CharacTours did an amazing job bring Ellis Island to life! Through five characters, actor Lee Cohen…read moreand educator Jon Goldstein taught a group of 30 American and Israeli high-school students. The two made the tour interactive and experiential, helping students to imagine what it may have been like to immigrate to America. Even more, the dynamic duo kept the attention of these teens by bringing historical figures to life. Students enjoyed asking each character questions and learning through role-play. This was education at its finest! Both Lee's characters and Jon's lessons were memorable and entertaining, so much so that I can still speak about what I learned. Thank you so much, CharacTours, for bringing such an important piece of our narrative to life! -Rabbi Alli Cohen

Nothing quite like this exists! What a brilliant, funny and memorable exploration of history! The…read moretour guides interact with and build community among the participants- no two presentations will ever be the same. I not only gave my full attention for the whole time, and didn't mind walking and standing, but I feel inspired by the moral lessons that are resonant today-which is what education should do. Everything felt well researched, intentionally designed, and beautifully interpreted. I can imagine all ages, all expressions of Jewishly curious, and especially the socially aware, would appreciate CharacTours.

I found Jolie and Lady of Grand Tours on Facebook via Bowery Boogie. My husband and I live in Maui…read morebut I am a total NYC junkie and visit there once or twice a year. Thank goodness for the Hawaiian Airlines direct flight to JFK, but I digress..... Jolie was very responsive via email when booking the tour and answering questions. We had no problem finding her in the Essex Market to begin our tour. She is personable and communicative and very easy to hang with. She was very creative in her tasting choices for the tour and did her best to tell us about what we were eating and to show us around her neighborhood. afternoon with her and learning a little about the history of the LES. The only reason I took of a star from this review is because I would have liked more history and culture and would have loved some jewish food on the tour. Otherwise, everything was awesome and Jolie is the perfect hostess. If you are thinking of taking this tour, please do. You will not be disappointed. Mahalo Jolie!

Jolie lead a -first and foremost- TASTY food tour for myself and 3 friends. It was full of exciting…read morebits of history, and had just the right amount of food to leave us satisfied. There isn't a single place I won't go back, it was fantastic! Strongly recommend!

**Review is for the Inside Broadway/Broadway and Times Square Tour.**…read more Billed as a tour by a real Broadway insider such as an actor or director, I was a bit disappointed to find out that our tour guide, Allie, was neither of those things. Yet, her love of the industry and the city was both palpable and contagious and she won me and the rest of my group over with her mix of historical (and hysterical) tales and gossip. The approximately 100 minute tour allows you to see many of the notable theatres of the area as well as some sights around Times Square. We even caught a glimpse of a Broadway star, Donna Murphy, though that wasn't officially part of the tour. It all wraps up with a group picture that makes for a good souvenir. Even better, you don't have to pay anything to get access to it online! The only reason that this isn't getting 5 stars is that the group was just too big for Allie's voice and speaker. I understand they have to pack 'em in to make the money, but it detracted from the experience.

A Bite of the Big Apple…read more I took the One Day NYC Tour. This tour is the best. I strongly suggest you do this tour at the beginning of your trip. It gives you a little taste of pretty much everything in the Big Apple. Afterward you can pick and choose what sites were satisfying enough for seconds. It is a very concise tour. Afterwards you will have a greater appreciation and knowledge of the city of Manhattan. If possible ask for Bobby. He was very knowledgeable, patient, and nice. Perfect guide. This tour takes cuts down the Big Apple into smaller parts and makes a sweet Big Apple pie.

Gabriel is an incredible tour guide, educator, and lover of birds. I went on a birdwatching tour of…read moreBryant Park with him last year. I have very little knowledge of birding, but I was blown away by Gabriel's depth of knowledge, the fun factoids he shared, and just how personable he is. As someone who has never birdwatched before, I went on a lark, and I had no idea that there could be SO MANY BIRDS and other wildlife in Bryant Park. I was so enthralled. Also, as an aside, I used to be really afraid of bees, but I was able to overcome my fear of bees on this tour. Gabriel showed me the beauty of these pollinators and how gentle they are. Highly recommend any of Gabriel's tours!

We took a Central Park Fall Migration walk with Gabriel and loved it. Very knowledgeable about the…read morebirds but also trees, other animals and the history of the park. A wonderful way to experience the park and the city. Highly recommend!

First off, this tour cost $1 to download online, so there is very little one can complain about for…read morethat rate. It's a steal. I'm a local, but there is a lot in CHinatown which which I am unfamiliar, and decided to do some exploring. The walk does take you down some side streets, point out some buildings, etc, that you may not have noticed in the past. The highlight for me was ending in a Buddhist temple. I have never been in one before, and would not have known I was permitted to enter this without the prompting of the tour guide. There were two "errors" on the tour. One the guide instructs a left-hand turn, but both the map and geography make it clear that you need to turn right. Second, there is point where you are guided through a metal gate into a community center. Either the gate is no longer open/used or it is not open every day (I did this on a Saturday), because access was locked when I got there. In terms of the audio itself, I found the background "ambiance" music and sound effects distracting. I prefer to hear the organic and real sounds of the street than having music trying to overpower them. Many of the streets of the tour are already a cacophony of sound unto themselves, and adding sounds in the audio to that is too much. Additionally, at a few points, the narrator was melodramatic to the point of hilarity. I certainly cannot use those points to recommend against the tour, again because it costs only $1. Go for it and see what you think.

This is one of the best soundwalks there is in NYC. It was not time consuming and was very easy to…read morefollow. The pacing was perfect and it was a great insight into Chinatown and its opium dens, tea parlors, sweatshops etc. The music and the accompanying sound effects make it feel like you are a participator rather than a passive observer. The sights pointed out cannot be known to even the local new yorkers. The highlight was when you come to Bowery from a tunnel and all of a sudden some euro trance like music starts to play and you are in the middle of whizzing cars. How perfect! Feels like you are in a movie and it gives you such a high. would recommend you do it before/after Lunch since you are in Chinatown anyway

I booked a tour with Marc our first day in New York and it was the best decision of the trip…read more He is a absolute master at taking super cool pictures but what is most impressive is that he times the pics to make it appear that we weren't surrounded by people is busy NYC. In the picture I'm posting, we are on the Brooklyn Bridge and it was packed with people - do you see any other people in the picture???? I wholeheartedly recommend Marc and www.phototrektours.com!!

This was easily the best money we spent in New York. We did the photo tour on our first full day in…read moreNew York. With a little one, that ended up being perfect because all the walking throughout the vacation began to wear on her. The first day, she was in great spirits, though. Plus, Marc was so friendly, even though our little one is shy, she was happy to pose for him. He taught us how to use the subway, hit the major high points of the city, and gave us over 100 photos to cherish forever instead of us ending up with a few selfies (had we not done this tour).

Such a great open mic experience. I've gone a few times with my husband, and we're always happy we…read moredid. The room is full of talent, and Cyn is an incredibly engaging host. Watching her create a poem on the spot using pieces from other performances is something special. Highly recommend!

The VAUNT finale showcase was absolutely dope! It was incredible to see so many creative minds…read morebrought together in one space, the energy and talent were on another level. Huge shoutout to Cyn, who did a fantastic job putting everything together. If you're ever looking to watch an open mic or want to hop on stage yourself, I highly recommend attending one of Cyn's events. You won't be disappointed!

I have gone on two Pravassa trips - both were amazing - every little detail was taken care of & I…read morejust got to enjoy the trip - wellness activities, food & relaxing took notch location! Linden was incredible to work with answer questions & enjoyed having a wellness call to better understand my needs! Highly recommend

My husband and I were interested in exploring Costa Rica, but after attempting to plan our trip we…read morewere overwhelmed by the many choices of activities and accommodations. We needed help and turned to Pravassa after the recommendation of a friend. Pravassa will "custom a private trip". After answering some questions about our likes, disIikes and interests numerous proposals/suggestions began to arrive. In no time, Pravassa seemed to hone in on exactly what we were looking for. Everything was planned for us: transport from the airport and to the second site, pick up and transport to activities and wonderful accommodations! Pravassa thought of everything including a local contact if we had questions or concerns. We had an amazing experience and would highly recommend Pravassa. We will definitely use them again.