As a one-on-one organization, I know of none more effective then Big Apple Greeters at offering visitors to New York City an opportunity to visit some of the most interesting areas in the company of a New Yorker with nothing to sell and absolutely no ax to grind. As a Greeter, my aim is to showcase the city in a way that leaves my visitors with the feeling that New York is a friendly, welcoming place -- and, hopefully, the wish to come back often.

Ever since I signed on as Big Apple Greeter about five years ago, I have been struck by how effectively this organization engenders immense good will among visitors to the city. It offers one of the best opportunities for tourists to interact with a New Yorker -- not the shallow, anonymous interaction travelers experience with hotel clerks and restaurant waiters, but an extended 'visit' of several hours with someone who has no axe to grind, is not trying to sell them anything, and hopes only that when the visitor departs he or she will carry a warm sense that New York is a friendly, helpful city -- one that the visitor looks forward to returning to soon again. Being able to present the city I love in a positive way is the greatest reward of being a Big Apple Greeter.