Welcome - why I am starting this blog.

My name is Megan and I am a tour guide in New York City.  (I occasionally get paid to sing, dance, and act in the city, but for all intents and purposes I pay my bills by leading tours.)

Not going to lie, I originally thought, "Oh this will be a super easy day job."  I've lived in NYC for 8 years.  Obviously I know every thing there is to know.  People will pay my millions for my endless knowledge of the city.

Turns out, I know virtually nothing.  Simply studying for the tour exam proved to be a behemoth task.  I didn't even know simple facts such as what "halal" meant much less who Elizabeth Ann Seton was or why we cared.  

Still, I passed the exam on my first try, a fact I am extremely proud of.   But the truth is I barely passed. I think I was two points above the "fail" line.  This didn't really bother me since the only two tours I was leading at the moment were ghost tours and food tours. Who needed to know what the Customs House is.  None of my friends when they visited ever asked about the Customs House. What a silly building to spend more than a second even thinking about.

Then I started giving bus tours to students.  Four hour bus tours.  And each group of students wanted their own customized tours.  It turned out, they really did care about the Customs House, and statuary in Central Park, and St. John the Divine, and the Jewish Heritage Museum.  They got excited because they had studied the Lenape Indians and Emily Roebling and wanted to share their knowledge.  Their excitement made me think, oh - wow - this stuff is pretty cool - and I should probably delve deeper into it!  So I started following around other tour guides where I learned A LOT - including how much I didn't know - such as where to find strawberries in "Strawberry Fields."  

I know at the moment I'm making myself out to be the worst tour guide in NYC.  Perhaps I am.  Perhaps I am not.  The entire reason I am starting this blog is because I want to share with you what I am learning, bit by bit.  The truth is no one can ever know everything there is to know about NYC.  It has a deep rich history and is in a constant state of change.  I'm going to attempt to share a little tidbit about NYC every day.  Hopefully I will learn. Hopefully you will learn.  Hopefully someone will even read this blog.  

I just know that the city is full of wonders, mysteries, and history.  The only way to uncover these gems is by asking questions, and I realize I have not been asking enough.  So I am going to ask questions and share whatever answers I find with you.

Please feel free to e-mail me if YOU have a question and I will endeavour to find an answer for you.  meganmermaid@gmail.com