Jerry's NYC Walking Tour!

Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010
by HI - New York City, in New York, NY

Jerry Balch loves New York! And, what's more, he loves to show off his city to visitors. Every year, thousands of Hostelling International-New York guests join in on Jerry's "Grand Tour", a sometimes sixteen hour walking tour of the city that explores all of its major sites from Battery Park to Columbus Circle.

A retired high school science teacher from Brooklyn, Balch designed the tour himself with a desire to serve as a good host to visitors of his hometown. Having traveled overseas himself, Jerry was often without a guide or someone to show him the true essence of the place he was visiting. He felt inspired to volunteer at HI-New York with the hope of providing visitors with the very experience he craved during his own travels.

By the time the day is done, Jerry's group will have walked, ridden the subway, hopped a ferry, and gotten to know the city in ways many tourists never do and for little more than the cost of a few subway tokens and a bite to eat along the way! Jerry makes sure to try and swing his group through every section and attraction in the city his visitors have heard they have to visit. Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich Village, Little India, The Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick's Cathedral and 5th Avenue all serve as stops in the "Grand Tour".

Join the fun. Tour starts at 10:00 am, Saturday in the lobby of HI-New York hostel, located at 891 Amsterdam Avenue. The nearest subway stops are: 103rd and Broadway or 103rd St and Central Park West. More Info

Tour fee: $10 per participant.