Streetwise New York Tours

I just returned from NY, and wanted to share my very positive experience with Dan (our guide) and Streetwise New York Tours.
We did a six hour custom/​private tour for our small group of four, since we had some specific requests on places we wished to see, as well as needing to adhere to our set schedule. We also had two elderly people in our group who’s physical abilities don’t allow them to do a lot of brisk walking. Dan was very mindful of our needs, and put together a tour that really worked for us. And when we had a couple people in our group who started tiring, we would take small breaks. This made it enjoyable for us all, and still enabled us to see (and taste) SO MUCH of the city!
The communication beforehand was prompt and detailed, and the additional tips that Dan provided for the remainder of our time in NY were great.
I would definitely recommend Streetwise New York!

A friend and I had a wonderful tour of Brooklyn with Dan, a nice and very knowledgeable guide. We covered a lot of territory: parts of DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Williamsburgh, including a ferry ride.

My partner and I arranged for the Thursday Brooklyn tour. The booking was extremely easy and Dan was quick to respond. The tour was very relaxed and extremely informative. Dan was very knowledgeable about the area and showed us areas we would not have known about or would have visited on our own. Dan is not your typical guide. He really made you connect with the neighborhoods and understand the changes the different neighborhoods. He remained engaged throughout the tour. This tour was great for us who wanted to see a different side of New York away from Manhattan. Definitely recommend. A+++

Interesting walks of the non touristy parts of New York. Knowledgeable guides with a genuine interest in what they do. They also provided excellent recommendations.

A big shout-​out to the folks at Streetwise New York for an awesome, hands-​on & personalized tour of Chelsea. We signed up for the free tour through our hotel, POD 51 and were not sure what to expect. There were 4 total in our tour for the day and Dan, our patient guide, lead us novices through the subway (he had 2-​trip Metrocards ready to sell to us) and on into the heart of Greenwich Village, the Meatpacking District, and Chelsea, finishing up at the awesome and slightly overwhelming Chelsea Market, with lots of leisurely stops along the way (Magnolia Bakery!!). (We ended up staying the rest of the afternoon at the Chelsea Market.)
A good trip for frequent visitors to the city as you’ll avoid the craziness of those high-​traffic spots like the Empire State Building or Time Square and get a whole new outlook on the interesting neighborhoods tucked here and there. Good job, Streetwise & awesome job, Dan!

Andrew was very quick to get back to me on setting up our tour. This was my families first trip to New York and it is a few days before Christmas so we wanted to see the Holiday hot spots. Patrick was our tour guide and he was awesome. He helped navigate us through the chaos that is Christmas in NYC. We got to all the key sites and Patrick was great with our kids. I would highly recommend this company and will use them again the next time we come.

This was my kids’ first visit to New York and I wanted to make sure we could see more than the tourist-​y stuff. I didn’t want to hassle with crowds and the possibility of a tour guide that didn’t really know his/​her stuff about the city. After reading countless reviews on Unilocal and TripAdvisor, I decided a private, personalized tour would be best for our family. I researched different companies and decided to go with Streetwise.
Andrew’s emails were prompt, helpful and accommodating. I thought the 3-​hour tour was too little and the 6.5-hr tour, too long, so he graciously offered a 4.5-hr tour. Dan was our guide and he was awesome! He met us right outside our rental, went over our itinerary and off we went. It was great being led on our tailor-​made tour, as I had requested to see certain parts of NYC~something I know an ordinary tour group would not do. We were also able to stop/​rest as needed :)
My 9-​yr old son was the youngest and Dan did a great job keeping him involved and interested. I would highly recommend Dan (and Streetwise) to any fellow Hawaiians traveling from the 808, as well as any other travelers wanting personalized attention for the money spent on a tour. Thank you, Dan and Streetwise for showing us around :)

It was my mom and lil bro’s first time ever in New York, and I knew I needed a pro to give them a feel of the city. Do you know how exhausting it is to constantly hear questions like, «Why is it called Times Square?» or «Where did ‘The Big Apple’ come from?» or «Where is White Castle?»??
So, thank you thank you thank you Streetwise. I signed the 3 of us up for a private tour. Dealing with the registration part was a breeze, thanks to Andrew. There was a little bit of back and forth with the emails, but it was mostly for Andrew to get a better idea of what we wanted to cover in the city. I basically said since we have some first timers, anything would be great.
Dan was our tour guide. Very informative! Thank goodness we had someone to talk us through Chelsea Market, Meatpacking District, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Chinatown and more. I would’ve been all sorts of distracted oggling little pastries from bakeries. I absolutely loved going in and out of random stores, and chatted with some locals and got a better experience of hanging out in the city. I’ve never done the tour bus, but I’m guessing in that regard, the bus is limited. And I was ever so happy to let my mom and lil bro know that if they have ANY questions about NY, ask Dan. And he answered them in a breeze. Ahh. I can relax ;)
Tips: Walking shoes are an absolute must! Bring some waters or snacks if you need, since this was a 3 hour tour (you can absolutely ask the guide if you can take a break and grab some snacks, waters on the way). Don’t be afraid to let them know what area you want to cover (actually, it’s better when you have an idea on where you want to go so that they can prepare accordingly!).
Last tip: If you do end up in Chinatown and your feet are exhausted, there are several foot massage spas in the area. Best decision everrr!!! Besides booking our Streetwise tour :)

since my husband and I are from Southern California, we didn’t really understand NYC. And we hate bus tours. So, since we had a free day during a business trip to midtown Manhattan, we signed up for a Streetwise Tour. What an adventure! You can’t get to know a city or a neighborhood on a bus, so we chose this one to walk and see the sights and see how real New Yorkers really live. A very long but educational day, and we got to see things we’d never seen before… SoHo, Chelsea, Little Italy, Meatpacking District, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, and Central Park! So many cool sights, so much to see. We walked our feet off, but how cool is it that a native New Yorker showed us around and taught us a million things about the city. This is the best way to go to really see the city. I’d do it again and I recommend everyone do this, too! You’ll really get to see the streets of NYC as they were meant to be seen.
Oh, and they can customize the tour to your desires, too, how great is that?

Ever since moving to New York, it’s been like a vacation. Every day is an adventure and I learn something new about the city.
I recently went on a Streetwise New York tour with my friends. We had a small group of six and took the tour by storm. Eight hours later, we ran out of steam. The tour lasts the whole day and is no joke. There is no sleeping in the back of the bus or snapping pictures with bridges in the background. We went through underground tunnels in Chinatown, walked through Essex Street Market, and somehow ended up in Elmhurst, Queens. I had my little notepad out and was taking notes like a madwoman. Streetwise New York is a serious tour complete with a million and one historical facts about how lower Manhattan came to be. We took the Immigrant NY, Old and New tour and it was coincidentally really appropriate for ourselves and neighborhood in Queens. All of us are residents and we got a tour of our backyard.
I recommend this Streetwise New York tour for people who are curious about the city, historians, students on a field trip, and basically anyone who wants to reflect on things in a new light and make connections from past city issues to current events. I learned so much on the tour and actually point out a lot of stuff to people when I walk by certain places. I know where Ugly Betty lives.
This is a dedicated, intimate, and unique tour of NYC. The company offers a few different tours and I heard depending on who you get, the styles of the tour guides are different. I heard one is a comedic tour. Kinda curious about that one.

I had the great opportunity to join Streetwise on their Immigrant tour —
This tour started at Essex Street Market and ended in Elmhurst, Queens. it took a good part of my day and afternoon (after all, we covered 2 boroughs!) and it truly was an enjoyable trip.
We noshed on bialys and pickles and other treats on the way. The treats are extra, so dont forget to bring cash. Also have a bottle of water handy, slather sunscreen on and be in your best comfy shoes.
This tour is definitely good for NYC residents, transplants and tourists alike. There is something for everyone. The immigrant tour is an OFF THE BEATEN PATH NYC. Don’t expect the empire state building and the statue of liberty on this one.
Yes, i said that right. 2 boroughs. Dont worry, Andrew has insider info on how to get you to Queens from Manhattan without taking the subway. This definitely is a tour if you are curious of how people who dont have the Sex and the City lifestyle live.
The tour ends in Elmhurst in Queens — so make some friends while on the tour, and share a meal at one of the inexpensive restaurants around the neighborhood. Our group of 7 shared a meal at Uncle Zhou’s and the bill was $ 60 for the ENTIRE TABLE.
Go. it is totally worth it!

I recently joined Streetwise on their Greenwich Village-​Highline tour. I give them five stars as I really enjoyed the tour, found the guides incredibly knowledgeable, and found that around every corner there was something interesting to learn about New York… even in a neighborhood in which I had previously lived! I enjoyed the half-​day tour and thought it was a great mix of activity, sightseeing, and learning.
The topics and locations were shown in an interesting contrast of historical context and contemporary life and issues. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the city, and the tour benefited greatly from the their knowledge of many many interesting details, facts and trivia that make New York, well, New York. I highly recommend Streetwise: its time well spent learning things you may never learn elsewhere, and affordable as well for individuals or small groups.

This is hands down the best tour I’ve ever been on — and it was of my own city!!!
As a seasoned traveler, I’d like to think that I know about where I’m from first and foremost. But I learned a plethora of knowledge that completely blew me away!
It started in the LES, went through Chinatown and Little Italy, then time traveled to present day, first generation immigrant communities in Queens. There, we sampled and dined in amazingly diverse restaurants, all within the same neighborhood.
As an ESL teacher, all I could think of was how much my students, who are all immigrants, would be interested in drawing parallels between past generations and their own stories, today.
If you are a curious person, like to know about things that are a little below the radar, a tourist or a New Yorker, I highly recommend Streetwise NY Tours!

I highly recommend the Sunday immigrant tour. I loved the examples/​discussion on how the cultural fabric of NYC has been an iterative process. I surprised myself with all the questions I was asking about history, because that’s not something I’m generally interested in, but I was totally vibing on the ghosts of old-​timey New York within the current cultural landscape. I was riveted pretty much. The guide curated an experience in telling the story and then by giving you the opportunity to interact with the neighborhoods.
The most terrible thing about this tour was the emphasis on the greatest contribution any culture can make (in my opinion) – the food, right before beach season. I’m doing the ab roller right now, as we speak, to ameliorate the consequences of the best freaking Thai food I ever had from a restaurant I would have never been to in a million years if it weren’t for this tour. To be fair, I could have exercised a little self control and NOT eaten that chocolate covered bacon or dumplings or focaccia… but I loved every damned second of it.

Badass. Actually the kind of tour a local would enjoy. I’ve lived here for five years and got to experience a couple of things I never had before (Mongolian beef jerky? the dollar bus to Queens?). Perfect for people who are looking for something a little off-​the-​beaten-​path, and for those with a genuine interest in people’s histories.

I’ve taken a lot of tours of NYC, both because they interest me and because I’ve had a lot of visitors, and Streetwise is definitely the top in its field. The guides are smart, articulate, and really love to explain and teach the layers of stories that create New York City. I felt like I was walking through history and not just learning it. I challenge anyone to leave a Streetwise tour without thinking, «my God, NYC is a special place!»

I’m not a guided tour kinda person. But THIS TOUR ROCKS! not at all your typical touristy day. these guys will bring you to all the right spots that are known only by newyorkers. If you don’t have friends in NY but you want to get to know the city as a local, StreetWise is the way to go.