In New York, Stay in the Picture
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| On the other side of the camera, on the Brooklyn Bridge |
I spent last week in New York on a media tour, talking about Viator and some survey findings we’ve just released. Inevitably I got questions about our products, and in each interview I mentioned that I was planning to try the Private New York Tour with a Personal Photographer. Now, I’m always talking about the tours and activities we offer, but I’ve never had such a strong reaction as I had to this one. Everyone agreed that this tour solves a problem: you visit a great destination, take lots of shots, but there’s always someone missing from the photos… the photographer!
Marc Samuels understands this problem, and his tour is the perfect solution. Marc is a licensed New York City tour guide, a native New Yorker, and a pretty good photographer too. I took the tour on a muggy Thursday afternoon; we started late, around 5:30, and that meant sharing the subway with rush hour commuters, but Marc’s commentary and his incredible knowledge of the city kept it all moving along at a good clip. Times Square, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and Greenwich Village all featured before I wilted under the pressure and we retired to one of Marc’s favourite restaurants for pasta and wine, and a discussion about his tour, what people want to see when they come to “the city,” and how he builds each trip itinerary on the fly rather than sticking to a set menu of locations.
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| Master of his domain: Marc in Times Square |
It’s hard not to be infected with Marc’s love of New York. He knows the place inside out, from where to stand on the platform for a downtown-bound N Train to when you’re likely to see the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, he’s got it all covered. As you walk and ride the subway to the various locations you’ve agreed on, he keeps snapping away — he generally takes over 100 shots during a 2 hour tour — and later that day or the next morning a CD magically appears at your hotel front desk. No hassles with copyright or any of that stuff, they’re all yours.
Marc also posts your photos on a web site where you and your friends can access them online. This is a cool idea; it means you can give your fan club back home a single web link and they can look at all the shots without you having to send attachments and all that stuff that’s doubly difficult when you’re on the road.
All in all? Great value, and more take home memories than you’ll know what to do with. But don’t listen to me: by chance, one of our customers just sent in a review and somehow it came to me, and not the review page. But I’ll publish it anyway, because it’s a pretty good summary:
Marc Samuels met us in the lobby of our hotel and took us on a wonderful 4 hours walking tour of his city. He told us the history and pointed out points of interest where we could come back to during our stay. Educated us in how to use the subway which we did successfully for the 8 days, with a Metro card which he helped us purchase making travel very cheap. He also helped us find our way to Yankee Stadium and the other places we had intended to visit during our stay. This was all a bonus when you realise he was taking some of the best photos of us in New York. There were over 150 photos taken during the tour. I would recommend this tour to people who want a special memory of New York. Marc’s photography is excellent but his personal service and pride in his city is unbeatable. I would love to go back to share New York with my husband and we will certainly be booking this tour again. –Gail D, Australia
That kind of says it all…
Book for travel in June and save 20% on the Private New York Tour with a Personal Photographer. For more ideas in NYC, check out Viator’s list of things to do in New York City, from Broadway shows to Manhattan helicopter tours… and everything in between.
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