Private Guided Tours of New York City with Joe!
Joe is a born and bred New Yorker who has been exploring his city for four decades.
With over 20 years of experience in the NYC tourism and hospitality industry, Joe has guided every type of tour that you can imagine. He covers all five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island), and known for his GPS-like navigation skills, he can take you deep into neighborhoods and far from the regular tourist trail.
Joe’s tours can all be customized to your interests, but some common themes he weaves into every tour are history, music, and culture.
Joe offers both half and full-day walking and biking tours
All tours are private (only for you and your group) and can be customized to your interests and travel style
Requests can be made for interior visits of some sites
Tours can be accommodated to end at your desired location (as long as it’s reasonably close to the area that you’re visiting)
Joe’s NYC Tours
NYC Outer Borough Half-day Experience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $615 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
When visiting New York, Manhattan is often in the spotlight, but it's the outer boroughs that are working behind the scenes! The northernmost borough of the city and the only borough connected inland, the Bronx not only boasts the origins of Hip-Hop, but it is also home to the world-renowned New York Yankees. Brooklyn has become just as popular as Manhattan (if not more) by being a premier choice of residency to people from all walks of life.
As one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, Queens boasts incredible ethnic foods in Jackson Heights and Corona. Often referred to as the "forgotten borough", Staten Island has an unheralded importance to the development of New York City.
Home to beautiful parks and a wide variety of cultural and dining experiences, in this tour, you will discover that the outer boroughs offer a bit more breathing room than the often cramped island of Manhattan. Each neighborhood has its own identity, culture, and historical significance. Let me show you all of it!
Tours can be requested by borough and neighborhoods:
Bronx neighborhoods: Mott Haven, Norwood/Kingsbridge Heights, Belmont/Little Italy, Riverdale
Brooklyn neighborhoods: Brooklyn Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Bay Ridge, Williamsburg, Greenpoint
Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Astoria, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Forest Hills
NYC Outer Borough Full-day Experience
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: $925 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
What better way to venture through the city than with a born and bred New Yorker? During this tour, we will spend the day visiting various neighborhoods and venues throughout the five boroughs, experiencing a little bit of everything good: food, history, architecture and FUN!
This was the original vision when I became a tour guide: putting together authentic day trips so that visitors can experience ALL that this great city has to offer in the company of a local. Join me for a private and authentic New York City experience.
Cultural Highlights of NYC Half-day Experience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $615 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
New York City was built and developed by many different cultures with many stories to tell. All five boroughs have communities that have made contributions as ambassadors for their countries.
From the origins of Manhattan with the Lenape Natives, The foundations of Olde New York with the Dutch and British dynasties that identified the city, (Lower Manhattan), to the Irish, Italian, Asian and Jewish Immigration communities that created the lore and expressed the interests of the "American Dream (Lower East Side and Chinatown), to the migrations of the Caribbean, Latin and African-American cultures that added a powerful element of beliefs and traditions that are expressed to this day (Harlem and Washington Heights).
Come join me on this tour and we will venture and explore these neighborhoods which express their own identity, culture, and historical significance!
Some of the sights we’ll visit:
Lower Manhattan Historical District: Castle Clinton, African Burial Ground
Chinatown: Five Points Historic District, Lower East Side Historic District, Bowery
Greenwich Village: Washington Square Park, Cooper Union
Central Park: Seneca Village, Strawberry Fields, Great Lawn
Harlem: Apollo Theater, Schomburg Center, Strivers Row Historic District
Hamilton & Washington Heights: Hamilton Grange, Morris-Jumel Mansion
and MUCH More!
Architecture in NYC Half-day Experience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $615 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Not included: entrance tickets to cultural venue (if applicable), lunch, souvenirs
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Most architects left messages within their creations, and New York City has a VAST number of landmarked structures that tell the stories of life before us. Prime Examples of this can be seen in places like neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Jackson Heights and open spaces like Central Park and Prospect Park.
This themed tour will reveal the hidden beauties that are often unnoticed within the “Concrete Jungle.”
Please note:
For this tour, you get to choose which neighborhood you’d like to explore and learn about. The experience will be customized based off of your preferred neighborhood.
The neighborhood options: Harlem, Hamilton-Washington Heights, Midtown Manhattan, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Forest Hills, Astoria, Park Slope, Clinton Hill
Roots of Activism Half-day Experience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $615 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Not included: entrance tickets to cultural venue (if applicable), lunch, souvenirs
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
With the current social upheaval in this county, it would be difficult to forget that historically, New York City is one of the gathering places where most issues were strongly brought to the public eye and most community leaders founded their organizations. From Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association to the Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
This themed tour will describe the many aspects in the styles of leadership in NYC. The civil and social issues throughout the times and what to expect for the future.
Please note:
For this tour, you get to choose which neighborhood you’d like to explore and learn about. The experience will be customized based off of your preferred neighborhood.
The neighborhood options: Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Flushing, Mott Haven
Jazz in NYC Half-day Expereience
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $615 USD + $95 per participant
Price includes: Your guide
Not included: entrance tickets to cultural venue (if applicable), lunch, souvenirs
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
The history of jazz music is commonplace in New York City. From the styles of Ragtime and Bebop being created here to the speakeasies and clubs where soon-to-be legends were discovered. (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald.) Neighborhoods like Harlem, Greenwich Village and Bedford – Stuyvesant lead the charge of untold stories of where Jazz Musicians worked, dwelled and their final resting places.
This themed tour will focus on the many people and place in NYC that made a lasting impact on the culture of JAZZ.
Please note:
For this tour, you get to choose which neighborhood you’d like to explore and learn about. The experience will be customized based off of your preferred neighborhood.
Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, St. Albans-Addisleigh Park Historic District
Custom Tour
Duration: Half or Full-day
Cost: $615 or $925 USD
Price includes: Your guide
Max participants: 8
Cancellation Policy: Read our full terms here
Looking for something a bit different?
All of Joe'’s tours can be fully customized to you, your interests, and travel style. If you’d like something totally unique, you can work one-on-one with Joe to co-create a one of a kind tour.
To get started, request a custom tour below and provide us some initial ideas about what you’re looking for. Joe will then reach out to you directly to start planning your tour together.