About Take a Walk New York

At Take a Walk New York, we are passionate about New York City and find it an endless source of fascination and excitement. We love uncovering layers of history hidden in plain sight and learning about villains, heroes, and everyday folk who have made this city great. We became licensed NYC sightseeing guides because we enjoy sharing the city’s stories with other people, both New Yorkers who have lived here most of their lives and visitors new to the city. We are thrilled when a native New Yorker tells us: “I’ve walked by here dozens of times, and I never noticed that. Thanks for opening my eyes.” 

Our tours are designed to be entertaining, educational, and interactive. We offer two types of tours, scheduled tours and custom tours. We believe that the best way to experience the history, neighborhoods, parks, and art of the city is by walking through its streets. Take a walk with us, and you’ll discover a New York you cannot see from a bus window or experience by reading a guidebook.​

Laurie Lewis

About 25 years ago, Laurie Lewis was taking out-of-town relatives on a walk through Central Park. One visitor said to her, “You really know this park. You should become a tour guide.” That notion stuck with her, although she was too busy with her freelance medical editing and writing business to act on it until 2007. That’s when Laurie became a tour guide for the Central Park Conservancy. Several years later she decided to expand her tours to the entire city when she was ready to “retire” from her 30-year freelance business. (Freelancers never actually retire, however, nor do writers, especially when they have award-winning books. In fact, in 2022, her book New York City Firsts: Big Apple Innovations That Changed the Nation and the World was published.) Laurie is now a licensed New York City sightseeing guide. She is like a park-seeking missile, including “pocket parks” and other green spaces on most of her tours. Take a walk with Laurie and discover how the fascinating history, great buildings, and lovely parks all combine to make New York such a fantastic city.

Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen is passionate about New York City. Diverse neighborhoods, the food, public art, architecture, and cultural institutions are sources of endless delight and fascination for this native of Brooklyn and Manhattan resident. Walk almost anywhere and there are layers of history in front of you, if you know how to see what's there. Alan, a former psychologist and college professor, has been exploring those layers most of his adult life. For fun, he started giving tours of his favorite places to friends. He became a tour guide for the Central Park Conservancy and a licensed New York City sightseeing guide because he loves to share New York's beauty and its stories. Photo ops of New York iconic landmarks are fine. It's even more rewarding to know the stories behind them. Take a walk with Alan and learn why New York is the world’s most interesting city.

Deborah Harley

Deborah began her career as a print graphic designer before being diverted to what was then something brand new: the web. An early web designer and developer, she still works in the field. After moving to New York City in 2007, she made her home just a few blocks from Central Park and quickly became enthralled by both the city and the Park. As a result, she volunteered as a tour guide for the Central Park Conservancy for seven years and became a licensed NYC tour guide in 2015. Deborah’s passion has always been history -- the stories of people and how their lives and events continue to affect us. New York is filled with those stories. Take a walk with Deborah and discover the hows and whys not only of New York, but of America as well.