About Ziggy

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Ever since I graduated from Brooklyn College, I just knew that this 9 to 5 thing was not for me.  Which is why I settled for 8 to 4!  But after doing this for 25 years, and much deliberation with Mrs Z that took years, I finally reached the turning point. In August 2016 I left my Software Engineering job in Hell’s Kitchen to pursue some new ventures and dip my toes in entrepreneurship.  You can still count on me on all your Hell’s Kitchen food news as I have many friends in the area and still spend a considerable amount of time there.  I have a special connection to Hell’s Kitchen that is not going anywhere (see page 38-9 in this month’s issue of W42st).

I’ve always been interested in the tourism business.  For the past few years I’ve been running Hell’s Kitchen food tours for free, partially because of my struggles to find affordable similar local experiences abroad, but mostly because I really enjoy showing people the “Real NY”.  The more I travel, and the more I spend on Trip Advisor forums, the more things become clear to me as far as people wants and needs.  Visitors want to meet locals and have the “local experience” but not really sure how to achieve it.  People want to see Brooklyn (besides Dumbo), but don’t really know how.

I passed the NYC guide license exam with a score of 121, which means I get a star next to my name!  My first star since potty training!  My goal is to provide an experience like no other tour does today, and something you will remember much longer than [name any attraction].  The Brooklyn tour is one such experience I’m particularly excited about.  You will see the diverse side of Brooklyn that shocks even today’s locals who join me in such adventures.  My fascination with the food and history of East Village over the years has helped me design a tour that is exactly what I seek abroad.  And those Hell’s Kitchen food tours have greatly evolved.  More great food, history, culture, and gang stories that will bring the neighborhood to life.
I’ve also joined forces with Local Expeditions who are essentially offering similar local experiences by extremely knowledgeable locals.  For the time being I offer one tour with LE, a walking tour of Hell’s Kitchen called Go To Hell!  An abbreviated version of the food tour
Stay Hungry My Friends!