We were disappointed in this tour. Joel was unsure and was constantly checking his phone for our route. He seemed unprepared about the subway and what lines were closed for repairs. There were very few stories or history pieces. That was our purpose for booking the tour. Two star- walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at night was beautiful.
We are sorry to hear you did not enjoy your tour to the fullest. We spoke to Joel regarding the concerns you brought up and his response is below:
Thank you for your feedback! Regarding the use of a phone while on tour, I was doing this to ensure I was leading the guests to some good photo spots and tried to made it clear that even native New Yorkers get lost and need to check where they are from time to time. However, I can understand checking your phone while on tour 'looks bad' so I certainly will avoid it in the future and possibly bring a physical map instead for quick checks.
Unfortunately, I understand the customers did come away with the impression they didn't get any history or stories, so I'll certainly think on which stories may hold more interest for future guests. For this outing, I provided a story about how the community fought to preserve the neighborhood from being destroyed by an expressway, which led to the creation of the promenade with a great view. I showed them where Abraham Lincoln spoke and told them the role of Brooklyn Heights in the Underground Railroad and the history of Henry Ward Beecher and the Plymouth Church. I showed them where the lines of Walt Whitman's poem Brooklyn Ferry Crossing are inscribed at the Fulton Ferry Landing, and how ferry's from Brooklyn led to the creation of the first suburb. I showed them where the New York Times was founded, and certainly more. On reflection, I will consider adding more "juicy" stories in the future. On some other tours, I have added a famous mafia event or a tale of a murder or something in a particular place. Unfortunately, this particular locale doesn't lend itself to those sorts of stories, but other options will be considered going forward. I also in future want to bring some visuals of how neighborhoods have changed, as this has gone over very well for my other tours.
Lastly, it is unfortunate that the New York subway is ever-changing and hard to predict. That's always going to be a danger using the subway--there are so many potential pitfalls with it. Although I checked the route carefully in advance and checked if there were any delays, but still there are always small delays and unexpected closures that are hard to prepare for in advance. Please do not worry--We are still very familiar with the subway and where we are headed for the tour!
Thanks again for your feedback and we hope you were able to enjoy your time in New York!