SoHo and NoLita Shopping Tour

We were really excited to go on the shopping trip - but oh, what a disappointment! Our guide was a charming, enthusiastic lady. The problem was that she kept taking us to these really weird second hand shops! She seemed to think that buying second hand "designer" was as good as the real thing! When we didn't buy anything, she almost seemed disappointed. We then went to various other "unique" shops which sold an assortment of various EXPENSIVE items. I felt that she didn't listen to what our requirements were and just kept taking us to these old little shops which in no way catered for the younger, teenage girls in the party. When we went off on our own ( and actually found the kind of shops we were hoping to find, we spent hundreds of dollars and had a ball!

Gemma Fearn was amazing!! She took us to so many interesting little shops that were tucked away in little side streets! We tasted absolutely divine chocolates and we got discounts at so many stores and boutiques! She was incredibly knowledgeable and had fabulous taste. She was able to quickly assess what we liked and led us straight to the items we would want to buy. If no one in the group liked anything in a store, she quickly moved on to the next stop. It was a perfect experience in every possible way......... Oh, and I got to meet my very favorite dress designer of all time: Betsey Johnson!!!!!! Gemma and her Soho/Nolita Tour get 5 Stars!!!!

as above, worth her wt in gold!!!

My sister, 14 year old daughter and I took the Soho/Nolita tour led by Christina on our recent girls weekend to NYC. I can't say enough positive things about our experience. It was AWESOME!! We visited or window shopped boutiques and stores that we would not have experienced without the tour. My daughter got to "model" a skirt in one of the boutiques for the group which was such a kick for her. We sampled chocolate and went into a taxidermy store that had fossils and all kinds of unique stuff. Christina is knowledgable about the architecture and history of the area so it was more than "just" shopping education! There was lots of stores and territory to cover in a short 2 and a half hours and the time flew by. Thank you Christina and Gotham City tours!!!! Have recommended you to all my friends.

It was very interesting and well worth the time. The trip delivered all that it promised. I would suggest that since people on the trip might need to coordinate with others that the end point of the trip be published and end within 15 minutes of the posted time. (Posted for Suzanne Courtney.)

We enjoyed the tour. Danelle was a great tour. Weather was not good and a lot of walking. She tried very hard to please all age group. I would recommend doing a food tour in a smaller area. More time inside and not as great walking in the snow.

Great tour leader and great information. The tour dragged a little and we were getting impatient towards the end A map depicting our route and the places we stopped would have been helpful.

The tour provided our group with a New York native that was able to explain the history of the area, the neatest unique shops from clothing to candy and even a little celebrity gossip. The 2 hour tour was one of the highlights in our trip. After the tour we knew which boutique was the one started by Project Runway participants or the boutique that carries the latest fashions from Paris. New York can be overwhelming and hard to determine which street has a great boutique squeezed between every day stores. This tour gives you a expansive over view of the area and the ability to go to the best shops so that you have even more time in this amazing city. Highly, highly recommend!

Julie, our guide was both lovely and funky - good choice of person for the activity. I was most impressed by our guide. She was approachable, knowledgeable, interesting, open and receptive to questions - very personable. Pay her well. I would have enjoyed even more historical information about the area. That said, I understand this was a "shopping tour" and Julie did a very good job incorporating information with "shopping". Not too impressed with the shops, but then, I am from an urban area. Wish we had known that shops did not open until 11:00 in SoHo. Oh and MarieBelle - if this is what New Yorkers think is the "ultimate" they haven't, one - read what is in the ingredient list or two, have not been abroad for chocolate. All said, I'd still recommend the experience.

Our guide introduced us to some great locations. She was knowledgeable about some of the history which was interesting. However, expectation was to get some shopping done too and staying at one place for 8 minutes max was not conducive for this. The title should be different and expectations reset to how the 2 hours are spent.