SPOTLIGHT ON GANYC GUIDE: PHIL DESIERE
Introducing GANYC guide Phil Desiere of his own company: Walk About New York
https://walkaboutny.com
917-734-1223
Social Media: Facebook
What's the best way to reach you should our readers want to contact you?
walkaboutnewyork@gmail.com
How long have you been a tour guide?
Two & a half years.
What types of tours do you offer? (Walking, Biking, Bus, etc...) Could you describe them for us?
I offer walking tours mostly. All my tours focus on the art, architecture, and history of the areas they cover. My tour line-up includes Greenwich Village, both a general and a gay-themed walk of the Village; Central Park, covering the territory from the Plaza to Cleopatra’s Needle along both the east and west sides, ending at Columbus Circle; Downtown Manhattan, taking in the sights from The Battery to City Hall; the city’s five major squares (Washington, Union, Madison, Herald, Times) and Columbus Circle are covered in the Five Squares and a Circle Tour; the Gay Graves Tour, at Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Brooklyn, features the LGBTQ permanent residents at Green-Wood; and three Subway Art Tours, each following a different route through the city’s vast underground art museum.
Do you offer Niche Tours?
Yes : the Gay Village Walking Tour; the Gay Graves Tour, at Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Brooklyn; and three Subway Art Tours, each following a different route through the city’s vast underground art museum.
What time of year would you consider your busy season?
Spring and autumn are the busiest times of year for me.
Have you or your company received any awards (recently or in the past)?
Walk About New York has been selected for the TripAdvisor 2016 Certificate of Excellence, reflecting the consistently great reviews my tours earned.
Have you or your company been featured in print, broadcast (tv or radio) or online media?
The Gay Graves Tour has been featured in OUT Magazine (link) and in Man About World (link).
Both the Gay Graves Tour and the Subway Art Tours have been listed in the New York Times Weekend Spare Times (link) & Around Town Sections (link).
What drove you to become a tour guide or tour operator or create this company/organization? What's your story?
My 33+ year career as a graphic designer/art director for magazines, newspapers and ad agencies had become tired. I evaluated my interests: a keen attraction to art and history, a strong love for New York City, and an affinity for walking. Combining all those I reinvented myself as a tourist guide. It is best job I have ever had!
What is the most gratifying part of your work?
Helping tour guests to see the world around them. People who have taken my Subway Art Tours tell me that they now are more aware of the public art in the subway system after having taken my tours. That is a very gratifying. I feel as if I have accomplished my goal!
What upcoming or annual events, promotions or sales would you like to promote?
Our Subway Art Tours return to the schedule in January, with Tour Three being rolled out for the first time. Designed to keep my tourist guiding skills sharp during the colder months, these tours will be available from January to May. I love showing off the art museum at the core of the Big Apple.
The Gay Graves Tour will be scheduled for its annual spring offering in late April. That is when Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Brooklyn, is alive with flowering Kwanzan cherry trees.
How long have you been a member of GANYC?
One & half years.
How did you hear or learn about GANYC?
Google search.
How has GANYC helped you and your business?
GANYC members have been friendly and supportive; its meetings & FAM Tours are informative and interesting. I have offered my tours through the GANYC FAM Tours program. This has helped me get to know the membership, and the membership get to know me. That is a good thing!
What's your advice or Tour Guide tip you love to share to people visiting New York?
Look around you: look up, down and all around at the people, places and things that make up this great city. You are in a different place, unlike any other. Take advantage of it.