Airbnb Experiences is now available in New York City and customers will have the chance to spend time with local entrepreneurs, talented artists, and experts and experience The Big Apple in a different way.
Airbnb Experiences New York City is like getting a special tour to some of the city’s hot spots and hidden gems while learning a new craft or dining in a restaurant you may have overlooked. You get the chance to hang out with Airbnb “Experience Hosts” that offer private tours of the city.
The different Airbnb experiences range from going on a Harlem jazz crawl with a music industry vet to learning the art of hatmaking from a talented milliner in Midtown to learning about street dancing in the South Bronx.
For instance, for $29 you can book an Airbnb Experience with a master beekeeper Asher Landesin Staten Island and learn about bees and inspect beehives on a rooftop in Staten Island.
If you’re into street art and graffiti, you can book a session with graffiti legend James Top for a walking tour in Harlem to check out some of his favorite graffiti art pieces and learn about the history of the craft. You’ll be given supplies and James will teach you a few tagging techniques to craft your own masterpiece on canvas. The 2.5 hour session will run you 75 bucks.
If Latin food is your favorite, for 35 bucks you can take a two-hour tour beginning in Jackson Heights. You’ll be escorted by a Queens native to try food from authentic Dominican, Mexican and Colombia food spots in the area.
The service also offers unique experiences with New York celebrities. On the Airbnb Experiences page, they are offering a personalized shopping trip with actress Sarah Jessica Parker where you will “discover Manhattan with the city’s ultimate fashionista.” You’ll get the chance to meet the one and only SJP at Bloomingdale’s and get a pair of shoes from her SJP Collection. You will then head to Forty Carrots and be treated to Frozen Yogurt. And then you’ll receive one ticket to the New York City Ballet where you’ll have great seats and a few “VIP surprises.” According to the listing, that experience costs $400 per person but has already sold out. Bummer.
If you’re not looking to chill with Sarah Jessica Parker and live your life like a cast member of “Sex and The City,” Airbnb has plenty of other options for locals and tourists alike to experience the city that never sleeps from an insider’s perspective including a tour with Polaroid photographer Jean Andre and street dance lessons in the South Bronx hosted by “It’s Showtime NYC.“
The service seems to be a cool way to have a tour of New York City that’s a little different than just seeing the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building, and it gives people the opportunity to have unique introduction to the city. However, just like any other tour guide experience, there are bound to be some negative reviews of the tour or the host during the session. And if you’re one of the lucky few who got the chance to hang with Sarah Jessica Parker, we’re looking hear what that was like.
Airbnb Experiences in NYC
