In the press

Here’s what the press is saying about Big Apple Greeter.

Big Apple Greeter has been featured in thousands of stories – in print, on television and radio, and on the Internet – bringing the message of a friendly and accessible New York City to millions of potential visitors all around the world. Here are a few stories to enjoy!

Big Apple Greeter faces a huge cash crunch.

Big Apple Greeter founder Lynn Brooks
interviewed on Good Day New York.

Big Apple Greeter, volunteer group that gives free tours, facing closure
NY Daily News
June 20, 2010

Big Apple Greeter faces cash crunch
Crain's New York Business.com
June 20, 2010

Liu Gets Big Apple Greeter Award
The Queens Gazette
May 26, 2010

Big Apple Greeters Celebrate Organization's 18th Anniversary
By Samantha Sherman
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
May 19, 2010 in hardcopy, May 18 online

Big Apple Greeter's recognition of John Liu, Michael Paul
Liu Shuang press reports in New York
World Journal
May 19, 2010

Astoria man spends retirement showing off beloved city
By Nathan Duke
YOURNABE.com
Thursday, April 8, 2010

Big Apple Greeter Executive Director Alicia Pierro
interviewed by Renee Lobo from ITV.

Volunteer greeters help tourists see part of city like a native
By Carol Pucci
Seattle Times staff columnist
September 13, 2009

Greeters to welcome visitors to Brighton and Hove
By Tim Ridgway
The Argus
Hollingbury, Brighton, UK
September 10, 2009

Daily Newser plays Big Apple 'greeter' to adventurous tourists in Queens

BY Lisa L. Colangelo
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, September 6th 2009, 4:00 AM

Newser Lisa Colangelo (leaning on fence) shows Netherlands tourists (l. to r.) Pascual and Roelyke Gallego the sights at Gantry Plaza State Park, aided by Big Apple Greeter Suzanne Paliotta.

The assignment seemed simple enough - the Daily News wanted me to serve as a Big Apple Greeter for a day and take some visitors off the beaten tourism path.

I was a natural for at least part of the task. I'm a native New Yorker, having lived, worked and gone to school here for all but 10 years of my life.

The tour guide part? Not so much.

Gail Morse of Big Apple Greeter set me straight. They are not, she repeated, not a tour company.

"A greeter shows a visitor around the way a friend or a family member would show someone around," said Morse.

Founder Lynn Brooks started the program in 1992, matching up volunteer greeters with visitors to show them that New York can indeed be friendly and manageable.

After digging through some requests, Morse paired me up with Pascual and Roelyke Gallego, a couple from Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The easygoing pair spoke English and were excited to explore Queens.

Seasoned greeter Suzanne Paliotta came along for moral support. She suggested we start in Forest Hills Gardens.

I was a little skeptical. Was there anything there they would want to see? Most of my school-aged years were spent in that area. It seemed a tad too familiar - even boring.

But I was wrong. Roelyke, a 35-year-old teacher, and Pascual, a 35-year-old tax inspector, soaked in everything from the busy Austin St. shopping strip to the manicured gardens and mansions a few blocks away.

"People don't think they will see architecture like this in New York City," said Paliotta.

After checking out the West Side Tennis Club - former site of the U.S. Open - we walked carefully across Queens Blvd., explaining the "Boulevard of Death" moniker, and hopped a bus into the heart of Corona.

There was no way I was taking a visitor into Queens without visiting two borough food landmarks: the Lemon Ice King of Corona and Leo's Latticini (a.k.a. Mama's).

Roelyke followed my lead and got a peanut butter ice, while Pascual went with sour green apple.

"We would never have known to come here if you didn't bring us," Pascual said. My smug smile disappeared when he looked over at the nearby bocce courts and asked me to explain the game to him.

"Something where you roll balls but it's not bowling," I tried, looking at Suzanne for help.

Ugh. Some Italian-American I am. Then again, my family was more likely to bowl at Hollywood Lanes than play bocce.

Recharged by the ices, we walked several blocks to Mama's, where sisters Irene, Marie and Carmela fussed over Pascual and Roelyke as if they were family.

The couple happily wolfed down Mama's special sandwiches: mozzarella, salami and peppered ham on semolina bread with peppers and mushrooms.

It was a welcome break from the fast food that had dominated their meals since arriving in the city.

As we walked to Roosevelt Ave. to catch the 7 train to Long Island City, Roelyke and Pascual stopped to take pictures of the trucks lined up under the el. I wasn't sure why, but they seemed interested and happy.

We walked through Long Island City, showing them the new shiny towers that are replacing factories and warehouses.

"This is lovely," said Roelyke, as she enjoyed the breeze at Gantry Plaza State Park. "We probably would have never gone here. We probably would have just walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and walked back."

Big Apple Greeter Rings Closing Bell at NASDAQ

Tourism and finance generate top dollar for New York City. On November 29, 2008, representatives of both sectors met on the trading floor when founder Lynn Brooks, board chair Thomas Lewis and a team of volunteers rang the closing bell at NASDAQ, the famed global exchange located in Manhattan’s Time Square. The successful event was hosted by NASDAQ Managing Director and volunteer Greeter Gregg Hernandez.

“Big Apple Greeter is a great reflection on the city with very tangible benefits. The financial industry faces challenges right now and since the current recession is global in nature, the tourism industry in New York has to deliver good value to travelers because people’s disposable income is challenged right know,” says Mr. Hernandez.

Good value indeed. With an army of over 300 volunteer Greeters welcoming visitors and promoting the city as friendly and accessible, Big Apple Greeter has been referred to as the most effective public relations arm of the city, capturing the attention of media and journalists across the globe. In FY08, the organization welcomed journalists from 97 domestic and international media outlets, resulting in approximately 94 story placements globally.

“I think when you can humanize tourism in NY, it can create so much new energy and I really think that’s fantastic,” says Hernandez.

The NASDAQ event received extensive media coverage. Business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC Fast Money Show, CNBC Squawk Box, CNNMoney.com, Forbes, Fox News, the BBC and many other business publications from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East all covered the BAG event.—Janet Alicea