This place that does guided tours not only does Hell's Kitchen but other neighborhoods as well.
In the reviews that follow I have tried to knock out the ones that refer just to Greenwich Village, say..but left in the ones that refer to Times Square, which is, after all, just adjacent to Hell's Kitchen...
It is obvious Yelp loves this Garry guy and his tours
Manhattan Walking Tour
347 W 55 St
Ste 8F
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(914) 564-0461
Ste 8F
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(914) 564-0461
- Nearest Transit Station:
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59 St. - Columbus Circle (1, 2, A, B, C, D)50 St. (A, C, E)57 St. - 7 Ave. (N, Q, R)
- Hours:
- Mon 7 am - 10 pm
21 reviews for Manhattan Walking Tour
21 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah B.
Redwood City, CA5/20/2013
If I could give Garry a million stars I would. My husband and I were in New York for only 24 hours a couple days before Christmas (we were catching a cruise). Garry made the MOST of our 24 hours. I initially thought I would only book a half day tour, but after talking with Garry (via email), his suggestions on building a full day tour were excellent and we went with the full day. I could talk about Garry all day, so to keep my review short here are the highlights (you WON'T get these with any other walking tour):
-Garry is a New Yorker to the core. He LOVES New York. Born and raised. The best part of our tour was being with someone who loves where they live and knew the history of every block. Every time we turned a corner, Garry had a story about something that happened on that block. Sure, walking tours will take you to see the big sights, but on the way, do they point out the house where the Lincoln assassination was planed? Or where Washington would go for tea? Garry does.
-He keeps his tours SMALL. Our tour was only 6 people half the day, then it was 3 for the second half. We passed a few other walking tours that were 20+. No thanks! With Garry, since our group was small, we walked the streets talked all day. In a big group, you can't do that. You might get stuck at the back and miss what's being said.
-Garry knows everyone and is loved by everyone. We walked into shops and cafes and everyone was happy to see Garry. They were always happy to give us handouts of their tasty offerings because Garry brought us. We didn't take the food tour, but man did we eat well.
-Garry makes you feel like you've been friends for years. My husband and I truly felt like we were his friends from out of town. He took us around and treated us like family. It was great.
At the very end, it was just Garry, myself and my husband. We ended up going to dinner together and talked shop. Garry has an amazing business sense and is dedicated to customer service. He's all about your experience in the city he loves. He wants you to leave New York loving it as much as he does. -
Review from Katie D.
New York, NY5/17/2013
I have to preface my review by saying I hate tours. But I had a friend in town and he said he wanted to do this so I thought, ok, I'll try it. And I'm really glad I did! Garry was really helpful working out a time for the tour since we couldn't meet at the exact times the tour could be scheduled for. He tried to guess a little about our personalities to tell us histories and stories related to what he thought we'd like as we strolled around Times Square. It was a really fun tour and it was nice to learn new things about a city I've known for so long but really know so little about.
Definitely worth doing!!!! -
Review from Lauretta B.
Montclair, CA10/18/2013
We did the Hells Kitchen tour with the Central Park tour after. My friend had just broken her toe a few days before our trip so her leg was in a huge boot and she was on a scooter. Garry made the walking tour totally work for her and we had a blast. Garry is so personable and he has excellent taste in food. Garry can slant the tour to the groups interest and so we learned a lot about the buildings and how life was back when they were built. This was fascinating! After the food I joined our small group for a tour of Central Park. I don't know what I expected but I was blown away - by the beauty, the history, the really great tasting fountain water. I can't imagine that there is a better tour or tour guide for Manhattan. If your considering a tour go with Garry Zafrani! -
Review from Jennifer A.
New York, NY10/11/2013
Amazing place, I planed Manhattan tour with my husband and other family members. There we were into shops and cafes there everybody was happy & cheers, We enjoyed with food and taken coffee. I was known about Garry through the Yelp reviewer, Garry is guide from Manhattan. I suggest my husband to took a guide then we can visit the new places properly. Garry was New Yorker, he was guiding very easily he known all things about the Manhattan. We learned a lot from that tour and enjoyed a lot also. -
Review from K M.
Napa, CA10/3/2013
Nancy was great, we did the walking tour of Hell's kitchen lots of different ethnic food and central park. Good intro to nyc for us. -
Review from Melissa V.
Manhattan, NY8/26/2013
Short answer: Excellent. Informative. Delicious. Fun.
Explanation: A group of 4 of us did a walking tour with Nancy in Hell's Kitchen. It was a perfect way to explore, experience the vibe of the neighborhood, and eat at great establishments that we would not have discovered on our own. Nancy made the tour seamless by having the food ready for us at each stop and being prepared with rain gear when the clouds joined the tour. The tour was well worth the time and money and I would sign up for another one in a heartbeat. -
Review from Ruggy J.
2/25/2013
I'm a sucker for learning everything about a city. If I've got a couple of free hours to burn while visting places both known and unknown, there's a good chance I'll see if there's a local tour I can attend to soak in my surroundings. That said, I've been sitting on a tour I purchased a few months ago to take in the sights, sees, and eats of Greenwich Village, and had a wonderful time getting a first hand account of the 'hood with Garry. Among some of the things we learned and items we ate along the way included:
+ Why he loves Jimmy Choo but hates Marc Jacobs (JC brought back the original trim to the building to pay respect to the history of the neighborhood, but MJ opted to tear it down)
+ Why rich people around New York opted for elevated staircases to main floors as opposed to a walk-in from the street (to avoid the many feet of horse feces that collected on the streets prior to sanitation services in the city)
+ Where the term "being 86'ed" was invented
+ The best canolis in NYC at Pasticceria Rocco (they make each one fresh in front of you)
+ Where to find the best cup of hot chocolate in the city (even better than City Bakery - at Chocolate Bar)
+ We learned the magic that is a "cantucci" at IL Cantuccio (it's like a biscotti, but with no butter or oil which makes it easier to travel with)
+ Who invented the grid system and why (DeWitt Clinton)
+ Where the Hudson River used to reside (Hudson St. *was* the river on the west side... landfill extended the land east)
Those are just what I remember - there were plenty of other jewels that are escaping me at the moment. Unlike other tours, I actually liked hanging out with the guy. Probably the first time that's ever happened. Sort of like if your surly uncle were taking you out to recount the "good ol' days."
Check out his website - he does tours all over the place. Since I live in the 'hood, there's a good chance I'll be doing the Chinatown tour sometime in the not-too-distant future. -
Review from Sharon Z.
2/21/2013
I been to Time Square many times in the past. This time was more memorable than all the previous times combined. What made all the difference? - The "Time Square Walking Tour" with Gary. Gary was an undeniable history buff with a passion for the region and an incredible amount of knowledge about the area and beyond, he also had a great story telling personality to really make you wide-eyed and eagerly absorb the information he throws at you. A tour mixed with so many interesting anecdotes and historical facts about the Time square region that you would be hard pressed to find in the history book. From the history, to the money trails and architectures of buildings, it's a whirlwind of information and truly the most entertaining hands on history tour I've ever been on. We learned so much about the Time Square area in the matter of the hour, Gary was super nice and even extended the tour a little beyond the time allocated to fit in some more interesting tales of the region. Will definitely be back for more tours!
We booked this tour with a Groupon - $20 for 2. Great price for an excellent tour!-
Times Square -
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Empire Theater
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Review from Lorraine R.
Rochelle Park, NJ8/10/2012
We have the pleasure of participating in Manhattan Walking Tours "Hell's Kitchen Tour" and added on the Central Park Tour. We had a GREAT DAY!!
Gary was our guide, and it's obvious that he loves what he does. In additional the gaining a bit of history about the neighborhood, we were treated to all sorts of delectable foods--and plenty of it. We had a perfect summer day, and Gary entertained us with all sorts of interesting facts about NYC's Hells Kitchen.
At the end of the tour, we were stuffed--but ready to walk it off on the tour of Central Park.
Here too, Gary's knowledge of the Park and it's history was perfect--just enough to help you appreciate this very special place. We visited Belevedere Castle, Shakespeare's Garden, Lady in the Lake and so much more.
We had a fabulous time! MWT has other walking tours which I look forward to enjoying. I am a long-time fan of Manhattan, having gone to school and worked there for many years. It's never gets old, and learning something new about the place I love, and having fun while I'm doing so is a bonus!! -
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Review from Steffanie R.
San Diego, CA9/17/2011
This is the best way to see NY. They have different tours I did time square and central park. I learned so much about the area,Alex was our tour guide. I live here but did the tours with my family when they came to visit. I am planning on doing the food tour next and downtown when a friend comes in from San Diego, There is so much history in NYC that its so great to walk and learn about it all. I also hear Garry is a great guide, I am going to plan a tour with him next time for sure!!! -
Review from Sheila L.
Suffolk, VA12/27/2011
One of the best tours we have ever taken! We had a total blast with Gary. Great stories and yummy food. Wish our schedule would have allowed us to continue on with the Greenwich village tour. -Sheila
From James:
***** (Five Stars) Gary was AWESOME! We booked this tour in advance and I will have to say, it was well worth the money. We walked around Times Square and the surrounding area and learned a lot about the area that we didn't know. Especially about what we thought was Times Square was really Duffy's Square. LOL AWESOME is all I can say. There was a lot of history that the average tour would not give you. Thank you Gary for the great tour and when we come back to New York with friends or by ourselves again, we will take the tour and follow you around all day but our schedule today didn't allow to keep going! Your very personable and friendly and that was an awesome experience to our trip. THANK YOU! -
Review from Waltham G.
Waltham, MA
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