Travelled to NYC on Wednesday 19th for 4 full days in the city. Woke at 5am on Thursday with no plan except to wash the undercarriage for a Billy Joel concert at MSG on the 20th. Bang it appeared like a bolt from the blue, Do bike tour in a part of the city that we haven't travelled before. Quick search found Brookln options, looked like a good tour and booked 2 places from a morning tour of Brooklyn. The power of modern tech, imagine doing this 10 years ago. Send telegram to some post office to be dispatched by by a small man on a pony to the bike company!
In any case we found the bike company and its leader, JohnThomas McKee bouncing to get going. Weghad given our height and weight details to ensure that bikes were suitably selected. Asking a female her weight is like asking for her age. Always under-estimate and if still alive afert the first estimate bump the number up by 10% and keep stum.
John had planned a standard tour but the guy quickly adapts the tour based on your questions and interests. We deviated at a hellish pace and covered the area showing us many aspects that we never even thought about. He cleared up a few matters for us - Mama being had of hearing; thought that he said Al Pacino was married in a church in Brooklyn and was inconsolable when she heard he was slain in Chicago. To the irish Pacino sounds very like Capone!
JTMcK deftly managed the grieving process. In my case, he spoke so lovingly of shell fish that I was not sure american prawns were like irish prawns. I thought that a trap was needed and suggested that the yankie prawns had no shells. He had to dismount to collect his composure and but continued to mention this at every hands turn. All is forgiven though.
JTMcK gave us advise on nice place to eat at the TimeOut Market and even suggested the stall - Fish Cheeks. The food was beautiful and we brought my sister in law there on saturday night and the vibe was electric. (DUMBO).
John is not just an SME on Brooklyn (Subject Matter Expert to the uninformed) but an avid imparter of knowledge, his enthusiasm is infectious .So much so that he offered to bring us on a sunday morning, bespoke tour of Williamsburg/green point are on Sunday at 10am at no cost. Bespoke as this tour does not exist in this format but we had a plane to catch and needed to vacate hotel at 2pm.
This man and his company are at risk of single handily opening up the wonders of Brooklyn, Coney Island and beyond to anyone eager to see the world via pedal power.
I always try to see cities in multiple formats]but a bike tour if the terrain is suitable is a must and these tours of Brooklyn by Giro (JTMcK) are a must. You will be safe, informed, enthused and entertained throughout.