Springtime in NYC!
This winter has been pretty brutal – almost seems never ending! But, we’ve had a few bright and sunny days recently and we know the best is yet to come! Besides, at Nice Guy Tours, we always feel warm and fuzzy!
With that, we present our latest newsletter. We hope to see you this spring and summer. These are arguably the best two seasons to take a tour of the city.
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 – Nice Guy Tourist … Milk Bar Bakery
I had heard about Milk Bar because it’s all over (Toronto, D.C., Vegas, and some other spots in NYC) but none within steps of the tours I give. I had wanted to go there for many reasons but notably because of one of their signature desserts. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, let me paint a picture you may share with me.
Growing up, the best part of my breakfast was the very bottom of my cereal bowl. As my cornflakes or any cereal really was coming to the end, I knew the best was yet to come: sugary, milky goodness at the very bottom. Now let’s get back to the Milk Bar, it doesn’t take a genius to know why I have wanted to visit it on Christopher Street for quite some time. Their signature is the cereal milk soft serve ice cream. Sure, they’ve got cookies, cakes, and ridiculously delicious delicacies, but this ice cream? Well, there’s a reason I’m writing this post. It took me back to being a kid (and adult) who takes his cereal down to the last spoon slurp. The ice cream is made with milk, cornflakes, brown sugar and has a pinch of salt thrown in for good measure. In a word, it lived up to the hype
Visiting this bakery/ice cream parlor is a must. There’s a reason owner/chef Christina Tosi and her place have been written about all over the place (she’s written two cookbooks, too – perhaps you’ve heard of “Momofuku?”), and have been namedropped on The Tonight Show and placed on covers of Ad Week and other notable places. Her story and place are as sweet as the goodies inside each establishment. I can’t wait to go back.
#2 – Nice Gal Of The Month … Kyra Borromeo
Kyra recently took one of our tours. This Hawaii native now calls Los Angeles home, and we now call her a dear friend.
#4 – “NYCE” Tip … Using a Metrocard
#5 – Dear Dante … Do You Feel A Chill In Winter?
How difficult is it doing tours in the winter? Isn’t it too cold?
– John C., Herndon, PA
Do I get cold? Yes, of course! Do I wish I was sitting in a nice, warm office when it’s really cold out on a tour day? Definitely…not! I love my job. The nice part about my food tours is that they’re in small groups, and we go in and out of our stops. So, in the winter, we get cold and go into a warm place. Then we get cold again, and warm, etc. The flip side happens in the summer, we get hot, and then go in for a cold break. And then it repeats. But, going back to your question, the delicious food also keep us warm!