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Hello everyone!
March is known for St. Patrick’s Day, among other things, and I just wanted to tell you how lucky I feel to have encountered so many of you on one or more of our tours. Thank you for making us the NUMBER ONE food tour in New York City!! Again, we couldn’t do any of this without you!
It may be March, but we just realized we skipped over another holiday! Click the image below and get the latest newsletter from Nice Guy Tours! It’s our February edition so even though Valentine’s Day is in our rearview, please know how much we love you!
As loyal customers and friends, we want to keep you up-to-date with all that’s going on in Nice Guy Tours land. Each month, we’ll provide you with five “Nice” stories:
1. Five Questions With – Each month, we’ll chat with a different business owner or employee from one of our stops.
2. Nice Guy Tourist – When Dante gives tours, he gets to see NYC through the tourists’ eyes. Here, he becomes the tourist and describes what he sees.
3. Nice Guy or Gal of the Month – Each month, we’ll get to know one of our tour guests.
4. “NYCE” Tip – Stick with Dante, he knows these streets.
5. Dear Dante – Send your questions each month, and our CEO will answer them in a way Dear Abby couldn’t.
Read on, and be sure to walk, talk, and eat with us soon!
#1 – Five Questions with … Molly’s Cupcakes’ Brennan Gallagher
We’re here today with Brennan Gallagher at Molly’s Cupcakes. He’s a Pats fan, but we won’t hold that against him. Here’s our five questions segment!
What is Molly’s Number 1 best seller?
The #1 best seller is our cake batter cupcake. It’s a vanilla funfetti cake topped with blue buttercream and multi-color sprinkles filled with raw liquid cake batter.
My mouth’s watering right now! OK, and what’s your favorite?
That’s a tough one. I love the banana cupcake with either no frosting or the buttercream because it’s light not too sweet and really brings out the flavor of the cupcake. But, I’m also a super traditional guy so love vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. I like the “build your own” because there’s not filling on the inside, it’s your traditional cake. It’s not as heavy – really delicious. And our vanilla tastes like vanilla. It’s not a yellow cake. It’s vanilla cake, which not every place does.
They all sound delicious. When people visit New York City, what is the one thing they should go do off the beaten path?
I very much recommend taking the A train or the 1 train all the way up to Upper Manhattan and checking out the Cloisters. It’s not going to feel like New York City. It’s kind of like this old castle feel and it’s an art museum so they have a bunch of old relics from years and years past. It’s almost like finding the countryside of New York. Other than that, there’s Roosevelt Island which is right in-between Manhattan and Queens. FDR park is beautiful, overlooks the river, and has a lighthouse. But, the best thing about New York is you can walk down any random street and find something.
What do you think the biggest misconception people have about New York City?
That New Yorkers are rude and that’s something that I thought for years and years before I go here. It’s not true. New Yorkers are very happy to help until they’re not – like if they have somewhere to go. [Laughs] If you’re coming to visit, don’t ask the person flying down the street trying to get somewhere. People ask me all time “where’s this” and “where’s that,” and I’m like “Sure, I’ll help.”
Lastly, who’s the nicest person you know and don’t say me!
That’s hard. I’d have to say me – no. I would say my friend AJ, who is from California and lives here. He’s just the purest, nicest guy I know. He’d give you the shirt off his back. It’s a beautiful thing. There’s something about New York. People are direct with people. There’s a genuine honesty. We’re all from different places, but people can come and just be in New York, and pay tribute to what the area is all about. Now my second favorite, of course, is Dante.
#2 – Nice Guy Tourist … Museum Of The City Of New York
Some local people won’t go to the Empire State Building or The Statue of Liberty. I guess it makes sense if something’s in your “backyard,” you’d probably be more inclined to be a tourist somewhere else. There may be a stigma of doing touristy things in the city in which you live. That said, I’d like to think a Nice Guy Tours Food Tour is the exception, but I digress.
As a tour guide and as a lover of all things NYC, I am not one of those people that shies away from visiting areas throughout Manhattan. I love playing tourist. This ongoing blog series of Nice Guy Tourist – truth be told – has given me an excuse to do that as well. I’ve done a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, a visit to One WTC Observatory and now, I’ve visited the Museum of the City of New York.
To be frank, I love this museum. It is a tribute to the city and tells the story in such a fascinating way There is a video that talks about how NYC was all farmland and how it’s grown over the years. There is an exhibit to all zoning laws as well. As you can imagine the laws have changed throughout the years. As you know, if you’ve been on my Greenwich Village Food Tour, some neighborhoods are historically protected. No new buildings above six stories in the village! Can you believe it? The zoning exhibit really dives into some of those rules. I don’t want to ruin the museum for you – there are some surprises. I would plan to spend two-to-three hours there. It’s located at 1220 Fifth Ave (near 103rd St). It’s open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. An adult ticket is $18. Age 19 and under is free (how cool is that!). Seniors are $12. Either way, it is worth every penny. If you check it out please let me know what you think. See you on a tour soon
#3 – Nice Guy Of The Month … Michael Lomuscio
Michael Lomuscio (pictured second from the right) is our Nice Guy of the Month. The Poughkeepsie, NY naive found out about our tours through friends who were surfing the web “looking for things to do in NYC.” We’re happy he found us on their Google search.
Michael went on his first tour with us in June 2015, walking and munching on our Greenwich Village Tour. “The tour was outstanding,” he said. “All the food stops were great.” His personal favorite? The Artichoke Pizza. Off his experience on his first tour, we welcomed Michael and his friends back for their second NGT but this time on the Lower East Side. We look forward to seeing him and his crew soon. “We will most certainly be back again and again,” he said.
“We get out-of-town family and friends that stay with us each year, and Nice Guy Tours is on the ‘Must-Do’ list whenever visitors stay with us.”
Thank you, Michael. It’s people like you that make me love what I do. Oh, and who’s the nicest person you know? “I would be afraid not to say, my wife, Kathy although, without a doubt, she really is the nicest person I know.”
#4 – “NYCE” Tip … A Better Sense Of Direction
#5 – Dear Dante … Are Kids Allowed?
Are kids allowed on your tour and do you offer a discount for them?
Andrea Plotkin
Las Vegas, NV
Hey Andrea! Thanks for the question. Yes, kids are definitely allowed on my tour. I think when you travel with kids it’s often hard to find an activity that everyone will enjoy and I think my tour is it: some food, some fun facts and just some fun in general! As far as cost goes – infants are free. Older kids most times eat more than most of the adults but don’t worry, I don’t charge extra for them. Haha!
