About Jared "The NYC Tour Guide" Goldstein
It is my pleasure to show and share New York City, my home for over twenty years, and professionally licensed Tour guide since 2008.
As a 3.5 generation New Yorker I grew up hearing my parent's NYC stories and the city's trivia. Educated at Columbia University I was influenced by scholars including James Shenton, Kenneth Jackson, Raymond Horton, Kenneth Koch, and Mitchell Moss.
My life has held me entwined in the fabric of this great city. I was employed at major New York corporations and institutions like the New York Times, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Reader's Digest and IBM, and I have worked in community organizing, training, and management consulting for affordable housing co-operatives. I have helped a Chinatown Housing organization expand across New York City. I volunteered on the successful campaigns to revise the NYC Charter and to elect the first Dominican City Council Member in Washington Heights, the Manhattan Borough President, and the first Public Advocate, as well as several Mayoral and City Council Races. I led the registration of 5000 voters at Columbia University and in nearby Harlem in English and Spanish. I was a community gardener in the East Village. I continue to be active in community organizing and outreach programs.
My tours are high-energy, personal, intense, fun, dramatic, passionate, tasty, smart, knowledgeable, and droll. My work is based on memory, reading, scholarship, other tours, documentaries, personal experience. I appreciate high culture, low-brow, and everything in between. I love history and pointing out ironies and poetry in meaning through space and time. My tours show an appreciation for the major monuments, the overlooked, the forgotten. The great figures from history and the regular guys and gals pop in and out, inspired by the streets, parks and buildings. I have a background in adult and adolescent training, so I have an appreciation for interaction and involvement with learning and memories.
I am currently writing several books about New York City.
Publication: 24 Hours in NYC, written for urbanadventures.com
Jared conducting a tour across the street from the World Trade Center in 2010, when the 9/11 Memorial was under construction. This photo is the inspiration for my logo design!
Responsible Tourism
I strive for Responsible Tourism by respecting and supporting the people and neighborhoods we experience; being active with the Guides Association and respecting fellow guides; improving my skills and knowledge; treating my clients fairly; and guarding the safety of my tour-guests.
Community Support and Charitable Giving
Part of what I do is support local causes that relate to my work and our shared experiences of NYC. My goal is to give back to the communities that generously share with us.
The most generous community we impact is the workers, residents, survivors, rescue workers, recovery workers, volunteers, and the bereaved of the WTC attacks in 2001 and 1993. We tour amongst them, which is particularly sensitive.
Imagine hearing a tour about the worst day of your life while trying to have a lunch break. I am gratified that survivors and rescue workers who were there that day have all approved of what they heard from my presentations. In a New York spirit, some spontaneously share their dramatic stories.
I'm proud to support two volunteer-driven organizations that are close to my heart. The first is the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, a cause especially dear to the NYFD. The second is the History Commons’ Complete 9/11 Timeline, an extraordinary archive of media coverage that has supported my research and that of the Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Independent Commission.
Because these causes matter deeply, I donate over 20% of what I earn from my World Trade Center tours to these two organizations and to the National 9/11 Memorial.
If you’re looking for a tour that’s not only informative but also impactful, consider:
- World Trade Center: Past, Present & Rebuilding
- NYC Firefighters: Courage & Sacrifice Walking Tour
- The Story of 9/11: A Timeline You Can Walk Through
Each tour offers powerful storytelling, deep historical context, and a tangible way to give back.
Want to make an even bigger impact? You can also sponsor a private tour as a fundraiser—perfect for schools, civic groups, or organizations looking to support these causes while educating their members in a memorable way.
Book or sponsor a tour today, and help keep these stories alive while supporting those who serve.
