Jenn was the absolute best to work with on planning our 2 week trip to Italy. She had great…read morerecommendations and incredible insights as well as great local connections. Jenn was so easy to work with and diligent in her communication and bookings with us, plus she made herself available while we were on our trip, checking in to ensure everything was smooth. Our trip would not have been possible without her 10 out of 10 would recommend!

Jen is a fantastic trip planner! My family and I travelled to Italy recent out and she was a…read moregodsend. She took all the usual pressure of traveling off our shoulders and organized all our tours and transportation. We actually were able to relax and sit back and enjoy our trip! Could not recommend more! She was truly a joy to work with. Definitely will be coming back for my next Italian adventure!

For all Seinfeld fans, this is a must do. The Real Kramer is an awesome and colorful gentleman and…read moreit was great to meet him. A few months later after I took his tour, I saw Kenny Kramer at the ballet in Lincoln Center. He loves New York City and the Arts as much as I do! As for the tour, you first see a film about Seinfeld in a tiny theater, and then Kramer introduced all his merchandise, including an "Assman" license plate and some T-shirts. Then you board a bus and play Seinfeld trivia and tour the various sites made famous by the show. Then, you go to the Soupman stand and while in line, Kenny Kramer poses for photos with you. I got the Jambalaya, of course, because Newman liked it.

A tour hosted by one of my favorite actors of all time. Michael Richards. I wonder why/how he is…read moreavailable for a gig like this. Seeing him in real life brought me right back to my favorite Seinfeld episode of all time, season 3 episode 8 "The Tape." Jerry uses a voice recorder at his set for the purpose of being able to listen back to his new material and make tweaks from there - only to find that an unknown lady has recorded a voiceover on the tape... what a wild surprise it was for Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza, because of the erotic sensual tone of the lady's recording. Elaine thinks it's all very funny... since SHE is the mystery lady on the tape.Elaine tells George that she is the lady... he is suddenly infatuated with her. I Don't blame him! Lol. Don't tell my wife John. Please. Meanwhile... Jerry still doesn't know that it is her. In the same episode, George has also purchased a hair growing cream from China that carries a less-than-pleasant odor.

Our tour with Real New York Tours was one of the highlights of our trip to New York City! A friend…read morerecommended Luke, the owner, and we are so grateful she did. From the moment we met him, it felt like we were exploring the city with a friend, not just taking a tour. Luke took the time to get to know our family and our interests, creating an experience that felt personal and unforgettable. He was great with our teenage daughter, keeping her engaged throughout the entire tour. His passion for New York, incredible knowledge, and the stories he shared brought the city's history to life in a way we never could have experienced on our own. We left feeling like we had not only seen New York, but truly experienced it. We cannot recommend Real New York Tours and Luke enough!

My wife and granddaughter recently visited New York and booked several sightseeing tours through…read moreReal New York Tours. We wanted a knowledgeable, top-notch guide to help us experience the city, and they exceeded our expectations. From the planning process to the tours themselves, everything was handled professionally and efficiently. Our guide was outstanding--knowledgeable, personable, and passionate about New York. They customized the experience, shared fascinating insights, and made every stop enjoyable. Our experience with Real New York Tours was exceptional. They delivered first-class service in every way, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a memorable and well-organized New York City sightseeing experience.

Funniest cruise of my life…read more Let me specify... funniest cast of characters on a cruise. Everyone was incredibly nice and thoughtful. There was plenty of information and the boat was comfortable. Would recommend but be ready for the people!

Amazing experience. Well worth the price. Views and service were spectacular. Upgrading to the…read morepremier seating is well worth it. Highly recommend! A+

Rising above the Hudson River on its distinctive tulip-shaped pillars, Little Island is one of the…read moremost unique public parks in New York City. The park combines beautiful gardens, winding pathways, open lawns, viewpoints, and performance spaces, all packed into a relatively small area. The design feels creative and peaceful, and the elevated walkways provide great views of the Hudson River, New Jersey skyline, and surrounding waterfront. There are quiet spots to sit and relax, landscaped gardens that change with the seasons, and a variety of free performances and events throughout the year.

Little Island sits on the Hudson River at Pier 55 in the West Village and is one of the more…read moregenuinely inventive public spaces added to New York City in recent years. I walked onto a park built on a series of tulip shaped concrete columns rising from the river, and the structure itself was striking enough that the architecture became part of the experience rather than just the platform for it. The design is compact and the island is smaller than most first time visitors expect, but the thoughtfulness of the landscaping made the space feel fuller than its footprint suggests. I followed walking paths that wound through planted gardens, with seating areas distributed throughout. Two elevated hills at either end of the island offered different vantage points looking back at the skyline and out over the river. The Hudson River views were wide and unobstructed, and the perspective on the surrounding city from the water level was one I do not get from the street. Sunset is the most popular time to visit and draws the largest crowds. I came on a weekday morning, which gave me a more relaxed version of the park with better access to seating and a quieter atmosphere. Food trucks were present, and the proximity to Chelsea Market makes the surrounding area practical for extending the visit into a meal nearby. Admission is free and the park is accessible via ramps throughout. The small amphitheater hosts performances during the warmer months, which adds another reason to check what is scheduled before going. For a stop that requires no planning and delivers consistently, Little Island is one of the easier recommendations in the city.

I had so much fun! I did the Father's Day brunch and he was so happy with everything. The food was…read morebuffet style and they call you in per table. The food surprised me because it was really good. My brother was saying these are the best eggs he ever had. The DJ was great and played different variety of music. He was really good. The down side is the space between the tables. The tables are too close. Also I was told I couldn't bring my stroller when I booked this via the phone but I did see other people with their strollers. It was a bit frustrating for me not to have the stroller because my baby really needed it.

This review is for a special fourth of July weekend brunch cruise on the Spirit of New Jersey…read moreleaving from Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. This being said, my comments probably apply to many similar cruises offered by this company. The cruise was supposed to board at 10:30 am for an 11 am departure, returning at 1 pm. Boarding started maybe 10:50 am and the ship left about 20 minutes late, and still returned at 1 pm. So it was really a 1 hour and 40 minute cruise rather than a 2 hour one. The boat has two indoor, air-conditioned dining levels and an upper deck. It is random which level you are seated at, but the layout looks the same. With taxes and random fees, cost was about $350 for a family of three, and $500 for a family of four. We did not pay extra for a window table. We got a window table anyway, which was nice. There were also bottomless mimosas for the adults and orange juice for the kids. We did see the tall historic ships as advertised. We didn't see many - definitely less than 10 - but we did get pretty close to the ships and got some good pictures. The boat went around the tip of Manhattan and we saw Ellis Island, Governor's Island, and Staten Island. We spent a lot of time around the Statue of Liberty. It was a while before we got food. At the beginning of the cruise, the buffet was not ready yet so basically everyone went upstairs to the upper deck to take pictures first. When the buffet was ready there was a lot of waiting around while they called the tables up one by one. The buffet was honestly not great. The sausage was undercooked, the bacon was over-crispy, the salmon was overcooked. There was someone serving slices of beef which were somewhat dry but still the best thing there. The DJ did a commendable job acting as a tour guide but also playing every line dance that he could think of in order to convince people to get on the dance floor. I am sure nobody booked the cruise for the purposes of having a dance party, but there were definitely at least two families with kids dancing on the dance floor by the end of the cruise. Overall, decent but expensive.

I joined one of the beginner paddle board classes with a friend on Sunday a week or two ago. I…read morethink the class had about 7 participants total, with two teachers. I came in from Manhattan, and took the PATH to get back home. The walk from the station to Pier 13 isn't short, so I can see why Google Maps suggests the bus to get to Pier 13. Personally I plan to snag a ride share from the station to Pier 13 in the future since I run late to most things and the walk took a while. Although I've been paddle boarding before, this class highlighted that I had never been taught some paddle boarding basics during my prior adventures. We hung out pretty close to the docks most of the time because the water was so choppy that day, but I believe the instructors said under better conditions the class sometimes ventured further out. For those of you wondering about how clean the water is - I personally did not mind falling in and was splashing my hair with the water to cool down as needed. The water felt fairly clean, and was "brackish," as the instructors liked to say. The instructors for this class were great, namely Ben (I believe that was his name anyway). He was fun, easy to talk to, and 100% willing to jump into the water to demonstrate re-mounting the board for people that had fallen. They cover how to get onto your board from the dock, how to hold your paddle, which parts of your body you should be engaging to paddle, paddling while kneeling, paddling while standing, tips on steadying yourself, and re-mounting the board. By the end of the hour I felt way more confident, and was interested in signing up for their other classes where you get a guided tour of the nearby areas. There was mention of paddling to an island nearby for one of those classes. Would highly recommend this as a weekend activity. There's plenty to eat and drink on the piers/walkways around there after you get done.

What an amazing time! A safe new and enjoyable adventure. We learned a new skill, the people in…read morecharge made sure we had an amazing experience.

I can't say enough good things about this entire experience. The tour we wanted was sold out,…read morebummer. Sent a message to see what was recommended as far as the availability of a wait list or moving tickets from walking to bus tour would be easy. Scott himself responded, almost immediately with his recommendations. Purchased the walking tour tickets, put ourselves on the wait list for the bus tour and watched emails like a hawk for the few days before our scheduled date. The pizza tour Gods smiled on us and the wait list opened up. I called to get our tickets moved and talked to Scott who handled the whole transfer quickly for me because once the wait list opens up it opens up for everyone on it. He was very helpful in scoring those seats for us and understood the urgency. LOL. That's ALL before we even got to our first meeting place. We met the tour and Scott at Keste in the Financial District. I had read in my research that the tour stops aren't planned ahead and I was skeptical, but you could see him figuring it out as he figured out his group for the day. One of the attendees had taken the tour a year prior, they played a game of guess the spot so he didn't repeat stops for her and the very large group of family that she brought with her on this tour. There was one request for a spot in Brooklyn but he couldn't make it happen due to their hours, not that he wouldn't have moved heaven and earth if he could have. We had a smaller than usual tour group because of timing and a LI RR strike and you could just see that this opened up other options for places to go. After Keste we were able to do two stops in the Bronx, one in East Harlem. There was even an ice cream, water ice store next door to the last pizzeria. So much thought went into this route. Scott was able to take this group to places he hadn't been to in quite some time due to the distance and size of the group. Back to Keste-- what tour guide takes his entire group and takes over the kitchen, helping himself to dough balls and creating pies as he discussed pizza history?? We saw the kitchen and oven in each establishment and each shop was welcoming and friendly. Scott is a wealth of knowledge and enjoyed sharing his story and the story of all of the stops we visited. Pizza is an absolute passion project for him. Highly recommend!

Five stars for Scott's Pizza Tours, and that's only because six is not an option Yelp provides…read more Imagine a man who has taken the idea of pizza, which most people treat as a thing you fold in half on a street corner, and decided it deserves a Rosetta Stone. That man is Scott. We met him at Keste in the Financial District, and before he said much of anything, I noticed something unusual. Several of the people on our tour had done it before. They were back for more. That seemed as telling as anything else. People do not go on vacation and repeat the same bus ride unless something extraordinary is waiting for them on the other end. Scott does not work from a script. He looks at the group, he looks at the day, and then he consults the secret weather system in his head. Out came our route. Four stops, starting at our meeting point in Manhattan's Financial District and three more scattered like wayward toppings on the city map. Queens. The Bronx. Harlem. Lucky us. Scott told us that combination hardly ever happens. To him it was chance. To the rest of us it was magic. The stops themselves were like chapters in a book. At Keste we learned about the precision of Neapolitan tradition. At Patsy's in Harlem we felt the weight of history, coal ovens burning with the same stubbornness they have for generations. At Mario's on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, an owner with stories longer than the line outside the door talked to us like we were old friends. At Philomena's in Queens, Scott was so at home that he even took a customer's order when the restaurant was swamped by our presence. Every stop had its secrets revealed. Oven temperatures. Dough hydration percentages. Family feuds. Bake times. Flour suppliers. How long a pizza can sit before the soul leaks out of it. Scott called over owners, opened kitchen doors, and invited us to peer inside the fiery mouths of the ovens like pilgrims gazing at sacred relics. Scott himself is difficult to explain without sounding untrustworthy. He is a human encyclopedia with a perfectly tuned sense of joy. He has a Rolodex in his brain that seems to contain the phone number of every pizza maker on earth. I mentioned Hamilton and he talks about Papa's and DeLorenzo's as if we were neighbors. Others mentioned Seattle and Las Vegas, and he told them where to eat, who to meet, and when to go. He casually suggested lowering the water percentage from 66 to 63 for another guest's home pizza dough, as if adjusting the tides. Then he mentioned that after our tour he would be home making 16 doughs for his guides, who were planning to test a new oven. I believed him. He also radiates decency. He runs Slice Out Hunger, a nonprofit that takes the love of pizza and turns it into meals for people who need them most. It is good to know a person can devote their life to melted cheese and still be entirely serious about kindness. This tour filled us with more than pizza. It gave us a sense of belonging. Everyone, from my ten year old to a pizza shop owner who happened to be along for the ride, was entertained and educated and full. Scott's Pizza Tours is not just about pizza, although the pizza is wonderful. It is about a man who has built a community, and who invites strangers to step inside it for a few hours. If you are a casual eater, a home chef, or someone who has already built your own pizzeria, this is for you. Five stars. The highest recommendation.

It's been close to 10 years since I've walked the Highline. There's no reason for that other than I…read moredon't find myself spending significant time in this area that allows for a leisurely stroll. Normally I'm rushing to make my train or rushing to make my dinner reservation from the train to Chelsea or the Village, etc. I found myself with a couple hours free recently as I was in between classes at Peloton studios and it was early (for me) in the morning, around 9 am. It was pleasantly empty (not enough to feel unsafe or anything) and I thoroughly enjoyed my long walk throughout, admiring buildings, admiring graffiti on buildings, peeking into apartment buildings-- you get my drift-- it's so different from walking on regular sidewalks. But what makes it surreal is all the greenery that surrounds you, allowing for an almost sylvan experience in the middle of the urban jungle. Last time I walked it, there were no vendors and now there are, so you can grab a snack, coffee, smoothie etc along the way. Because I'm a lifelong New Yorker, I couldn't help but wonder if rats make their way up here but I tried to put it out of my mind. Guess I can search reviews for sightings!

Let's provide first a little bit of history and context to this unique NYC park experience. The…read moreHigh Line was originally an elevated freight rail line built in the 1930s to lift dangerous street-level train traffic (which had caused numerous pedestrian deaths) 30 feet above 10th Avenue. Trains carried meat, dairy, and produce until the 1960s decline; the last train ran in 1980, after which the structure sat abandoned. In 1999, local area residents started Friends of the High Line non-profit, dedicated to turning the freight rail into an elevated park-greenway, inspired by the Promenade Plantée in Paris. The resulting park's design and planning was carried out by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, along with Dutch planting designer Piet Oudolf. It opened in phases starting 2009. Over 210 plant species grew naturally on the tracks after trains stopped, and the design highlights this wild landscape with modern pathways and seating nestled into the greenery. The park features architectural elements like the Viewing Spur -- an observation area with bleacher-like seating -- plus seating areas and a rotating display of artworks by artists from around the globe. The High Line South (Gansevoort/Washington St.) ends at The Whitney Museum of American Art which was designed by Renzo Piano, and completed in 2015. The North (West 34th St.) ends at Hudson Yards, a mixed-use development, which includes an arts center, office park, luxury housing, and a high-end luxury mall. The trail is highly walkable, with alternating shadow and full sun areas, rest stops, and opportunities to admire not only the wild foliage and the art but also some exceptional buildings along the way, like the stunning Zaha Hadid's 520 West 28th Street building, celebrated for its unique, flowing curves, and other interesting landmarks. The day I was taking pictures was incredibly hot in NYC (around 100F)!

This is my 3rd tour with Foods of NY. Food tours is something I always do when I visit a town and…read morethese tours are amongst my favorite. Tours are thoughtfully curated to provide a great experience and historical information as well as the best of the best food tastings.

We did the Original Greenwich Village food tour. It was great! Our guide, Robin, was fun and…read moreinformative. We learned a lot about the area. Of course, the main part of any food tour is the food which was delicious and plentiful. 2 desserts stops. One was an amazing apple pie cookie. The savory stops were also quite good. My favorites were the pizza slice, fish taco and eggplant rollatini. It was supposed to last 3 hours but went over so we never felt rushed.