| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
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First Time Travelers to NYC - MUST DO THIS FIRST!!
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| Sat, May 26, 07 8:30 AM |
mfkidder |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| My wife and I have never been to NYC and went for a long weekend. I like to plan out everything in advance, being completely unfamiliar with the NYC area, the subways, the cabs, etc., I realized I was in for a huge undertaking. So much to do, so much to see, - where do you start? My wife and I are road warriors, but having to learn where to go, what to do, how to get there, looked like a week's worth of planning. We personally hate group tours - we find them impersonal and you are with a group of strangers that often move at a very different pace. We like bus tours even less because it's hard to get your bearings when you are riding and someone else is doing the driving.
So I went on the web, stumbled onto PhotoTrek Walking Tours. Seemed like a great idea - a Native New Yorker who would take us on a PERSONAL TOUR and is a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER who snaps pictures of us with the NYC backdrop! (like many couples. my wife and I have precious few pics of us together when traveling). We timed our 4 hour “Best of NY” Tour for the very first morning in NYC so we could enjoy the rest of our trip. So with very few plans pre-arranged, we took a huge leap of faith, counting on this tour to guide our trip.
Long story short...this was the best decision we have made in years! Our tour guide, Marc Samuels showed up right on time and met us in the lobby of our Hotel (Westin Times Square) at 8:30AM sharp (as confirmed in a personal email to us prior to going). From there, we covered all of Manhattan like a blanket! This was done at our pace (which we are in shape an move pretty fast) - an absolute whirlwind tour of NYC! ..Times Square, Rockefeller Ctr, Trump Towers, Central Park, Chinatown, Little Italy, 5th Avenue, Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Station (ask about the whispering wall!), SoHo, Tribeca, Chelsea, Bleecker St, etc. etc. Marc narrates the tour the entire time, patiently asking all of your questions, but then says..."I would like you two to stand here...face this direction.." and snap! snap!..We felt like fashion models touring New York! Marc has an in depth knowledge of New York that has to put him at the top of all tour guides in NYC. When we were done with our tour, we knew exactly how to purchase subway tickets, what trains to get on and off, where to go, etc. NYC can be an intimidating place...after the tour, we were VERY comfortable going everywhere we wanted to go at any time! I can now converse with any New Yorker and know exactly the area!
RATINGS: Tour Alone - 5+ stars
VALUE: 5+ Stars (Very reasonable price...you try to hire a photgrapher in NYC for 4 hours PLUS get a 4 hour tour of NYC to boot!) .
BONUS: 5+ Stars (200+ incredible high qual professional pics delivered to our Hotel next day on CD!)
Request Marc Samuels (AWESOME). KNOWS NYC and KNOWS PHOTOGRAPHY! Keep up the good work (and please go to other cities!) We love NYC ...because of you!
Godspeed!
Mark and Jackie Kidder
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A must do!
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| Fri, May 25, 07 8:30 AM |
sassyjennami |
Female |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| This tour is well worth every penny! Marc is an amazing tour guide. He is friendly, up beat, and easy to get a long with. This fast pace walking tour leads you all over the city to see the sites. I hope you will consider Photo Trek Tours when visiting New York. I am so glad I took the time and spent the money. I will have many memories to last me a life time. |
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Fun time
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| Thu, May 24, 07 1:30 PM |
dmcdonald |
Female |
Unspecified |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We had a great time with our tour guide he made it fun!! |
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EVERYTHING AND MORE THAN I EXPECTED!
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| Thu, May 24, 07 8:00 AM |
PeggyDWright |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| Our Best of New York Tour was fantastic! I would definitely do it again and will certainly recommend it to my friends. We were scheduled for a 2 hour tour, but we actually received about 3 hours. Marc went out of his way to accomodate us in where we met to begin the tour and in giving us information on how to get to our meeting place. He also made sure we got on the right train for our next tour at Yankee Stadium and in making sure we knew how to get back to our hotel. We also got more pictures than we thought we would. Marc is very knowledgeable about New York, but he makes you feel completely comfortable and safe in the city. He could tell I was a little nervous about riding the subway, but he put my mind at ease to where I actually enjoyed it. I highly recommend this tour for anyone that is not familiar with New York. We had a great time, an experience my family and I will never forget!
Thank you, Marc.
Peggy Wright
Alabama |
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The best vaction/ wedding pictures ever !
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| Wed, May 23, 07 1:30 PM |
sarahh |
Female |
20-29 |
International Tourist(s) |
Other |
| On our recent trip to New York, we needed a photographer to capture our memories of our wedding day. When I found photo Trek Tours on the internet, I looked at the gallery of pictures and fell in love with them. Marc is awesome and he will make any picture you want happen. I told him I wanted to try and get a picture with some sailors (it was fleet week), and he made it happen. He really made our trip to New York, and I can't wait to come back for another tour. Thank you Marc for those great photos ! ~Sarah & Darren from B.C., Canada~ |
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a fun filled day with lots of memories
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| Sat, May 19, 07 1:30 PM |
L1nEr0nyc |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| What a fantastic day we had with our photographer Marc Samuels. The photos are "all" beautiful. Thank You Marc for the most wonderful coverage of New York City and the Brooklyn bridge. We would have never covered all the areas and picture perfect spots as we did in four hours. Errold and I thank you as well as our lucky stars for this fun filled adventure and a must do photograghic tour for all. We simply loved it and at the same time had alot of fun with you. Marc, you're alot of fun and made this tour very exciting. We brag and recommend this tour highly to all. Loving our captured memories and fully excited.... Alina and Errold Perez-Stoutenburg. Cape Coral, Florida May 2007. |
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beautiful photos of wedding renewal
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| Sat, May 12, 07 2:00 PM |
curena1130 |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| We could not have been any happier with our wonderful photographer Marc! He was very nice, personable, patient, and very knowledgable of central park. We were renewing our wedding vows after 15 years of marriage and wanted photos to remember how wonderful it was. Our photos turned out so beautiful! Everyone has raved at how incredible and breath taking they are. I made a perfect decision in choosing Phototrek tours and MARC!! |
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A Must for 1st Time Visitors to NYC & Shutterbugs
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| Fri, May 11, 07 1:30 PM |
RSumpter |
Unspecified |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| It is impossible to describe how much we benefitted from our PhotoTrek tour. The combination of the wonderful photos plus the fun and informative tour made this a purchase we would make over and over again. We met with Marc on the the first full day in NY and based on his tour and advice we were able to successfully navigate the city on our own for the rest of our trip. It was so nice to have memorable photographs that actually had both of us in them for a change. Marc was very personable, professional, and knowledgable of the city. This tour was the highlight of our trip. We loved it!!! |
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Worth the cost!
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| Wed, Apr 25, 07 8:00 AM |
Tarabolin |
Female |
30-39 |
International Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| When I was overplanning my trip to New York, I found this tour on newyorkcity.com. I booked it because there is nothing that I hate more than asking people around us, "Can you take our picture?" Marc was supposd to be off during the week because his wife is having their first baby. But I sent Marc an e-mail and he scheduled us, providing that his wife did not go into labour. Luckily, she did not have the baby before our appointment, so he met us at our hotel, and we were off! Literally! WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES, because you will walk miles. Marc was pleasant, friendly, and funny. He made us instantly feel comfortable. He gave good "New Yorker" tidbits and information and took wonderful photos as well.
I really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to anyone. I even would book it again if I came to New York because I love good quality photos. It was worth the money. |
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THIS WAS THE BEST PART OF OUR 1ST TRIP TO NY
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| Fri, Apr 20, 07 1:30 PM |
mygirls |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| MARK WAS WONDERFUL, HE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND EAGER TO SHOW US AROUND NEW YORK, HE TOOK WONDERFUL PICTURES OF US. WHEN WE GOT BACK TO LUBBOCK,TX AND HAD OUR PICTURES DEVELOPE THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. THEY PROVIDED WONDERFUL VIEWS OF NEW YORK, BUT ALSO SHOWED US IN THEM. MARK IS GREAT, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TOUR. WE WILL USE HIM AGAIN WHEN WE RETURN NEXT YEAR. |
