Guides Association of NYC (GANYC)
LightNews LightNews
banner
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC)
@gaofnyc.bsky.social
69 followers 95 following 140 posts
We are a proactive trade association advocating for NYC tourism, and providing continuing education + support for our membership of licensed sightseeing guides. https://www.ganyc.org
www.ganyc.org
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Dec 6
GANYC's site: www.ganyc.org

Here you can:
-Search our member profiles
(by topic, by language, etc)
-Search tours
-Read about our work

If you are a NYC tour guide, apply to be a member!

And if you are a tourism business, apply to be an industry partner.

We are proud to represent the best of NY! 🗽
Home | GANYC
www.ganyc.org
2
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 1d
GANYC member Suzanne Reisman's detailed tour on the history of garbage and rats in New York has received lots of coverage, this time from CBS. Congrats to her on finding this success!

You can watch the full segment on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/reel/DQW-pNP...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 7d
GANYC President Michael Morgenthal led an encore of his "Stop The Presses!" tour for members, about the history of newspapers in New York.

The tour looks at how the history of the city can be seen through its press (predating even the United States), how NYC papers came to shape the world.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 8d
Joe Svehlak did one of his "I Remember Lower Manhattan" FAM tours earlier this week.

Joe started working downtown in 1956, and also shared family stories from the early 1900s when this family immigrated from Moravia, and at one point lived in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 12d
Andrew Neuman led a tour for his fellow GANYC members: "Gin, Jazz and the Golden Era of New York’s Nightlife".

This history walk celebrated the city's golden age of nightclubs, hotel bars, saloons, jazz and cocktails - from the swanky exclusive nightspots and beyond.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 16d
GANYC members are offering a series of free walking tours to the public on Saturday, October 25, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of New York City.

Registration is required. Here is the list of tours:

www.ganyc.org/blog/free-to...
Free Tours Celebrating NYC 400 on October 25! | GANYC
www.ganyc.org
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 16d
GANYC member Asad Dandia is featured in a new article in The Nation magazine.

You can find the link in his post:
asadfromnyc.bsky.social Asad Dandia @asadfromnyc.bsky.social · 16d
Just over one year after launching my own walking tour company, my work now has a feature profile in THE NATION:

“I don’t want New York to be seen as just a collection of monuments and structures. I want it to be understood as a collective of stories and people.” www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Man Behind the Radical Walking Tours of New York City
Asad Dandia sued the NYPD after it spied on his family and community. Now he uses people’s history to reclaim the streets from the systems that surveilled him.
www.thenation.com
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 23d
The October GANYC monthly membership meeting was held at the John Street United Methodist Church, in lower Manhattan.

Our guest speaker was Reverend Stephanie L. Bennett.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCbX...
October 2025 GANYC Membership Meeting
YouTube video by Guides Association of NYC
www.youtube.com
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 26d
Jason Stein led a unique FAM tour, centered around two bridges... the University Heights Bridge and the Broadway Bridge, connecting upper Manhattan to the Bronx.

This corner of NYC has hundreds of years of lesser-known history to discover.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · 29d
Ann McDermott led fellow members on a FAM tour stroll through historic Prospect Park.

In the final part of the tour, members saw parts of the historic Park Slope neighborhood, including a few key local institutions.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Oct 1
This Summer, Joe Svehlak delivered a tour about the Lower West Side and Little Syria... two lost neighborhoods just south of where the World Trade Center now stands.

This video compiles the highlights of this tour in 45 minutes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psje...
JOE SVEHLAK REMEMBERS the LWS
YouTube video by smeeglereegle
www.youtube.com
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Oct 1
Joe Svehlak gave the latest installment of his Lower Manhattan FAM tours... this one covering from Foley Square down to Maiden Lane.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 29
Guide Andrew Kirschner gave members a tour of Greenwich Village yesterday. The tour focused on the impact of historic people and events from the 1620s to the 1960s, and the events that helped shaped our culture.

Thanks to all who came out on a lovely September day!
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 19
GANYC members had a great day trip earlier this week to Long Island's Gold Coast. We visited the Sands Point Preserve, with a tour of Hempstead House, a 50,000 sq ft Gilded Age mansion, built for Howard Gould and completed for Daniel Guggenheim in 1912.

The property includes Castle Gould as well.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 19
GANYC member Asad Dandia ( @asadfromnyc.bsky.social ) is profiled in City Limits, on telling the stories of New York’s past, and helping shape its future.

citylimits.org/take-a-walk-...
Take a Walk With Asad From NYC - City Limits
Asad Dandia, a community organizer, Muslim New Yorker, and urban history tour guide is a rising star with friends in high places.
citylimits.org
2 5
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 18
GANYC members had a unique visit to the historical Lott House, in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. It is an incredible remnant of the Dutch colonial era, appropriate as New York celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, dating back to the settlement of New Amsterdam.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 11
GANYC members gathered yesterday evening on Pier 53 (Gansevoort Peninsula) for a casual networking get-together. We regularly hold events like this to help new and old members alike connect in person.

Thanks to all who came out!
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 10
GANYC President Michael Morgenthal led a FAM tour for members yesterday, about Klein Deutschland.

From the middle of the 19th Century, to the early 20th Century, Manhattan’s Lower East Side and East Village was a thriving German community, the 3rd largest German speaking enclave in the world.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 10
GANYC is currently operating the latest version of its Certification Course. This course is offered annually to members to go beyond the knowledge-based city licensing exam, and to hone skills

Yesterday, at the course halfway point, there was a walking tour practicum held around midtown Manhattan.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 4
GANYC held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday at the Museum of the Moving Image.

At the AGM, the President recaps members on the past year, and outlines the association's vision for the year ahead. Each of GANYC's volunteer Committees then present.

Video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtXE...
GANYC - Annual General Meeting (September 2025)
YouTube video by Guides Association of NYC
www.youtube.com
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Sep 4
It was a genuine shame to see the city largely drop the ball on this historic anniversary.

The Guides Association has been celebrating it all year with special tours offered by our members, and social media promotions.

Another reason why GANYC is a go-to source for NYC tourism leadership.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Aug 28
GANYC President Michael Morgenthal led his "Stop The Presses!" tour for members, about the history of newspapers in New York.

These tours provide our members with great networking and educational opportunities. Many more coming for members in the next month!
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Aug 22
A lovely tribute to Hal Weiner, an activist and longtime GANYC member, who passed away last month.

gaycitynews.com/hal-weiner-a...

We send our thoughts to his family & friends on this recent loss.
Hal Weiner, ally who joined gay movement by defending Sylvia Rivera, dies at 90
In 1971, Hal Weiner, who died July 9 at age 90, was a young attorney representing sex workers in court in New York City when one turned out to be Sylvia
gaycitynews.com
1
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Aug 17
GANYC recently began the latest round of its Certification Program.

We created this course to enhance and certify skills beyond mere licensing requirements (skill versus knowledge). The 2-month course covers storytelling skills, customer service, logistics, & the creation of a unique tour product.
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Aug 13
GANYC member Ayinde “AJ” Stevens is featured in this Condé Nast Travel piece about Gilded Age tours. Professional guides help bring every aspect of our city’s past and present to life!

www.cntraveler.com/story/upper-...
This Gilded Age Walking Tour Takes You Through NYC's Most Storied Haunts
This walking tour ambles you around the Upper East Side's remaining Gilded Age mansions.
www.cntraveler.com
gaofnyc.bsky.social
Guides Association of NYC (GANYC) @gaofnyc.bsky.social · Aug 12
GANYC member Jane August is featured in the Associated Press for her ambitious efforts to visit, and document, every museum in New York City. She's visited about 136 since 2021, with 64 still to go.

You can read about her journeys here:

apnews.com/article/ever...
One woman set out to visit every museum in New York City. Here's what she's learned so far
Jane August has embarked on a mission to visit every museum in New York City, documenting each one with short videos on TikTok.
apnews.com
1 1