Big Apple
"Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the "New York Morning Telegraph". Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by the New York tourist authorities.
Greeter
The first Greeter initiative was New York's Big Apple Greeters, founded by Lynn Brooks in 1992. It was hoped that the program, sponsored by Manhattan borough president Ruth Messinger, would improve New York's reputation as a "dangerous, expensive and overwhelming" place by letting tourists see it through the eyes of its residents. This idea soon spread to a variety of tourist destinations across the world.