Arrived on time, ready to go and our guide introduced herself as "Ibeth", a licensed NYC tour guide who didn't have an accent because she was Puerto Rican. I'm glad she's licensed, don't know what might have happened if she wasn't. We walked around and she pointed out a few sites but gave a history of racism in the United States whether it had anything to do with Harlem or not. Lynchings in Mississippi and Alabama in the 40s were a tragedy, but had little to do with the history of Harlem and Gospel music. On top of that she was historically inaccurate in many cases including her discussion of the Underground Railroad, the 13th Amendment, and while standing in front of the Thurgood Marshall Academy she never mentioned that he was a Supreme Court Justice, or that he argued Brown vs Board of Education. She also had his personal and educational history wrong. Unbelievably, she said the Underground Railroad worked north of the Mississippi River. Read that again to make sure you get it. North of the Mississippi River? Bottom line is she was awful, ill-informed, let her personal agenda overcome the advertised purpose of the tour, and lost track of time, forcing the group to rush past the Apollo Theater and a very interesting wall of murals. She tried to get the group to sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" but she didn't even know the lyrics.
The Church service at Bethel Gospel Assembly was great but more showy than we anticipated and not really Gospel "roots". They also seemed "very prepared" for the arrivals of all the tours and I suspect this Church is where 9 out of 10 tours wind up. It's over a mile from the start point.
This tour was one of the things our whole family was looking forward to on our visit to New York and we were disappointed. The other guides may have been better, but I could have done this tour with a street map marked with points of interest and Wikipedia for better result.
Відповідь від хоста
Jun 2019
Thank you so much for your review of the tour. At Inside Out we strive for educational, as well as cultural excellence. From your review, it sounds like you did not receive our company standard. We take the history of the Gospel and Civil Rights very seriously, as our tours are meant to educate. As we are in the process of training new guides, it appears you received a new guide that needs to be re-trained and spoken to about historical accuracy. We advertise a real Harlem Experience in which you attend an authentic African American church. Bethel Assembly is one of the most highly rated churches in all of Harlem. They have prepared for guests from all around the world in an effort to share their faith. Gospel music, has evolved over hundreds of years, and Bethel Assembly is run by African Americans who know the Gospel. We can assure that you heard authentic music with the original "roots" of the genre. All six elements of Gospel music are used in every service. Please feel to contact us with further questions or comments. Thank you!