Gray Line New Orleans, the oldest and largest tour company in the city, is celebrating 100 years of showcasing the city to visitors.
Top Gray Line Worldwide executives Gudrun Thorisdottir, President, and Dale Berridge, Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President, traveled from Iceland and Denver to offer congratulations and commemorate the many awards the New Orleans team has earned over the years.
Thorisdottir took part in a dockside press conference last month followed by a seersucker-themed industry event on the steamboat Natchez.
The Gray Line brand was born in 1910, when a restaurateur repurposed an old Mack Truck chassis, painted it blue and gray, and offered sightseeing tours of Washington, D.C.
Gray Line expanded to other major cities and by 1926, operators were established in New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Havana. Today, Gray Line operates in 700 locations on six continents.
Showing off the ‘Paris of America’
In 1924, New Orleans, then known as “The Paris of America,” was the largest city in the South with a population of 387,219, according to the 1920 census.
The Toye brothers, who already ran a successful Yellow Cab company, began operating Gray Line Tours. Many of the tours in the 1920s featured the same iconic highlights as the tours today, such as Jackson Square, Pirate’s Alley, beautiful architecture, parks, universities, cemeteries, and nightlife.
Greg Hoffman, Gray Line’s Chief Administrative Officer, took the helm in 1987 when the New Orleans Steamboat Company acquired Gray Line. He described how the tours have evolved over the years and how Gray Line balances uniquely creative experiences with popular, must-see sights.
He told of the successes and struggles of the company, often in rhythm with the prosperous and painful eras of modern-day New Orleans. Hoffman said technology and the times continue to drive change, but the basic formula for an amazing tour remains the same.
“We still rely on knowledgeable local guides creating memorable experiences by engaging guests with a perspective on history that has depth, nuance, and a bit of humor,” Hoffman said.
General Manager Brent Hoeman detailed Gray Line’s expansion into the charter bus business since he came aboard in 2010. He noted that it was just after the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl, and the nation saw that New Orleans, then five years post-Hurricane Katrina, was ready for visitors.
Sharing memories
Longtime Gray Line partners representing swamp tours, plantations, restaurants, jazz clubs, and cooking schools participated in the event to showcase their attractions and share memorabilia with the New Orleans tourism industry.
Retired tour guides reminisced, and hospitality veterans regaled “the good ole days,” toasting with classic New Orleans cocktails, the history of which is a highlight of the Craft Cocktail Walking Tour. The Sazerac, often billed as the nation’s first cocktail, originated in New Orleans.
Aggie Canales, a sales and marketing manager since 2002, brought the ups and downs into perspective in a toast that began with the history of seersucker. New Orleans often gets credit for inventing seersucker because a haberdasher popularized the blue and white suit we know today. However, the fabric’s origin dates back to India in the 1700s. Seersucker is woven with slack tension, making one line smooth and one line puckered, so the fabric is breathable and doesn’t require pressing.
The name “seersucker” comes from the Persian “shir shukkar,” meaning milk and sugar, because it resembled gritty cane sugar and smooth milk in color and texture.
“In life and in business, we want everything to go smoothly and wrinkle-free, but it’s the combination of smooth and gritty that makes us durable, able to breathe through the heat, and keep our composure,” Canales said.
“We thank God for the strength to get us through the gritty times as much as we are thankful for the smooth times. Gray Line, like the city of New Orleans, has been through it all, remaining resilient and beloved. Today, looking back over 100 years and looking forward to the next 100, we raise our glass and give glory to God for all that is the fabric of life.”
