GANYC

GANYC

Formation	1974 (1974)
Type	Professional trade association
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Location	New York City
Membership	389
Official language	Multiple languages spoken by its member guides
President	Michael Dillinger
Key people	Emma Guest-Consales (Vice President), Ibrahima Diallo (Vice President), Adrienne Copper (Treasurer), Amanda Anderson (Secretary), Michael Morgenthal (corresponding secretary)[1]
Website	www.ganyc.org

GANYC (Guides Association of New York City) is a non-profit organization and the professional trade association of licensed New York City tour guides, whose aim is to promote professionalism, continuing education, professional development and networking opportunities for its members.^[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.^[3] New York City tour guide licenses are issued by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.^[4] Established in 1974, it is one of the oldest tour guide associations in the United States.^[5] GANYC is a member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.^[6] With a present count of approximately 336 members, GANYC represents about 10.8% of the guides licensed in New York City with an estimated 3,259 guides currently licensed by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.^[7][8]

The organization has also acted as an aid in finding government assistance for its constituents. About one such noteworthy instance following the events of September 11, 2001, member Harry Matthews stated in relating how an organization official reached out ....." She gave guides explicit instructions at association meetings and through GANYC’s newsletter, Guidelines, enabling many to receive invaluable funds"'.... In the same article the author goes on to relate that....""According to the newsletter (Guidelines), having a business address in the southern region of Manhattan was originally required for assistance, but many independent guides like Mr. Matthews learned through GANYC how to argue that, while their address wasn’t on the streets of Lower Manhattan, their business was".... ^[9]

The organization publishes the aforementioned newsletter "Guidelines" of which Dave Gardner is presently the editor-in-Chief.^[10] The Guides association of New York City's current President is Michael Dillinger. ^[11]

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.^[12]

GANYC Apple Awards

Each year GANYC honors the best in New York City culture, preservation and tourism. In 2015 the first GANYC Apple Awards was held at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.^[13] At this event among the nominees and recipients, the artist James Turrell was honored with a lifetime achievement award.^[14] 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".^[15] 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.^[16]

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.^[17]

On March 7, 2017 the third annual GANYC Apple Awards were held at the SVA theater at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.^[18] 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.^[19] 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.^[20]

The Tony award winning broadway Musical star Brian Stokes Mitchell hosted the 2018 Ganyc Apple awards ceremony which took place on March 12.^[21] 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.^[22] 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.^[23]

References

External links

• Official Website