Don't even consider taking this tour with Amigo Tours. My two sisters and I were visiting New York City and thought it would be interesting to see the other buroughs since we had always stayed in Manhattan. Terrible doesn't even begin to describe our experience. The tour began almost 30 minutes late with no explanation. From departure things only went downhill. The minute the tour guide started speaking it was obvious that her accent was so prominent that I could not understand anything she said. She said she was born in New York, but her accent was NOT that of most New Yorkers. I began asking others around me if they could understand her and 100./. said no. At one point I asked if she could speak slower thinking that may help, but it did not. There was nothing she said that we could understand that provided any more information than what we already knew, such as "There are gangs and drugs in Harlem". She was so negative about each of the burroughs and constantly interjected her personal opinion which was totally irrelevant. When she just went on and on about the gangs, several tour members spoke up and asked relevant questions about the area in an attempt to redirect her. She became annoyed and stated she had to say those things because that was what she was being paid to do. When we toured a Jewish community, she was very derogatory about the Jewish people, their customs,and lifestyle. At one point, when talking about Jewish practices, she stated she would "just have to kill the man". There was this gasp of disbelieve that went up from everyone around me. I am not Jewish but was highly offended by her comments. You could tell there was increasing frustration by the members of the tour based on their body language and comments. As we approached Brooklyn, she announced that if we wanted to get off the tour we should do so in Brooklyn, as it would be our cheapest point in which to get an Uber back to Manhattan. At that point many of us were fed up and left the tour. So we paid to take the tour that was a total dissapointment, and then we paid to leave it by having to pay for an uber home. I have heard that the situation only got worse after we left with an argument ensuing betweeen the tour guide and a tour member. I also heard that the tour bus actually left a tour member at one of the stops even while other members of the tour wers telling them everyone was not back on the bus. I have no doubts that is true, because at one of the restroom stops, the bus pulled away before my sister was back, and we had to yell several times for them to stop. My sister has contacted the appropriate people to express how unhappy we were with the tour and how offended we were by her comments.
It was such a shame and waste of our limited time in NYC. This could have been a great tour and a wonderful opportunity to learn about the city. So, bottom line, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME ON THIS TOUR. I have no idea how this tour guide has kept her job or how she and the company have not been sued.
Information about the tour:
Amiogo Tours, USA
Tour of Buroughs and Coney Island
Dec 11, 2021
8:30 TG6-8:30