I had a bad experience during a Harlem tour today.

[MoonRiver]

My husband and I were visiting New York, and took a Harlem tour today before leaving the city. This tour, which included a church service (absolutely awesome and highly recommended), was booked through, remember this name, NEW YORK VISIONS Sightseeing Tours. Anyway, I had been looking forward to seeing where Clinton's office space was, and just assumed (silly me) that our tour guide would find that a rather significant sight to point out. So, after touring around on the bus for about 30 minutes nothing had been mentioned. Suddently, a passenger shouted out: "Isn't that Clinton's office?". So our guide responded by saying the following (I'm paraphrasing somewhat although I remember it pretty clearly as I was really steamed): 'Oh, yeah, that was Clinton's office (of course nobody could see it anymore). He came here cause it was cheap. He's popular in Harlem.' END OF CONVERSATION.

But, get this. A little later she screams for us to look at a poodle somebody is walking. She talks about its coat (ooh, beautiful) and size (standard) and how she just can never resist pointing out poodles cause they're her fav doggie! So, by this time I'm boiling and steaming and I really needed the Harlem revival to work some of this anger out. Then, when we finally got home about an hour ago, I blast off an e-mail to the tour company complaining about this blatant disrespect and disregard for an American President. We'll see if and how they respond ( I promise to share).

[Catherine Vincent]

1. The bitch obviously isn't a Clinton fan.

[MoonRiver]

2. What I'm wondering if this is a corporate thing.

Most of these guides have scripts about exactly what to point out and talk about. The company clearly decided to ignore Clinton's office space. I almost titled my thread BOYCOTT New York Visions. But I don't know what the story is until, or if, they respond to my e-mail. Maybe we just had a renegade rightwinger tour guide. Somehow I doubt that, but I don't know.

[TwentyFive]

3. Kudos to you for sticking up for our Last Great President

If I owned that tour company, I would fire the woman.

If she puts poodles above President Clinton's office, then she is obviously a lousy tourguide.

[NYC]

4. Originally, Clinton was going to move into the tower above

Carnegie Hall. The rent was very expensive. So, it is true that he moved into the Harlem office building because it was cheaper.

[Bridget Burke]

6. But, surely other cheap offices could have been found. And...

Harlems's glad to have him.

From her insurance office in Harlem, Carol Bellamy recalls meeting her neighbor, former President Bill Clinton, as he worked the streets like a local politician, greeting people and chatting them up like he was still running for office.

"It was unbelievable that a president of the United States should take such an interest in us," said Bellamy, whose company is one of several Harlem area small businesses receiving technical and managerial assistance through a program set up with Clinton's help.

Shortly after opening his own office in Harlem, Clinton cooperated with the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, New York University's business school, the financial company Booz, Allen, Hamilton and others in starting the program. For Bellamy's modest insurance firm, it meant meeting with seasoned MBAs who provided specific advice that improved her accounting methods, her marketing approach and her focus on her financial goals. Other small Harlem businesses helped by the program include a flower store, a wedding and card shop, a plumbing company, a restaurant, a dentist and a pharmacy.

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/5774.html

I can imagine Bush The Smarter making a few phone calls to secure cheap--or free-space in a more prestigious location. Clinton has made the best of moving to Harlem.

(Edited to add. The attached article could have furnished a few interesting comments for the guide's presentation. But she's got other priorities.)

[MoonRiver]

8. I remember he was harassed into moving by the rightwing attack machine

They never let up on how much money he was spending, although virtually every other president, including and especially Reagan, spent equal amounts, relative to the cost of living, on their post-presidential offices.

[NYC]

9. I think Reagan spent more, not "equal".

Either way, you are correct. They hounded him about the Carnegie Hall rent.

[MoonRiver]

12. But, everything is AOK if it involves a Repukelican.

:mad:

[mattclearing]

23. Such bullshit...the MSM made a big deal out of the rent, but Bush Jr. can

put his presidential offices on the Moon, and I'm sure they would be on about what a fantastic move President Bush was making into the office space of the future.

:eyes:

[NYC]

27. I wish he would put his office on the moon.

Do it NOW.

[sakabatou]

5. Would it have made your day if...

the poodle just suddenly attacked that woman?

[MoonRiver]

7. Or at least lifted his leg at her

:D

[rinsd]

10. You have to be kidding me.....

Now we're going to complain about people not showing enough reverance about Clinton?

Christ, we are freaking right wingers.

[w4rma]

11. Reverance? The company policy is to *ignore* Clinton's historic office in

Harlem. Are you going to sit there and whine that Democrats aren't fighting hard enough when you won't stand up to defend Democrats when someone is obviously ripping us down every day at their TOURING job?

Do you think only rightwingers should be allowed to fight? Do you think fighting is ideologically right-wing?

[rinsd]

13. Let me get my waders on.....

Company policy is to ignore what? Clinton having his office in Harlem?

"Are you going to sit there and whine that Democrats aren't fighting hard enough when you won't stand up to defend Democrats when someone is obviously ripping us down every day at their TOURING job?"

Yes, let's go apeshit about this. The tour guide wasn't kind enough to the former president. How dare they!

"obviously ripping us down every day "

Gee and here I thought the company policy was to ignore the historic office space where Clinton receievs his official mail.

"Do you think only rightwingers should be allowed to fight?"

No.

"Do you think fighting is ideologically right-wing?"

When its making blacklists. When its excluding friends and family.

And when its complaining that a fucking tour guide was not sufficiently reverant in pointing out a former President's current business offices.

Yeah that's right wing bullshit.

[w4rma]

14. Obviously you're willing to take alot more BS than most folks.

Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coutler, Sean Hannity, etc. etc. all are where they are today because Democrats did not stand up to them when they were small. When something like this happens you fix the problem, not ignore it. It's not a right-wing trait it's a trait of winners. Losers allow small problems to grow into unsustainable problems. Winners sight the problem while it's small and deal with it.

[rinsd]

16. Mountains and molehills.....

We're not talking about the latest turd blossum on the AM dial. We're talking about an individual.

Even then you're comparing this person to the absolute worst excesses of their supposed ideology with little proof of such.

That's another right wing mentality trait.

[MoonRiver]

17. It wasn't a molehill. Believe me, you had to be there.

Maybe my description of the event wasn't succinct enough (I was very tired after getting home). What went down reminded me of the propaganda I used to have to listen to ad nauseum from the MSM, before I permanently boycotted their fascist arses. Everything derogatory about Dems, whether subtle or blatant, was allowed and encouraged, while the smallest peep against Pukes was a decided NO-NO. Frankly, I'm mad as hell and not going to put up with this crap anymore. If you want to keep taking it, that's your decision. Don't expect many here to sympathetically follow your lead though. DUers have never resembled lemmings.

[rinsd]

18. Based on your intitial description, can you blame me?

You basically stated that the tour guide didn't mention the Clinton office at first and then when doing so was brief and deragatory.

You didn't mention that guide spent more than that timebashing Democrats or that when anyone said anything about Bush or Republicans they were shushed.

Is that what happened or are we now extropolating theis incident to every encounter we have with the likes of Hannity and Rush and their disciples?

[MoonRiver]

19. She was extremely negative toward Clinton, imho.

She didn't want to point out one of the most significant, again imho, sights in Harlem because of her and or her company's political agenda. The tone of her voice and expressions on her face were extremely negative in her nasty, albeit brief, discussion about our last duly elected president. As I mentioned if you want to lie down and play dead, go for it. I won't.

[rinsd]

20. "As I mentioned if you want to lie down and play dead, go for it. I won't.

Do what you want. I just thinks its ridiculous.

So now its both her and her company's political agenda. The web expands and contracts.

And out of all the things to see in Harlem, what the hell makes Clinton's business office so damn important? Seriously. There are certianly far more siginificant sites in Harlme than that.

[w4rma]

24. More important? Like a poodle walking by the front of the office? (nt)

[rinsd]

25. Never said the tour guide was good at their job (nt)

[w4rma]

26. That depends on whether the tour guide was doing as she was told.

If it is company policy not to mention Clinton's office on the tour as they pass by it, then she was doing her job as she was supposed to.

[0007]

15. I certainly wouldn't have been as reserved as you were.

I definitely would have made a few comments here and there and especially when she opened her mouth to praise the poodle.

That why I hate guided tours and tourist traps!

[ucmike]

21. in all fairness....

that building is pretty non-descript and there's not a whole lot to see. not exactly the highlight of a guided tour. and if i'm not mistaken, its near the appollo theatre, which would draw the attention, not an office building. there's no real mention of clinton, and he shares the building with some county offices and such.


sometimes we need to lighten up.

[MoonRiver]

22. You're right.

A poodle has much greater relevance to Harlem than our 42nd president. :eyes:

[ucmike]

28. no, you're right.

except that you're talking about leased space in an office building, not the 42nd President of the US. Should the tourguide also have pointed out all the bookstores that carry his book?

Geez, you paid for a gimmicky tour bus ride and are upset that they didn't specifically highlight the one spot in town that fed your political hunger.
Get off the bus, walk down 125th street and check it out yourself. Go in the lobby and sit with the people there waiting to get into the county offices for whatever services they are waiting for. it's all terribly exciting.

Beleive me, Clinton isn't there waving at voters and thanking dems for their support.

(PS, I've been inside, its no great experience either.)