Abigail loves New York and assures you if you spend a day with her and you will too.

I'm Abigail Ekue, born and bred New Yorker. I'm a chocolate snob, a cocktail-drinking baby oenophile who enjoys live music, art openings, dollar pizza, Chipotle, a proper steak frites, my pad thai spicy, mango-flavored anything and is rarely disoriented when I ascend from the subway. I have a strong interest in health and fitness and that is a big part of why I love walking -- it's a warm-up, workout and cool-down all in one.  I also don't drive so it's how I get around! 

Through my service, Native Creative Concierge™ I immerse my clients on the ground level of the rapidly changing New York. What started out as 'hanging out' with visitors to NY and helping non-native speakers practice their English, has evolved into full fledged excursions curated for clients. I enjoy meeting travelers from all over the world and sharing parts of NYC they'd never find on their own or showing them the places they see on TV through a New Yorker's eyes. My clients are first-time and repeat visitors to New York City who want a local experience -- from 20-somethings to baby boomers, business travelers to YOLO explorers. 

I am an official NYC Travel Specialist as recognized by NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York. I have lived, worked, played or visited all 5 boroughs over the past 30 years. There's no denying the city and its people fuel the imagination and afford the opportunity to live it up. 

As a photographer, published author and writer, my creative eye is an asset when planning itineraries, capturing my clients' experiences with my artistic and editorial photographic style, or arranging meet-ups and events. My photography and writing have been featured in Time Out New York, AM New York, Flavorwire, The Huffington Post, at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, on a billboard in Times Square and at The Museum of the City of New York. 

I have a degree in Sports Sciences; I understand the importance of being in shape for the epic odysseys I have in store for you. The walk-and-talk is a great way to connect and explore a new location. With New York being such a pedestrian-friendly city, why wouldn't we 'walk the streets'? I am also CPR and AED certified though I hope I never have to use those skills! 

Some of my highlights and favorite moments since starting Native Creative Concierge™:

• Worked with the NY/NJ Super Bowl XLVIII Host Committee

• Hired the New York City Mayor's Office ASL interpreter to work alongside my deaf and hearing-impaired clients from Germany

• Lead a team for location scouting and filming with Samsung Italia

• Ran the Boozy Treats Tour through the East Village, LES, Nolita and SoHo during the summer of 2013

• Featured on The Root's 50 Gift Ideas From Black-Owned Businesses

• Quoted in WestJet Magazine (print edition) about the Brooklyn art scene worth checking out

• Donated excursions to the Guys and Dolls Charity Auction benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation three years in a row

• Gained access to 190 Bowery during it's first and last open access to the public

• Taking my 10-year-old client (along with her family!) on her first subway ride

• Hired twice by a major corporate client to work with their market research teams' on cultural immersions in neighborhoods in The Bronx and Brooklyn...and Miami, FL

• Jam session with NY musicians in Washington Heights

• Private tour of Weylin B. Seymour's in Williamsburg

Your trip to New York is getting closer; contact me so I can get started on your Private Excursion. Whether it's 4 hours, 6 hours, or a customized length of time, allow me to share my NY with you!