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About Us

Get to know NYC & Brooklyn with our highly-rated food, fashion and art tours!

Like A Local Tours provides sustainable, memorable experiences in NYC and Brooklyn by connecting locals and tourists to authentic tour guides and local businesses. We showcase NYC and Brooklyn neighborhoods through food, fashion, art, and history and bring you immersive experiences that will leave you with great memories and a deep understanding of the area.

Like A Local Tours is an award winning, New York City-based, woman-founded, and operated tour company that was launched in 2014. Since then, we have served over 25,000 customers and specialize in high-quality, authentic and fun experiences.

Our tour guides bring neighborhoods to life through the art of storytelling and leave lasting impressions with top-notch customer service. Guides are part entertainer, part concierge, part encyclopedia- juggling all of these roles with a smile on their faces and a belly full of some of the best bites NYC has to offer.

Like A Local Tours is a certified M/WBE (MWCERT2021-67).

 

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Like A Local is committed to supporting local, community-based organizations with a cause. We are a member of Tourism Cares, and through our Social Impact Initiative, we offer meaningful engagement and funds directly to our local non-profit and community partners.

On your tour you will hear the term “social impact”, but what does that really mean? For us, social impact is making sure that we have a positive impact on the communities we live and work in, as well as the amazing places we explore with our tours. We believe that truly experiencing a place “like a local” means having meaningful engagement that supports local, community-based organizations and learning about their causes and the people making them happen. Just as we carefully select the places you’ll visit and the food you’ll try, we have also carefully selected our social impact partners to showcase the amazing work being done in our communities. Your patronage on our tours is a small act to help these initiatives flourish. We want to help our visitors explore NYC on an authentic level and make sure that we are all having a positive impact while doing it.

Each adventure you take with us has a positive impact above and beyond just the experience. Take a tour or contact us to learn more! We offer a range of public tours but also accommodate private tours (large and small) as well as corporate outings. We work with travel trade and offer net rates to affiliates and partners.

Lauren Beebe with friend

LAUREN WITH PATRICIA FIELD, NYC ICON AND COSTUME DESIGNER FOR SEX AND THE CITY.

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About the Founder, Lauren Beebe

Originally from Wisconsin, Lauren grew up in Minnesota, Texas and Pennsylvania. She holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business from Penn State and moved to NYC after she graduated. Lauren has worked in the tourism and hospitality industry for over 15 years. Lauren also has a passion for travel of course, as well as the outdoors and the arts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Prior to starting her business, she was Head of Marketing for Algodon Partners, a Private Equity / Venture Capital Firm with hospitality related holdings in South America. Lauren is a member of NYC & Company (NYC’s destination marketing organization), Tourism Cares and is on the Advisory Board of Reach The World, an NYC-based non profit that makes the benefits of travel accessible to classrooms, inspiring students to become curious, confident global citizens.

Lauren has spoken at many industry conferences and is a mentor in NYC & Co’s Tourism Ready initiative. The goal is to increase visitation to off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods throughout the City and help local businesses reap the monetary benefits of tourism. New York City’s travel and tourism sector generates approximately $66 billion in annual economic impact.

Lauren is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy. She also completed a certificate program in Sustainable Tourism from George Washington University and a certificate program in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School.

Like A Local, LLC is licensed and insured. Like A Local is a registered trademark.

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Chelsea Wangberg, Director of Operations

Chelsea was born and raised in Alaska, where she currently resides. She began her career in tourism as a tour guide and tour director leading tours all across North America. She received guide certification from the International Tour Management Institute in 2016 and has led tours from New England to the US Southwest to the Canadian Rockies.

After years of adventures bringing new destinations to life for guests she decided to make the transition to Operations to use her skillset to help tour companies bolster and grow their offerings and streamline their business. She is passionate about the tourism industry and excited for the future as tourism continues to evolve and grow.

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Arianne Alipio, Administrative Assistant

Arianne holds a Degree in Tourism Management and has always been drawn to the world of travel and hospitality. As a Digital Marketer, Arianne particularly shines in social media management and design, always aiming to capture the essence of hospitality and travel in her work. Her passion for travel and hospitality, combined with her digital marketing expertise has made her an integral part of the Like A Local Tours team.

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Catie Fontano, Social Media Manager

Catie brings over eight years of social media experience, backed by a degree in media studies. She enjoys navigating the dynamic landscape of social media and, outside of work, delights in trying new foods and exploring through travel.

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Carmen Portela, Advisor

Carmen Portela is a marketing and product development professional with 20+ years of experience in the travel, tourism & lifestyle industries. Carmen was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She started her career in the public sector, where she held various positions in the marketing & public relations departments at the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. In her last position Carmen held at PRTC was Public Relations Director.  In 2008, Carmen founded Synapse, the first social media agency in Puerto Rico tailored to the hospitality space, with projects and clients such as:  Wyndham Hotels (Puerto Rico & Grand Cayman); ESPN; Caribbean Tourism Organization; PGA Tour; FIBA Americas; Puerto Rico Tourism Company; Empresas Santana; Rincón Beach Resort and the Municipality of Caguas. Miss Portela and her team are considered pioneers in the field of social media communications throughout the Caribbean.

Through Carmen’s work with tourism stakeholders and her deep passion for traveling (with a purpose), she identified the demand for more immersive and community driven experiences in the Caribbean. On August 2017, a month before Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico, Portela launched Local Guest, a platform serving as the link for  travelers who want to make a difference by supporting the local economy through regenerative experiences that impact community through sustainability. In the aftermath of Hurricane María, she established the Love in Motion Foundation, now a 501c3. Through this non-profit Carmen organized and led scores of volunteers to carry out humanitarian relief efforts in the wake of the passing of Hurricane María impacting communities in over 20 municipalities.  Love In Motion now has an agreement with US Forest Service El Yunque National Rainforest for the development of three community-based projects: trailing, volunteering and wellness. During the pandemic Local Guest temporarily ceased operations and the team pivoted into a new endeavour -sustainable living. Bana is a B2B online membership, including an educational and marketing network of sustainable living products, experiences and services.  Local Guest is now a division of Bana,  offering wellbeing and nature experiences that range from forest therapy to mindful hikes, together with community-based projects.

Carmen is considered a thoughtful leader in the areas of community-based tourism development and sustainable tourism. She held a seat at the Board of the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association and was the Allied Committee Chairperson for four consecutive years. She now holds a seat at Discover Puerto Rico Local Advisory Board. She holds professional certifications on Sustainable Tourism Destination Management from the George Washington University, Organizing Communities for Change from the Harvard’s Institute of the HealthCare and on Improvement & Consulting for the Creation and Implementation of Tourism endeavours & startups from the University of Salamanca.

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Our Team & Guides

All of our guides are licensed, local and experienced.

Lara

Lara is an actress, tour guide, and death doula currently residing in Queens. Over the 15 years she’s lived in NYC, she is still very much enchanted by walking around, exploring this great city she calls home. She also shares her adventures around town as the social media personality on TikTok for Like A Local Tours.

Seth

Seth Zakula is an actor, comedian, and tour guide living in Brooklyn since 2011. He loves showing groups around this incredible city he has made his home.

Dianna

Dianna is a native New Yorker whose traveled to over 96 countries. She loves sharing the culture, history and food of her home city to visitors and locals.

Svetlana

I’m a French-American from Normandy, New Yorker by heart since 2014. I was a tour guide in France and I came to NYC to study the Tenement Museum, the city’s Architecture and History, and the People who made this city. In my tours, you’ll learn about those three and more, from my love of this place as an outsider first, then as a Brooklynite and an American citizen now. I like to think that I will make it fun too!

Outside of my NYC tour guide life, I also teach a range of classes in French in a private institute. I enjoy drawing, walking around NYC, and going to live music events!

Brendan

I am native New Yorker born and raised in Manhattan.    I have been a licensed NYC Tour Guide since 2013 and love showing my hometown to everyone from locals to first timers.   When not leading tours I am also working on various film, tv and theater projects.

Christine

Christine is an actor, writer and comedian who has been living blissfully in Brooklyn for the past four years! Originally from Ohio, Christine has always loved all things New York, and that love has kept on growing since she became a tour guide in 2021. When she’s not giving tours, you can find Christine performing in comedy shows throughout the city, thrifting around her neighborhood of Bushwick, getting her nails done, or going to the bodega to grab a little snack. She can’t wait to share New York with you!

David

David has been in love with New York ever since moving here in 2009. He worked for two of the city’s top restaurant groups during a decade-long career in NYC hospitality, and remains obsessed with its culinary scene. He is an improviser, actor, musician, and all around solid dude.

Chris

Chris Goodrich is a tour guide and theater director originally from Nashville, TN. He moved to Brooklyn in 2015, and has fallen in love with the restaurant scene in New York. He attended the University of Miami where he received his BFA.

Justin

Justin is an award winning writer, actor and filmmaker who loves NYC! He loves guiding people around the city he loves, and seeing their faces when learning about it’s history. The best part about being a tour guide, according to him, is bringing the city alive for people and exposing them to facts and truths they didn’t know, whether you’re an out of towner or lived here you’re whole life. However, Justin’s favorite part about being a tour guide is, less face it, the food. NYC is a melting pot of seemingly every culture on earth so naturally you can get authentic anything of everything in NYC and Justin loves giving people the chance to try some of the best food not only NYC has to offer, but the world. No matter the group size, Justin aims to make every tour a personal experience you won’t soon forget!

Amalya

A working Fashion and Textile Designer, Amalya launched her own sustainable womenswear line in 2017. Based in Brooklyn, her work is now selling in like minded boutiques internationally. Ever inspired by the city around her, and its local style Amalya has been working as a licensed Fashion Tour Guide and Personal Shopper for the past four years. “I gain so much inspiration from meeting curious shoppers from all over the world! Each person’s unique style really sheds new light on the city I already know and love so well. It’s amazing being able to introduce people to their new favorite designers and shops!” While specializing in specific to NYC boutiques of both independent designers and vintage gems, Amalya tailors her tours to your taste-you will definitely end the day with your new favorite piece!

Walter

Hey, I’m Walter: A Brooklyn born (Wyckoff Heights Hospital!), lifelong New Yorker. As I always say at the top of my tours “I’m a native New Yorker, so you’re in good hands!” When I’m not doing tour guide work, I am also an actor and director, doing film and theater all over the city.