape the destiny and history of our great country.

We cannot say enough good things about it. Jimmy gave a passionate recitation of Thomas Paine's famous writing (paraphrased) "These are the times that try men's souls...it's not the time to be a sunshine patriot or fair weather soldier...". In the context of the Continental Army having just lost NYC to the British, and our troops being very devastated emotionally, Thomas Paine is given great credit for restoring faith and hope to our colonial countrymen!!

Our tour was 2 months ago. Can you tell that we are very impressed? It was the highlight of an extraordinary three day trip to NYC. I cannot recommend it enough.

-- Toured by Jimmy Napoli

I have to start by admitting NY was not on my top places to visit and I went b/c of my boyfriend. I have traveled extensively and NY seemed like just a big city and since I've lived in SF and LA it didn't seem like it would be too exciting. Was I ever WRONG- this trip and tour put NY at the top of places I want to return to! Nathan gave us a REAL New York experience and not just some tour. We got more then we could even ask for and I couldn't recommend a better NY experience! I was normally against tours because I didn't want to stand out as a tourist, but this was like being with a friend showing us around the city- not like nerds following around a guide. With only two of us he was able to give us the history and details of what we wanted, answer every question we had, was our personal photographer, and took us to have great food! Nathan was very personable, fun, funny, and knowledgeable. I didn't know what all I wanted to see and Nathan helped us see so much that we wouldn't have even thought of! We got to go off the beaten path and have a one of a kind personalized experience. I am beyond grateful to Nathan and Real NY Tours for such an amazing time!!!

-- Toured by Nathan Kaufman

My wife and I have just recently returned from our first visit to New York. We booked the downtown tour for our first morning in the city. Shawn our excellent tour guide met us at our hotel and put us at ease straight away. We spent 3 hours plus exploring the village, financial district, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho and the WTC site. It was a bitterly cold morning but Shawn's knowledge, passion and humour kept our minds off the chill. I would highly recommend Real New York Tours; their customer service from initial enquiry through to the tour is simply first class. Shawn, we thank you for really making our trip.

-- Toured by Shawn Lynch

We took a private 6 hour tour with Greg B on Dec. 19th (yes, the day of the blizzard) and it was worth every penny! I was traveling with my parents, husband, a 7 and 4 yr old so I was hesitant about a walking tour in Winter. From the moment we left our hotel, Greg kept us moving briskly and we never looked back. The time goes by quickly! Greg was well informed and our trip was so interesting and comprehensive that within the first hour I knew that booking this tour was the best decision. It was cold and it started snowing during our tour - but that made it even more beautiful. Greg just kept us rolling along and we could have followed him another couple of hours! I requested Greg just in case my parents wanted to ask some questions in Spanish. Our family speaks both English and Spanish and Greg just went with our flow - we all were very comfortable with him. There is no way we could have seen as much on our own and certainly would not have know the historical information that Greg passed on. By the next day, we were riding the subway on our own! In addition, Greg recommended Bryant Park for ice-skating and it was one of the highlights of my trip! Thanks Greg! I recommend taking this trip on your first day in the city so that you can plan the rest of your trip around the sights you did not see on the tour.

-- Toured by Gregory Barrantes

I had read the reviews on Trip Advisor so I had high hopes for this tour. We were not disappointed. Our tour guide, Zach, was prompt, congenial, informed and easy to be with. Zach doesn't have a canned tour ready for you. He asks you what type of thing you would like to do and he can tailor his presentation to your specific interests. We wanted to see and get a feel for the "neighborhoods" and Zach delivered in splendid fashion. Thanks for a great day Zach.

-- Toured by Zach Aarons

Thank you so much for making our trip to New York so memorable, we learned so much from your guide Edwin. His knowledge is outstanding.

Both Andy and I had been to NYC before but this was the first time for Jessica & Laura and they were truly thrilled. We all found the first day interesting, but the private time spent with Edwin was the best. We are still talking about how much we miss New York and wish we we had your company for the whole vacation. We look forward to seeing you on our next trip.

-- The Rumsey Family (Guide: Edwin Jorge)

A Jewel in the treasure chest in NYC is your tour guide --LUKE !!! What a present we got on our tour. Our group of 4 from TORONTO, CANADA were so grateful. He was entertaining, funny, knowledgeable, well organized, extremely delightful, helpful, welcoming, and his respect for NYC was awesome! Can't wait to come back to NYC! We love NYC!

--Leanne Koska (Guide: Luke Miller)

I have been to New York many times over the years, business and pleasure, and made the recommendation to my family to hire a private tour guide to see the city and hear the stories and background. As it turns out, I ended up joining them on the trip, but we didn't cancel the tour. And we are so glad we didn't. I could never have told all the stories and tid-bits of information that Luke gave us. He was energetic, friendly, warm and receptive to most any ideas we had and places we wanted to see.

By the end of the tour, Luke was much more than a simple tour guide - he was a friend, a warm and trusted friend. I have recommended Luke to many people since this past summer. And I will continue to do so. We will come back again and again.

Sincerely yours,

Suzanne A. Matheson
Vice President Elkins/Jones Insurance (Guide: Luke Miller)

To say that the private van tour with our guide was a highlight during our one-week's stay in Manhattan is a total understatement. Thursday July 13th was the "icing on the cake" to a spectacular Birthday celebration week. And Luke Miller is a true gem. A true professional, extremely knowledgeable, gracious, informative, personable, generous and thoughtful. We would not hesitate to recommend Luke Miller to our many friends, family and colleagues who travel to NYC in the future.

--Mary and Malcolm Matheson (Guide: Luke Miller)

I wanted to drop you a note to share how much we enjoyed our tour last Saturday morning. It was great. Our tour guide, Luke Miller, made it much more special. He had a great perspective and was so knowledgeable about the history, the culture and the special tidbits that make NYC so unique. Kudos to Luke! Will see you in again in the future.

Cheers
Spence Nelson (Guide: Luke Miller)

Luke, I want to thank you again for a great tour. There were four of us ladies from California and you visited a lot with my mom on the ferry. Her name was Lue and she told me to tell you that she really enjoyed your tour and the time we spent with you. Thanks for making our day a great memory and thanks for taking the time to be so thoughtful and kind.

--Beth (Guide: Luke Miller)

Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour on Wednesday, August 23, 2006. Luke was fantastic! I was glad my kids got to hear about New York City through his perspective, which was attuned to the socio-economic changes that the city has faced through the last 400 years. Thanks for a memorable trip!

--Michael Haberlein (Guide: Luke Miller)

To whom it may concern -
My name is Leslie Watson and I was in NYC two weeks ago and had the pleasure of taking one of your tours. It was a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon and had the potential to not be a very fun trip. However, Lucas Miller our tour guide made a HUGE difference. He was so full of positive energy right from the beginning. I was with a group of 14 women and he assured us all that, despite the weather, we were going to have a great time...and did we ever! Not only was he very knowledgeable, he had a great personality and took time to get to know us all. I believe that GREAT people deserve recognition, so cheers to Luke.

Sincerely,
Leslie Watson (Guide: Luke Miller)

Wow, you really made the trip to NY a memorable experience for us. We can't say enough about Lucas our tour guide, by the time the tour was over we felt like a friend and not just some tourists. His knowledge of NY was unbelievable and really enlightened our views of NY. Again we thank you for making our 50th anniversary special, and again great job Lucas.

--John and Shirley Rakowsky (Guide: Luke Miller)

Dear Lucas,
We joined in your New York City tour 2 days ago (Sunday) during the New York marathon. We feel that you did a great job and are very good at what you are doing. Please do continue to promote your city well, and we believe that more people will view New York differently.

Best wishes.
--Arif & JOSEPH from Malaysia (Guide: Luke Miller)

Took your tour 6/8/06 AND LOVED IT!! We cannot express how much we loved our guide for the day LUKE. He knew so much about New York and his little side comments and trivia were priceless. What a sense of humor. I would recommend Luke's tour to anyone visiting New York.

--Linda Lockwood (Guide: Luke Miller)

We just wanted to tell you what a wonderful time we had on your tour. It was my husband's first time and my second time in New York and we were both thoroughly impressed. Luke, our tour guide, was so knowledgeable about the city. I wish there was a book I could have purchased with all the info he gave us. Thank you for all the wonderful memories, we have fallen in love with New York City.

--Lance and Miriam Thomas from Green Bay, WI (Guide: Luke Miller)