Lee Gelber
Lee Gelber (b. Bronx, New York) is an American tour guide and urban historian whose primary expertise is New York City and its environs. Gelber is a graduate of the City University of New York and former toy industry executive who went into the tour business following the occasion of the firm that he was working for having been subsumed by a larger entity in a merger.[1] With an earlier tenure as a Big Apple Greeter under his belt, he became a tour guide for Gray Line in 1994. His breadth of knowledge and tour guide finesse soon led him to become a trainer of other guides for Grayline and then a subsequent series of other outfits. Therein he is popularly known as the so-called (New York City) "Dean of Guides"[2] and has been referred to as such in reflective attribution by among other publications the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times.[3] He is a former Co-President of The Guides Association of New York City (GANYC) an organization which honored him in March of 2016 with their inaugural "Guiding Spirit Award" at the second annual apple awards. [4] in 1993, while still a toy executive, Gelber was a contestant on the seniors edition of the American game show Jeopardy! and finished second on the episode on which he appeared with a total of $10,400.[5]
Today Gelber operates his own tour guide outfit, "Here is New York Tours", while also continuing to work with other firms.[6]
References
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/nyregion/neighborhood-report-midtown-the-guides-guide-champion-of-truth-in-touring.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/15/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-up-close-voices-stilled-gray-line-guides-battle.html
- ^ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-06-29/travel/9706290224_1_tour-buses-gray-line-harlem-river
- ^ http://www.ganyc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/uploads/2016GANYCGuidingSpiritAwardWinnerPressRelease.pdf
- ^ http://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=4179
- ^ http://www.hereisny.com
External links
- Lee Gelber interview GANYC podcast - [1]