GANYC Members Offering Virtual Tours

We will have a deeper look and profile at GANYC members offering virtual tour experiences in upcoming issues of the Virgil, our weekly e-newsletter which goes out every Monday during this crisis. GANYC will also soon be offering a series of virtual PDPs on how to create and market these type of tours, one with a representative of Be A Better Guide, and another roundtable featuring some GANYC members. Stay tuned for more details on all that!


In the meantime, here is a quick roundup of members already offering such tours:

  • Matthew Baker is doing a series of virtual tours/discussions on his YouTube channel. These 5-7 minute videos cover a range of topics, from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to Winnie the Pooh to the Flatiron to the saga of Jackie Onassis and Grand Central Terminal in brilliant depth as always. Matt has 22 videos so far, check them out!
     
  • Megan Marod is creating a similar series of videos, on her website: Experience The Big Apple. Megan has helped her followers virtually explore shopping in NYC, the history of Little Italy and the immigrant history of the Lower East Side, One World Observatory, and more! These videos use vibrant backgrounds and slides of historic photos.
     
  • Kevin Fitzpatrick is a guide, historian, and award-winning author of several New York-centric books. He is offering regular virtual tours for $10 each (you can look at upcoming dates on Eventbrite) of his favorite aspects of NYC's rich literary history. Upcoming events include an Algonquin Round Table Virtual Tour this Friday (April 17) at 2pm, and Dorothy Parker's New York Virtual Tour this Saturday (April 18) at 2pm.
     
  • Michael Morgenthal is partnering with the NY Adventure Club for a virtual tour/webinar this upcoming Tuesday (April 21) from 5:30-7pm. 'The Secrets of Brooklyn Heights' Webinar will cost $10. He will explore the deep history of America's first suburb, with tales of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, Truman Capote, and others. There will also be a live Q&A with Michael following the webinar. Contact Michael for possible future webinars!
     
  • Jeremy Wilcox has been partnering with Untapped New York for a series of live, virtual tours for their Insiders members. You can use code STAYHOME to get a free month of access. These 30 minute videos allowed viewers to follow Jeremy virtually on his walks in real time, with live Q&A afterward. The first two tours offered were of Victorian Flatbush, and Prospect Park. Jeremy will be offering more through his own site.
     
  • Manuela Biondi is staying engaged with her Italian customers with a new YouTube channel. Topics she's covered so far include the Easter Parade, and the High Line!
     
  • John Semlak is offering a weekly virtual tour every Thursday. Tours will usually focus on New York's sports history. More details can be found on his Facebook page.
     
  • For Russian speakers, Slava Shpigel is doing slideshow tours, such as this one of Central Park.
     
  • Yue Wang is creating videos for Chinese speakers. An example can be found on their YouTube.
     
  • Linda Fisher is doing a virtual tour for NY Adventure Club scheduled for May 12 at 8pm. It’s an adaptation of my Summer of Love tour which covers hippie culture in NYC from March to October of 1967 and its lasting legacy. Tickets are $10 and available here.
     
  • Art & Susan Zuckerman are doing a series of teleconference fam tours for GANYC members. They will occur weekly: Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00AM. If interested, email for the info.  Each session will be approximately an hour long. The sign-in procedure is simple from any landline or cell phone. These cover a variety of topics related to New York and its history.


If you are a GANYC member who is offering similar experiences, please let us know!