Guides
Ben Paganelli
Ben grew up about an hour-and-a-half from Grand Central Terminal in the Hudson Valley. He has vivid childhood memories of family trips into the city to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and being blown away by the enormity and magic of the city during the holidays. Later, as a teenager, he and friends would regularly make up alibis to sell their parents so they could sneak onto a Metro North train and walk from Midtown to the Village to buy comic books and bootleg cassettes and see live shows. He finally moved to the city full-time in 2003.
Ben had the incredible opportunity to become a news assistant at NY1 which got him deeply concerned about local issues. That led to a position at a local good-government group where he wrote about corruption and held forum discussions to help communities more thoroughly interact with their local governments. In early 2014, Ben got his NYC Sightseeing Guide license and has since been leading tours for Rockefeller Center, several neighborhood food and history tours, and the observatory at One World Trade Center.
Dani Cervone
Dani has moved around a lot over the years, but has called New York City home since 2004 . She is a performer, a yoga instructor, and feline enthusiast. Her favorite thing about New York is wandering around and discovering hidden gems all on her own.
Dani was lucky enough to be a part of the first year crew at One World Observatory and soon after got her licence to be a professional Sightseeing Guide for New York City. She is thrilled that she can now combine her love of performing with her passion for NYC and everyday show people from around the world her favorite things about her favorite city.
Alan Gillespie
Originally from Royal Oak, Michigan (even though he loves to say he’s from Detroit), Alan grew up watching David Letterman, Night Court, and Saturday Night Live, and always dreamed of living in New York City. Alan studied at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and, after college, his dream finally came true.
In 1997, Alan moved to the Big Apple to study musical theatre at The American Musical & Dramatic Academy. Throughout his years in NYC, he has had the opportunity to sing on numerous occasions at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Now a happy New Yorker, his love for NYC has been transformed into being a licensed tour guide and working at One World Observatory. Alan resides in a walk-up apartment in his favorite neighborhood, Hell’s Kitchen. He loves the 65 steps to the top floor (yes, he still counts the steps to the “penthouse!”). Alan is excited to share his years of exploration, personal insight, and passion for NYC!!
Ryan Witte
Ryan has been ravenously studying the Fine and Applied Arts for nearly a third of a century, and is particularly passionate about examining the intersection of Architectural Expression and Social Justice. Born in Columbus, Ohio, he most remembers Pittsburgh, PA, from his youth and Long Island from his teen years. He’s lived in rural, exurban, suburban, and urban America, and has traveled extensively, but considers New York City his home, from now to the indeterminate future.
Ryan is a licensed NYC Tour Guide with over fifteen years of experience in the business. He’s guided tours at Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the New York Transit Museum, One World Observatory, and even the Bronx Zoo. His favorite hobby is renting a car for a road trip to explore and photograph a mid-century architectural masterpiece somewhere in the tri-state area — with some great tunes blasting on the sound system.