Big Apple Greeter - In the Press

Big Apple Greeter has been featured in thousands of stories – in print, on television and radio, and on the Internet – bringing the message of a friendly and accessible New York City to millions of potential visitors all around the world. Here are a few stories to enjoy!

Crain’s New York Business
August 16, 2010
Nonprofit greeted by Getty surprise

Donation keeps Big Apple Greeter alive

By Lisa Fickenscher

Alicia Pierro and Lynn Brooks

Buck Ennis

GIFT KEEPS GIVING: A $200,000 donation from Ariadne Getty enabled Lynn Brooks (right) and Alicia Pierro to keep Big Apple Greeter running.
Dire pleas for donations from worthy organizations are so common these days, they sound like background noise. So it's remarkable when one succeeds in attracting a large donor.
That's exactly what happened to Big Apple Greeter, the tiny nonprofit that matches tourists with volunteer guides. It was on the brink of extinction when a wealthy Californian picked up the phone to offer help after watching a TV news segment about the group's financial woes (first reported in Crain's on June 21).

Getty gives
Oil heiress Ariadne Getty recently wired the nonprofit a check for $200,000, buying the group another six months in which to raise more funds.
“We really, really needed this money,” says Lynn Brooks , founder of Big Apple Greeter, adding that her board of directors had instructed her to start shutting down operations by September.
The 18-year-old organization offers unique tours of the city, taking visitors on hours-long trips to neighborhoods off the beaten path. But when corporate donors scaled back last year, Big Apple Greeter hit a wall and had to cut its operating costs to the bone. In June, the group launched a Save Big Apple Greeter campaign, appealing to its 300 volunteers, past and future visitors, and corporate sponsors to help.
The campaign netted nearly $100,000, including $35,000 from the city and many smaller donations from individuals giving as little as $5 to $2,500. But that wasn't enough to keep Big Apple Greeter afloat.
Enter Ms. Getty, one of five children of J. Paul Getty Jr. She runs Fuserna Foundation, which, according to its website, supports charities that have financial constraints and lack exposure—an eclectic group including the Sierra Leone War Trust for Children and the Santa Monica Mountains & Seashore Foundation.
Ms. Getty could not be reached for comment.

More funds needed
Others clearly share Ms. Getty's admiration for Big Apple Greeter. A Canadian couple, Frank and Margy Slater, who visited the city in July and toured the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan with two volunteers, gave $50 and say they will give the organization a second donation next year if it's needed.
But it will take another large gift like Ms. Getty's to save Big Apple Greeter once and for all. With corporate supporters still struggling, reaching the group's $600,000 annual budget is no slam dunk.
“Without a new infusion of cash,” says Executive Director Alicia Pierro, “we won't be around next year.”

Daily Newser plays Big Apple 'greeter' to adventurous tourists in Queens

Newser Lisa Colangelo (leaning on fence) shows Netherlands tourists (l. to r.) Pascual and Roelyke Gallego the sights at Gantry Plaza State Park, aided by Big Apple Greeter Suzanne Paliotta.

The assignment seemed simple enough - the Daily News wanted me to serve as a Big Apple Greeter for a day and take some visitors off the beaten tourism path.

I was a natural for at least part of the task. I'm a native New Yorker, having lived, worked and gone to school here for all but 10 years of my life.

Gail Morse of Big Apple Greeter set me straight. They are not, she repeated, not a tour company.

"A greeter shows a visitor around the way a friend or a family member would show someone around," said Morse.

Founder Lynn Brooks started the program in 1992, matching up volunteer greeters with visitors to show them that New York can indeed be friendly and manageable.

After digging through some requests, Morse paired me up with Pascual and Roelyke Gallego, a couple from Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The easygoing pair spoke English and were excited to explore Queens.

I was a little skeptical. Was there anything there they would want to see? Most of my school-aged years were spent in that area. It seemed a tad too familiar - even boring.

But I was wrong. Roelyke, a 35-year-old teacher, and Pascual, a 35-year-old tax inspector, soaked in everything from the busy Austin St. shopping strip to the manicured gardens and mansions a few blocks away.

"People don't think they will see architecture like this in New York City," said Paliotta.

After checking out the West Side Tennis Club - former site of the U.S. Open - we walked carefully across Queens Blvd., explaining the "Boulevard of Death" moniker, and hopped a bus into the heart of Corona.

There was no way I was taking a visitor into Queens without visiting two borough food landmarks: the Lemon Ice King of Corona and Leo's Latticini (a.k.a. Mama's).

Roelyke followed my lead and got a peanut butter ice, while Pascual went with sour green apple.

"We would never have known to come here if you didn't bring us," Pascual said. My smug smile disappeared when he looked over at the nearby bocce courts and asked me to explain the game to him.

"Something where you roll balls but it's not bowling," I tried, looking at Suzanne for help.

Ugh. Some Italian-American I am. Then again, my family was more likely to bowl at Hollywood Lanes than play bocce.

Recharged by the ices, we walked several blocks to Mama's, where sisters Irene, Marie and Carmela fussed over Pascual and Roelyke as if they were family.

The couple happily wolfed down Mama's special sandwiches: mozzarella, salami and peppered ham on semolina bread with peppers and mushrooms.

It was a welcome break from the fast food that had dominated their meals since arriving in the city.

As we walked to Roosevelt Ave. to catch the 7 train to Long Island City, Roelyke and Pascual stopped to take pictures of the trucks lined up under the el. I wasn't sure why, but they seemed interested and happy.

We walked through Long Island City, showing them the new shiny towers that are replacing factories and warehouses.

"This is lovely," said Roelyke, as she enjoyed the breeze at Gantry Plaza State Park. "We probably would have never gone here. We probably would have just walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and walked back."

In the press

Daily Newser plays Big Apple 'greeter' to adventurous tourists in Queens

Big Apple Greeter Rings Closing Bell at NASDAQ