If you love New York City, and happen to live there too, you can become a big apple greeting, and help visitors from around the world, or even a connecting state, like Connecticut or New Jersey, to enjoy very special parts of New York City. Big Apple Greeters are some of the coolest people on the planet. There’s nothing better than meeting people from around the world and sharing your favorite places and stories.

Tourists come from all over the world to see New York City but it can be rather large and intimidating. What better way to learn all about it than to figure it out with someone who knows the ropes. Learning particular neighborhoods by someone who lives there makes it truly an experience to remember. What’s really nice is to deliberately visit one small part of the city and get to know it. Park Slope is one of my favorites. Borough by borough, the big city has all of the charm, comforts and warmth of a small town. This is what immersion travel is all about: not just visiting but getting to know the community with people who live there, doing what they do and going where they go. Some visitors request to see specific neighborhoods they’d like to see or sometimes leave the choice up to the Greeter.

Any adult can be a greeter. There’s an online application followed by an interview and an orientation session. Greeters highlight the culture and diversity of NYC by sharing neighborhoods, area attractions, and events that make neighborhoods and communities unique. The average neighborhood walking tours take about four hours and public transportation is used. The tours are free and there’s no tipping. Oh the places you’ll go, the people you will meet, and the fun you will have.

For more information: www.bigapplegreeter.org;  http://bigapplegreeter.org/volunteer-faq/; (212) 669-3429. Volunteers are needed in their office as well as Greeters.