I was working at the guest service desk at a certain large hotel In Times Square, and I got hundreds of questions every day. Being an outspoken New Yorker, I always had a recommendation when people asked, "Hey, Garry, what's the best place to eat in Chinatown? Where should I go shopping before that? What is there to see in Central Park?"
At some point I began to think about retiring. My wife, of course, said, "What are you gonna do when you're retired? You know you're not staying home all day!" Over the years, I had built up some of those private clients from the hotel who liked my ideas on how to see New York. So, I decided to expand that, got my license, opened Manhattan Walking Tour as an LLC, and the next thing I knew, I was in business.
What I didn't know is how good I was at it! As I started to find out, it became apparent that my philosophy of small tours and a New Yorker showing you around like a good friend would capture a lot of attention. In several months, I climbed high up on the TripAdvisor list. Then we got attention on Yelp, and it's been snowballing ever since.
So somehow or another, I now have one of the most sought-after, esoteric, and fun activities, combined with the culinary excursions that make people remember their New York trip. The amount of return business lets me know I've been on the right track. How lucky am I to have fallen into the perfect job?
