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Uncle Junior Will Show You Around Now | It's a dream come true for the fame-obsessed: "A volunteer tour organization called Big Apple Greeters is offering free personalized tours led by celebrities. Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and "Sopranos" star Dominic Chianese were at City Hall on Wednesday to advertise their services." You can find more info here. And you can thank us later. [AP]
Central Park by Phone | A bunch of celebrities are now offering guided cell phone tours to Central Park. Anne Hathaway will introduce you to the Delacorte Theater, Matthew Broderick will show you around Sheep Meadow, Isabella Rossellini will escort you through the gay hookup zone of the Ramble, and Jerry Seinfeld will describe the stunning view of Central Park he has from his apartment at the Beresford. (Okay, fine, we made the last one up.) It's a free service. You call 646-862-0997 and then punch in a code that corresponds to each celebrity tour. We haven't tried it, so we can't weigh in on what it's like to hear John Stossel share his thoughts on the Balto statue, but if you feel like calling and letting us know what it's like, you're more than welcome to. [Central Park Audio Guide]
NYC Launches 'Podcast Tours' | The city is now offering hour-long podcast tours designed to "highlight the rich and fascinating history of film and television locations in New York City." The first two installments focus on Tribeca and Wall Street and are "narrated by some of the city's most notable figures in entertainment." Whether Julianna Margulies and Matthew Modine live up to such billing is your call, but the tours are free, so don't complain. [NYC.gov]
Good news for those of you who have friends visiting from out of town who also happen to be obsessed with Gossip Girl. On Location Tours, the company responsible for taking tourists from Des Moines to see Carrie Bradshaw's apartment from Sex and the City and the stomping grounds of the cast of The Sopranos, is now accepting reservations for its Gossip Girls tour. More
Bronxploitation | Want to see what a chop shop looks like? How about a money laundering front? Ever wonder what it's like to have "young men congregating on corners" stare at you "evilly as if you could be their ATM"? You're in luck! Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa has introduced just such an expedition to the South Bronx, which he's calling "The Underbelly Tour." For a taste of what Sliwa is now offering to "business groups" for $5,000 a pop, you can have a look at his insane introductory video here. [Gothamist]
The Only Free Thing at the Plaza | Want to visit the Plaza, but don't want to waste your money on an apartment, hotel room, or not-so-special meal at the Oak Room? You're in luck! The Plaza is offering a "free architecture tour" to people who sign up at 212-588-8012. [HotelChatter]
Toxic Tour | Andrew Luan worked at Deutsche Bank until recently. When he didn't get paid a bonus, he quit his job, but he didn't plan on spending the next six months in the company of his Wii, waiting around for the job market to improve. Luan launched a "financial meltdown tour" this week, "guiding packs of mostly European tourists around the epicenter of the collapse—and explaining his own role in the crisis along the way." (He was a CDO trader at Deutsche Bank where he says he shorted collateralized mortgage-backed securities.) Sounds like time and money well spent: "For only $40, he'll show you the word integrity engraved on the front of the New York Stock Exchange—and tell you about his all-male bond-trading desk's workplace push-up contests." [The Big Money]
Per the Times today, we're pleased to present you with a very tasty stop on the Bernie Madoff Tour of Manhattan, the restaurant Primola on the Upper East Side. According to the owner, the Madoffs turned up here once or twice a week for the past 22 years, always insisting on a "quiet table in the back." And while there are no pork sausages on the menu—Bernie's favorite—New York has great things to say about the veal scallopine and bistecca fiorentina perfumed with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.
