GANYC

GANYC (Guides Association of New York City) is the professional association of licensed New York City tour guides.[2] Its members are available for hire and provide a variety of tour guiding, escorting, managing and consulting services in many languages throughout the five boroughs of NYC.

GANYC
Formation1974 (1974)
TypeProfessional trade association
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
Location
  • New York City
Membership
389
Official language
Multiple spoken by member guides
President
Emma Guest-Consales
Key people
Bob Gelber (Vice President), Michael Morganthal (Vice President), Jeremy Wicox (Treasurer), Patrick Casey (Secretary), John Semlak (Secretary)[1]
Websitewww.ganyc.org

Established in 1974, it is one of the oldest tour guide associations in the United States. GANYC is a member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.[3] With a present count of approximately 389 members, GANYC represents nearly 10% of the guides licensed in New York City with an estimated 4,000 guides currently licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.[4]

The organization's mission is provide continuing education about touring through a series of internal and external programs. It also advocates on behalf of New York tourism industry workers, such as in response to overtourism concerns at the Statue of Liberty in 2019[5][6][7] or after tourism shutdowns during the 2020 coronavirus crisis.[8][9][10] They have also worked with city agencies on behalf of better conditions for tourists.[11] It has also acted as an aid in finding government assistance for its constituents, such as after the September 11th attacks in 2001.[12]

The organization is run by an all-volunteer Executive Board, with elections occurring among its membership every two years. GANYC's current president is Emma Guest-Consales.


History

GANYC was founded as the Multilingual Guides Association of New York City in 1974. In 1979, the organization changed its name to the Guides Association of New York City to better reflect its growing recognition outside of New York as the professional organization for tour guides in New York City. In 2012, GANYC began to hold its monthly meetings at various sites of historic and cultural significance and also introduced industry partner membership and strategic affiliations to more closely engage with businesses and organizations interested in supported tour guiding. Its membership provides tours in all five NYC boroughs and covers approximately 10% of all New York City sightseeing guide licensees.[13]

GANYC Apple Awards

GANYC hosts an annual awards ceremony to honor the best in New York City culture, preservation and tourism in a dozen categories.

Hosts have included Tony award-winning broadway musical star Brian Stokes Mitchell,[14] cabaret performer Mark Nadler, and podcast hosts the Bowery Boys.[15]

2015

In 2015 the first GANYC Apple Awards were held at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[16] At this event among the nominees and recipients, the artist James Turrell was honored with a lifetime achievement award.[17]

Other awardees at the gala which were given to individuals and organizations as chosen from groups of nominees were; tour guide Justin Ferate (New York City Walking Tours), the Friends of the High Line, Christopher Gray and his Streetscapes column for the New York Times, William Helmreich and his book The New York Nobody Knows: 6,000 Miles In The City, The Museum of the City of New York‘s exhibition Palaces For the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural tile, Kathleen O’Connor from the New York Historical Society, Russ & Daughters, the Lower East Side appetizing shop celebrating its 100 years of business in 2014 and Kevin Walsh and the website he founded "Forgotten NY".[18] The award ceremony was held just three days after the passing of the namesake and principal benefactor of the theater in which it was held, Mr. Nimoy. Therefore it was fitting that one of the presenters Ethel Sheffer, the widow of Isaiah Sheffer at whose production, Selected Shorts the famed portrayer of Star Trek first officer and Vulcan, Spock would often appear in at the theater would in turn pay tribute to him at this gala also held at the venue.[19]

2016

The second annual GANYC Apple Awards were held on March 7, 2016 once again at the Leonard Nimoy theater at Symphony Space. Among those honored were Jazz chanteuse Marjorie Eliot with the Lifetime achievement award and tour guide and urban historian Lee Gelber, who received the organization's inaugural "Guiding Spirit Award".

Once again other awards at the gala which were given to individuals and organizations as chosen from groups of nominees and they were as follows; for "outstanding achievement in support of New York City-- Culture", Susan Henshaw Jones, Ronay Menschel Director, Museum of the City of New York (from 2003-2015), for "Outstanding achievement in support of New York City-- Tourism" Gregory Wessner, Executive Director, Open House New York, for "Outstanding achievement in support of New York City-- Preservation" Jeremiah Moss, Organizer of #SaveNYC, author of Vanishing New York, for "outstanding NYC website" Vanishing New York Jeremiah Moss, for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Photography (singular image, published October 2015-15)" Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao Highbridge, for "Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program/Podcast (Audio/Spoken Word)" The Brian Lehrer Show WNYC 93.9FM, for "Outstanding Achievement in “Fiction” Book Writing (published October 2014-15)" City on Fire: A Novel, by Garth Risk Hallberg, for "Outstanding Achievement in “Non-Fiction” Book Writing (published October 2014-15)" Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks edited by Donald Albrecht and Andrew Dolkart, Iwan Baan, photographer, for "Outstanding Achievement in Essay/Article/Series Writing (published October 2014-15)" Grub Street, New York Magazine, Sierra Tishgart, Senior Editor, for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Food (focusing on anniversaries and special accomplishments)" Yonah Schimmel Knishery, Celebrating 125 years and for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Museum Exhibitions (October 2014-15)" Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life; Adriana Zavala, Guest Curator, New York Botanical Garden.[20]

2017

On March 7, 2017 the third annual GANYC Apple Awards were held at the SVA theater at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.[21] On this occasion the ceremony was hosted by noted cabaret performer Mark Nadler and featured the bestowing of the lifetime achievement award on another cabaret luminary, Steve Ross.[22] The winners this time around in the corresponding categories were; for "Outstanding achievement in support of New York City culture"; Leslie Koch the President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, for "Outstanding Achievement in Support of New York City Preservation": Simeon Bankoff Executive Director Historic Districts Council, for "Outstanding Achievement in Support of New York City Tourism".the Central Park Conservancy, for "outstanding New York City website": Ephemeral New York, for "Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program/Podcasts (audio/spoken word)": "There Goes the Neighborhood"- WNYC, for "Outstanding Achievement in New York City Food (focusing on anniversaries and special accomplishments)": Nathan's Famous, "Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Book Writing (published October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016): "The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York" by Tom Meyers and Greg Young of the Bowery Boys podcast, for "Outstanding Achievement in Fiction Book Writing (published October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016)": "Murder in Morningside Heights" by Victoria Thompson, for "Outstanding Achievement in Essay/Article/Series Writing (published October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016)": A Walking Tour of 1866 New York: In the Footsteps of 150-year-old Guidebooks, by James Nevius, Curbed NY, for "Outstanding Achievement in New York City Museum Exhibitions (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016): "Jacob Riis: Revealing New York's Other Half, Museum of the City of New York", for "Outstanding Achievement in New York City Photography (singular image, published October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016)": Paul Kessel, "Coney Island" and finally, the "Guiding Spirit Award" was given to Anthony W. Robins.[23]

2018

The Tony award-winning broadway Musical star Brian Stokes Mitchell hosted the 4th annual 2018 Ganyc Apple awards ceremony which took place on March 12.[24] The event once again was situated at the SVA theater. The lifetime achievement award was on this occasion awarded to Billy Mitchell the historian at the Apollo Theater.[25] The further recipients of awards at this edition of the gala were; for "Outstanding achievement in support of NYC culture" The Art Deco Society of New York, for "Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Tourism" NYC & Company"s "Tourism Ready training program", for " Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Preservation" the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, for "outstanding website" Curbed New York, for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Photography" Marc Yankus for "Nineteenth Street, The Secret Lives of Buildings", for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Radio Program or Podcast (Audio/Spoken Word)" "Cityscape", WFUV, for "Outstanding Achievement in Fiction NYC Book Writing" Joanne Oppenheim (Author) and Jon Davis (Illustrator) for "The Knish War on Rivington Street", for "Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction NYC Book Writing" Kevin C. Fitzpatrick for "World War I New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the Great War", for "Outstanding Achievement in Essay/Article/Series Writing" Emily Nonko for "Robert Moses and the decline of the NYC subway system", for "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Food" Breaking Bread NYC, and for "Outstanding NYC Museum Exhibition", "New York at Its Core" at the Museum of the City of New York.[26]

2019

The 2019 fifth annual Ganyc Apple awards were hosted by past Golden Apple Awards winners the Bowery Boys at THE SVA Theater in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The winners for this edition of the awards in categories with multiple nominees as follows were; for "Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Culture" the New York City Transit Museum, for "Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Tourism" Paul Torres the head of sales for Statue Cruises, "Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Preservation" the Municipal Art Society, "Outstanding NYC Website" NYPL Digital Collections, "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Photography" Andrew Garn, Empire State Pigeon, from "The New York Pigeon: Behind the Feathers", "Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program or Podcast (Audio/Spoken Word)" Joanna and Kevin's Big Show, Kevin Fitzpatrick's podcast Joanna and Kevin's Big Show - Kevin Fitzpatrick's podcast, "Outstanding Achievement in Fiction NYC Book Writing" Jenniffer Egan for "Manhattan Beach", "Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction NYC Book Writing" Mike Wallace for "Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919 (The History of NYC Series)", "Outstanding Achievement in Essay/Article/Series Writing" Kevin Baker for "Death of a Once Great City: The fall of New York and the urban crisis of affluence", "Outstanding Achievement in NYC Food" Ovenly, and "Outstanding NYC Museum Exhibition" "Poetry in Motion at 25" at The New York Transit Museum. The sustained singular achievement awards were bestowed upon Rozanne Seelen of the Drama Book Shop who received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" and the "Guiding Spirit Award" which was given to Nina Mende the longtime GANYC education committee chair.[27]

2020

The 2020 GANYC apple awards were once again held at the SVA theater and hosted by the Bowery Boys.[28]

References
  1. "Board Members". GANYC.
  2. "CrunchBase".
  3. "WFTGA Members".
  4. "NYC DCA Sightseeing Guide List" (PDF).
  5. Kilgannon, Corey (2019-05-01). "Everyone's Welcome at the Statue of Liberty. Except Tour Guides". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  6. Rosenberg, Zoe (2019-05-01). "Statue of Liberty will ban tour guides from some of its most popular areas". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  7. "Commercial tours restricted at Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. "City Tourism Dips Due to Coronavirus Spread". www.ny1.com. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. Anuta, Joe. "Hotel occupancy rates plummet as coronavirus decimates tourism trade". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  10. "Bleak Times for NYC Tour Guides | WFUV". wfuv.org. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  11. "Times Square Alliance invites Alec Baldwin to visit". WPIX. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  12. ""(Page 15 of 20) - Finding Meaning Off and On the Sidewalk: Walking tour guides and their untidy careers authored by Wynn, Jonathan"".
  13. "GANYC Press Kit" (PDF).
  14. Desk, BWW News. "Brian Stokes Mitchell To Host 4th Annual GANYC Apple Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  15. "The Bowery Boys are hosting an awards show — the 5th Annual GANYC Apple Awards (March 4)". The Bowery Boys: New York City History. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  16. "2015 GANYC Awards Ceremony – Heyevent.com". heyevent.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  17. "An awards show for New York City preservation, history and tourism - The Bowery Boys: New York City History". boweryboyshistory.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  18. "Bowery Boys Archives - The Bowery Boys: New York City History". boweryboyshistory.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  19. "Leonard Nimoy Archives - The Bowery Boys: New York City History". boweryboyshistory.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  20. http://www.ganyc.org/2016-ganyc-apple-awards
  21. http://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2017/01/presenting-3rd-annual-ganyc-apple-awards-nominees.html
  22. http://www.ganyc.org/2017-ganyc-apple-awards
  23. http://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2017/03/2017-ganyc-apple-award-winners-including-nathans-governors-island-us.html
  24. http://www.ganyc.org/2018-ganyc-apple-awards-sponsorship-opportunities
  25. https://www.ganyc.org/2018-ganyc-apple-awards
  26. https://www.ganyc.org/2018-ganyc-apple-awards
  27. https://www.ganyc.org/2019-ganyc-apple-awards
  28. https://svatheatre.com/events/the-6th-annual-ganyc-apple-awards/
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