The Foods of New York Tours (foodsofny.com) has offered a variety of food tasting and cultural walking tours in New York City since 1999. All tours last approximately three hours and include food tasting from a variety of specialty-food shops and ethnic restaurants while learning about the history of the neighborhood. It five tours include: Chinatown (with five tastings in three restaurants and two specialty shops), Greenwich Village (six tastings through West Village), Central Greenwich Village (seven tastings in five specialty shops and two restaurants), Chelsea Market (eight tastings at seven specialty shops and one restaurant), and Nolita (beginning in June 2011), which covers north of Little Italy with tastings ranging from Roman-style pizza and Brooklyn blackout cake to authentic Mexican tacos. The original Greenwich Village tour is offered seven days a week while the other tours are offered on specific days only.
With all of the attention given to the wine regions of central New York State, L I Vineyard Tours (livineyardtours.com) offers chauffeur-driven tours to wine vineyards located on the the eastern end of Long Island instead. The tours can accommodate from two persons in a luxury Lincoln Town Car limousine to 48 passengers on board the luxury tour bus with couch-style seating. The wine tours visit a minimum of three wineries where guests tour the facilities and enjoy tastings of the various wines. Additional aspects of the tours can be individually customized to include lunch at a choice of wineries or at one of the many fine restaurants in the area.
The privately owned Erie Canal Cruises (eriecanalcruises.com) has provided sightseeing cruises for up to 60 passengers on the historic Erie Canal since 2002. Led by captain Jerry Gertz on board the U.S. Coast Guard certified 51-foot trawler, highlights of the 90-minute narrated tours include: Lock 18 that lowers the boat 20 feet to meet the level of the Mohawk River, and views Fort Herkimer, which includes the second oldest surviving church in New York State. The tours are offered twice a day and conveniently depart from the Gems Along the Mohawk, an upscale dining and shopping facility located in the town of Herkimer.
In addition to being the location in central New York State known for its lakes and exceptional wineries, those with an interest in antiques will enjoy exploring the hundreds of antique shops in the area's 14 surrounding counties (ilovethefingerlakes.com). The region also offers 27 different annual antique shows throughout the year that includes a minimum of 100 dealers at each show. The eastern side of Seneca Lake along State Route 414 is one example of a road that includes many shops and road-side sellers offering interesting items for the right price.
