Ordinary New York City Tours Don't Do the City Justice
By: Alena Thurlow

New York City history isn't all about Ellis Island and immigration. New York City history is not all about the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty or even the horror of the fallen towers on September 11, 2001. The culture and history of New York City too is defined by more than the Broadway Theater or the experience of a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park.

Of course, with many New York City tours, you might think differently about New York City. Some New York City tours promise that you can see all of New York City in a matter of hours.

This means, of course, that you'll drive by and look out the window at Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge. Your New York City tour guide will point out the Central Park Zoo, the Hudson and East Rivers, Herald Square, the Trump Tower and the Chrysler Building. In case you haven't tired of looking where your New York City tour guide is pointing, you'll also be able to see where SOHO and Tribeca are, catch a glimpse of Greenwich Village, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the New York Public Library.

On some New York City tours, your tour guide will stop at a number of landmarks as well. You'll be able to make a quick visit to Federal Hall, the World Trade Center site, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Strawberry Fields at Central Park, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

These New York City tours, as well as the New York City tour guides who lead them, will provide you with a general sense of the area. Many New York City tours will also give you an overview of New York City History. There are, however, people who are looking for more than what these ordinary New York City tours have to offer.

Those who are looking for more often hope to be immersed in the culture of the city. They know that visiting museums and art galleries will give them a chance to soak in the ways in which New York City history continues to allow the arts to thrive. They know that visiting the five boroughs will give them a chance to see how different people within the city have come to live, divided along cultural lines, and welcoming the diversity of those who live in New York City.

This diversity and culture, they realize, is evident in the structure of the buildings - cathedrals reminiscent of those the Irish immigrants knew before leaving Ireland. New York City history and culture, they know is reflected in the city's neighborhoods, as well as in the wide variety of dining options that the city has to offer.

It's because of this that those visiting New York City are able to dine on Irish cuisine, and at fine Italian and Greek restaurants. It's why Chinatown is home to restaurants that offer both traditional and innovative dishes, and why - as more and more Asian people become Asian-Americans - Thai, Japanese, Korean and Asian fusion restaurants have opened.

The culture of New York City - New York City History - is something that many are coming to recognize cannot be experienced on the standard New York City Tours. The culture and history of the city cannot merely be conveyed through the descriptions of a New York City tour guide. New York City history and culture is something that you must experience.

Rather than embarking on one of many traditional New York City tours, why not look for ways of understanding what the city is as well as what it has been in the past? Rather than listening to a New York City tour guide tell you what it's like to visit Times Square at night, why not visit for yourself? Walk along the curves of the road. Really take a close look at the shape of a building and study its architecture.

When you visit New York City, you'll find that there just may be too much to take in. Despite what they will tell you during average New York City tours, you cannot capture the culture and history of the city in a tour that takes a couple of hours or an afternoon: you must immerse yourself in the Big Apple – to see, hear, taste and feel all that it has to offer.

About The Author:  Alena Thurlow calls the Big Apple home. The "Natural History Of New York City Baseball Tour" is presented by historian, teacher and licensed tour guide Peter Laskowich, who offers private tours, lectures, talks and classes about New York City and its professional baseball history. Mr. Laskowich's New York City walking tours presents the history and culture of NYC, in a way that more people truly appreciate. www.NewYorkDynamic.com