Why New York, Jared Goldstein?

Did you enjoy getting to know Jeremy Wilcox a little bit? I hope you did. The next person and talented tour guide I’ll focus on in this series of asking professional, licensed tour guides  the question: Why New York? will be Jared Goldstein! I have not personally experienced one of his tours, but he is very active in our NYC Tour Guide forum, where licensed tour guides share their knowledge, experiences exchanged, news shared etc. etc. His knowledge about New York is vast and he has a really interesting story.

Please read below.

#WhyNewYork

Our second tour guide to be featured, is Jared Goldstein the owner of http://JaredtheNYCTourGuide.com –

Here’s his answers to my questions under the subject: #WhyNewYork?

Q: Name
A: Jared Goldstein

Q: Where were you born?
A: New York, USA

Q: If NYC born, did you ever leave the City for more than a year?

A: Yes. New York City was a rough town when I was a child and teenager. I grew up in the peaceful and beautiful suburbs 35 miles, 50k away. My parents owned a business in NYC, and they missed living in glamorous, fun Manhattan. My mother quipped that she moved to the suburbs to breed.
They taught me that New York is the center of the universe. They shared many NYC facts and stories. I have explored here since 8th grade. I am also fortunate to have attended Columbia here, too. It helped me develop as an individual. I connected with social justice and the arts, on and off campus. People are really passionate, dedicated, tolerant, diverse, and individualistic. I developed connections in town thorough fellow alumni, and I worked in nonprofit community development among diverse neighborhoods and people over much of NYC. I did community organizing whose work changed legislation and the court system. I returned to Columbia for business school! During the late 1990s internet stock boom I made millions of dollars for other people. The market crashed, so I brought technology and community preservation together at the first organization I worked at after college. The war in Iraq dried up my funding, and I became NYC’s least successful real estate agent, and the worst Christmas gift wrapper at a luxury store.

Q: Why did you move to NYC? Did you ever regret it?
A: Sometimes NYC is exasperating, but I have no idea how to fit in elsewhere.

Q: When did you become a NYC licensed tour guide?

A: 2005

Q: How did you become a tour guide? What made you go into the profession?

A: A neighborhood friend who was a Tour Guide for 31 years connected me to the leading course to pass the exam, which led to jobs. I happily led tours as a volunteer for twenty years before that, so I am doing what I love.

Q: Tell me the worst thing that ever happened on a tour, and how you handled it?

A: Some people are disrespectful. I politely set boundaries. Mostly it is a matter of enduring.

Q: Tell me about the best experience you ever had as a guide, that may have changed your perspective and made you an even better guide?

A: I just worked with a marching band, and the kids were joyous, smart, inquisitive, observant, polite. We laughed and sang. For some adult tours, I custom develop experiences in less traveled neighborhoods, and that is a great chance to learn more, visit churches, see architecture, meet locals, and eat at different places. New York is a city of nations, and we have 300 villages called neighborhoods and districts.

Q: If you could no longer work as a tour guide, what profession would you seek?

A: Win the lottery and take other peoples’ tours.

Q: What kind of tour do you prefer giving? Walking, mode of transportation? Neighborhood? Theme?

A: Walking neighborhoods, museums, parks, and community gardens.

Q: What do you want tourists to know about YOU?

A: It is a personal business, a chemistry thing. I like social history, architecture, adults and kids.

Q: Tell me a thing you don’t like about NYC?

A: Crowds.

Q: Where do you buy your coffee/tea?
A: Ninth Street Espresso. They started in my neighborhood and brought artisanal coffee to NYC.

Q: What’s your favorite NYC food?
A: Pizza! Bagels. But not pizza-bagels.