Santa Claus Tour review
Posted: Dec 2, 2012 | 12:41 PM
by Jared Goldstein
One thing is certain. Jared the Tour Guide loves New York City – its neighborhoods, its history, its pre-eminence in the grand scheme of things, even its quirkiness.
I lived there for a January term in college in the 1970s and have visited regularly ever since, but he showed me parts of the city I had never seen and I looked at the parts I already knew in a different way.
I looked at Santa Claus a little differently, too. Who knew the old guy could be so political?
Or that he had a naughty side as well as a nice?
Who knew he has ties to Wall Street?
We did a tour for two, and as much as we appreciated his knowledge, his sense of humor, and his willingness to chase a few rabbits (Oh, look, an Egyptian Revival building.), one of the things we appreciated most was his accommodation. [We spent some time exploring their interest in architecture that wasn't a topic on the tour.-jg]
One of us had a torn ligament and the other a bad knee. The thought of a three-hour walking tour was a little daunting,
but we stopped and sat down as needed and kept going the entire time.
In fact, I think we went a little over and were none the worse for wear. A week later I am still thinking about the parts of the city we saw, the things we learned, and the fun we had.
I highly recommend the tour and Jared Goldstein as your personal guide to the city.
Elaine Lidholm
Richmond, VA
November 2012