Free Things To do in New York City! -With Rebeka Getty

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This episode of the New Yorkers podcast is brought to you by new york100.org recognizing excellence across New York City's five boroughs. Hello everyone and welcome to the New Yorkers the podcast by New York City Cop. I am your host, Kelly Kopp, published photographer, New York City tour business owner, real estate content creator, podcaster and above all else, a New Yorker. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Brooklyn bound. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Train in Mount Island. [00:00:29] Speaker A: Stand clear of the closing doors. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Transfer his noble to the shovel to. [00:00:57] Speaker A: Grab the sacral foreign. With me today I have Rebecca Getty. She is the founder of NYC for Free, the go to source for free pop ups events and things to do in New York City. But above all else, she is a New Yorker. Hey Rebecca, welcome to the show. How are you today? [00:01:20] Speaker B: Hey Kelly. I'm good, how are you? [00:01:22] Speaker A: I'm good. [00:01:22] Speaker B: Running around New York City today like I always do. [00:01:25] Speaker A: But on this hot day today, beautiful. [00:01:28] Speaker B: Day, it's been better than it has been. So we're happy about that. [00:01:31] Speaker A: Has been, it's been like crazy hot the last couple of weeks. [00:01:34] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been a very hot summer, but I heard there might be an early fall, so I guess we just have to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. [00:01:41] Speaker A: Oh, I'm so excited that you said that. [00:01:43] Speaker B: Fall. [00:01:43] Speaker A: Oh, I think it's one of my favorite seasons in the city. [00:01:46] Speaker B: I think me too. It's become that way. [00:01:48] Speaker A: Oh, it's incredible. So Rebecca, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself. You know, are you, were you, were you born, you know, where you're from? Just tell us how you arrived to where you are today. [00:01:59] Speaker B: Yeah, so I can't say I was born in New York. I was born in Long island, but my mom's from Queens, my dad's from Brooklyn. Family all lives in the New York City area. So I kind of grew up going here very often as a kid to see family, to see Broadway shows and everything. [00:02:14] Speaker A: You are a New Yorker to me. [00:02:16] Speaker B: I know, I know. But I always feel like I have to caveat that I wasn't born here, you know what I mean? But I've lived here for quite a while, you know, after college, moved to New York City in my own apartment and started my account a couple years after I graduated college when I was kind of, you know, bored of doing the typical thing in New York and was always giving recommendations to all of my friends on free things to do in New York City. [00:02:41] Speaker A: So you started your NYC for Free account. You said you just decided to come up Tell us how you decided to come up with it and why. [00:02:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like I was always giving recommendations to, to my coworkers, to my friends on things to do in New York City. And my manager at the time who was traveling in for work was like, you know, you should start a blog. You always tell me every weekend all the things I should be doing. And this was probably 2017, and I was like, no, I don't want to start a blog. And then I guess a couple years later the idea was marinating and I was like, you know what, I'm going to start an Instagram because I think people are interested in, in the type of information I'm finding. And I was having a hard time finding that information on free events in one source. So I was like, let me become that source. And so I started my account in 2019 and it's crazy, it's been six years. [00:03:31] Speaker A: So smart, you know, do you, you know, so you started this, your page, NYC for free, right before the pandemic. How do you feel the pandemic affected your account? Do you feel like it helped, you know, ironically? Or do you feel like it hurt, you know, giving out free information or all this awesome information about New York City? [00:03:54] Speaker B: Yeah, it was weird. So I started my account in August. So I think I had like, you know, eight months before the pandemic was growing. It, it was pretty small. And then Covid hit and I was like, hmm, I should post free online events because everyone's home, everyone's bored. I was bored. So then I started finding all these things. Like there was free cooking classes, there was like a day of free workouts, there was live performances, like on Instagram Live. And so I just started, you know, doing what I always did, but just sharing things only online. And then I think that kept my account, you know, like, still relevant. [00:04:29] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:30] Speaker B: And then after Covid, I found that like experiential marketing really took off. And that's when my account grew along with that, when brands were starting to put their money towards, you know, having in person events versus like a billboard ad or things like that. [00:04:45] Speaker A: Right. Wow, that's really interesting because, you know, I don't even remember how I did my page during the pandemic because I did leave for a while too. I mean, you're from New York, so you. [00:04:58] Speaker B: Oh, I was. So no, I did not go home. I didn't go to my parents. We had just moved the week before COVID and we had moved from a one bedroom with a fake window, kind of like A flex. One bedroom to having a real window. So we thought our apartment was so big. We were so happy to quarantine there. So I stayed in the city the entire time. Wow. But I, I, I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. [00:05:20] Speaker A: Right. [00:05:20] Speaker B: We went running on the west side highway. We had, I had so many picnics, like, distance from my friends in the park. I don't remember it personally. I remember it. You know, it wasn't the worst. Like we made do. I baked a lot of bread, right? Yeah. [00:05:35] Speaker A: Were you, you know, I was gone in Florida and North Carolina for, you know, part of the pandemic, to my family and friends and you know, do you remember if, you know, were we allowed to go outside? I wasn't here. [00:05:48] Speaker B: Yeah, it was, I mean, like the first like week or so maybe it was kind of crazy. But we were, we were allowed to, we, I mean, I was outside a lot. I feel like I went on a lot of walks. [00:05:58] Speaker A: That's interesting. Jay, I'm gonna ask you real quick, what about you? Do you remember what you did? I didn't, I didn't expect the segue to go to. But it's interesting for a second to hear, what'd you do? [00:06:08] Speaker C: So I was about to turn 21. It was like three days before my 21st birthday and I was finishing up my junior year in college and I had just gotten into a groove and was doing well in school and I had internships and I had a job and I was working and all of a sudden it just kind of went away. So we had to like leave campus. We had to like go to Zoom classes. And I ended up going back home to my parents house in Westchester and ended up spending the next like year and a half with my parents in Westchester. [00:06:48] Speaker A: So. Interesting. I just, you know, I just, yeah. [00:06:52] Speaker C: You know, I feel like everyone has a Covid story. [00:06:53] Speaker A: Like, what did you do? [00:06:55] Speaker C: What were you doing when Covid hit? [00:06:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I feel like it was beneficial for you, ironically, Rebecca, because, you know, I think that's really smart about the online classes because I hadn't thought about that either. Yeah, we know. That's, that kept you current and interesting. [00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:10] Speaker A: You know, so that, that's, that's brilliant. That's really smart. So Rebecca, in addition to what you did online during the pandemic and now what you do, in addition, you know, every day on NYC for free on your social media, do you do anything else for information to give to people? [00:07:26] Speaker B: So once I went full time with this, I'M like, I need to do more. So I have my Instagram TikTok, obviously social media, but I have a website where I have a calendar of events and then I have a weekly newsletter that I send out every Wednesday morning with like 30 free things to do. [00:07:42] Speaker A: For that upcoming week, which I subscribe to. [00:07:45] Speaker B: Love that. [00:07:45] Speaker A: And I love it. Every weekend I look at that newsletter and that's how I kind of gauge what I'm doing for the weekend too. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Yeah, it's helpful. There's so many events to choose from, so I find that having that like curation aspect is helpful because it can be a bit overwhelming. [00:08:00] Speaker A: So do you, do you do this by yourself or do you have a team or. [00:08:05] Speaker B: I'm pretty much a one woman show. [00:08:08] Speaker A: I'm seriously blown away right now. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I have a few people that like, I trust that if there are five events going on at the same time, they can film for me. But in terms of I make every single video on my account. I do my website, my newsletter, all those socials. I work a lot. Probably like more than most people think or most jobs even, but I love it. [00:08:29] Speaker A: So that's amazing because here I am, you know, a little bit older than you. Well, quite a bit older than you. And I'm like making one post that takes me like an hour with, you know, just the music and trying to edit it and I'm like, oh my gosh, not bad. [00:08:43] Speaker B: I'm impressed. [00:08:44] Speaker A: I don't know, I just. It's a lot, you know, for me just to walk around the city too, you know, I'm exhausted. [00:08:50] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:51] Speaker A: You know, and you have a lot more added on to what. To what you do. When's your birthday? [00:08:57] Speaker B: Oh, it's actually coming up. August 17th. [00:08:59] Speaker A: Leo. [00:09:00] Speaker B: Yes. [00:09:03] Speaker C: When's your birthday? [00:09:04] Speaker A: July 23rd. What's yours? [00:09:06] Speaker C: March 23rd. [00:09:07] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, we're all fire. Fire. [00:09:11] Speaker C: Oh yeah. [00:09:11] Speaker A: Not that I really get into it. [00:09:12] Speaker B: It's so Leo of me. I don't know anything about any sense besides Leo. Yeah, that's such a Leo. It is. I recognize it. [00:09:20] Speaker A: I mean I. I kind of enjoy, you know, talking about what sign people are, you know, I don't know, you're. [00:09:25] Speaker B: Rising and all that stuff. [00:09:26] Speaker A: Oh, I don't know all that stuff. I just like whatever and then like the one sentence blurb in the paper, in the newspaper when we were younger, you know. But it's kind of interesting to hear. There's a little bit of funness to it. Like, oh yeah, it does kind of follow some personality traits. [00:09:39] Speaker B: I Think so. [00:09:40] Speaker A: You know, not that I would base my, you know, I would bet on it, you know, but I think it's kind of fun and interesting. So, Rebecca, what's one free NYC experience that you think most New Yorkers don't. Don't even know exists? [00:09:55] Speaker B: It's interesting. I think with social media secrets or things like that are kind of harder to have. [00:10:01] Speaker A: True. [00:10:01] Speaker B: All the hidden gems have all been uncovered by someone or another. So I kind of think about, like, what spots in the city do I go to that aren't normally crowded? And like, for example, there's the Pier 57 rooftop. That's a really nice rooftop. And every single time I go, there's really no one there. [00:10:20] Speaker A: Correct. [00:10:21] Speaker B: To me, that's still. Although I've made videos on it and people know about it, it's still a little bit more of like a secret ish spot. [00:10:28] Speaker A: Can you just go up there on any day? [00:10:30] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's any day you can, you know, bring a blanket. It's really nice. And they have a food hall underneath, so if you wanted to. [00:10:37] Speaker A: What did you say? I'm sorry? [00:10:38] Speaker B: There's a food hall. The Pier 57 food hall. Oh, yes, that's nice. But you can buy food there. You can take food in your bag and just sit up there and watch, you know, the sunset. [00:10:49] Speaker A: Rebecca, where is Pier 57? [00:10:51] Speaker B: So Pier 57 is on the west side highway, so by the Hudson river in lower Manhattan. It's kind of by, you know, the Chelsea Market area around like 14th street, give or take. [00:11:03] Speaker A: And it's. The views are so pretty there. [00:11:05] Speaker B: Yeah, it's beautiful. [00:11:05] Speaker A: Looking over Little island. [00:11:06] Speaker B: And they had fireworks for the 4th of July there last year, but obviously they switched it to the east river on this side. But I went there. [00:11:13] Speaker A: Oh, that's right. [00:11:14] Speaker B: Yeah. It was so nice when it was like the fireworks and there was a big party there and. And that just kind of made me realize how empty it can be at other times. [00:11:21] Speaker A: Oh, wow, that's. What a great spot. I would have never thought of that. So if they do it again with the fireworks, that's the place to be. That's a great spot. I love that. So, Rebecca, can you share a story about the most unexpected or jaw dropping free event you've ever stumbled upon? [00:11:36] Speaker B: Yeah, so I always say one of my favorite free events that I went to was Ed Sheeran did a pop up and you know, no one really like thought he was gonna come or knew necessarily, but all of a sudden it was on. I think it was Green street or Crosby. No, maybe it was Crosby street, but a soho cobblestone street. He drives up in his car, it's packed with people. He gets up, stands on his car and does like an impromptu performance. And you know, New York was just standing there watching him. [00:12:06] Speaker A: Right. [00:12:07] Speaker B: It was very magical. It felt like a New York City moment. And it turns out, I think it was when he won his lawsuit or something. So he was in a good mood. I don't think he had plans to perform necessarily, but he just started singing a couple songs and it was, it was really cool. [00:12:21] Speaker A: Did you know about ahead of time or you just happened to be there? [00:12:23] Speaker B: It's funny, I didn't know that was happening. I knew about the pop up and then, you know, sometimes I get like loose tips or like, oh, like come around this time. And I was like, okay, I'm going to come around this time. But I didn't know he was performing or that he was going to be there. I just was told to come. But you know, I think for everyone else who was there. And then he ended up handing out free tickets to his concert that day. How cool. Or that, that weekend. [00:12:50] Speaker A: I'd love to see him in concert. [00:12:51] Speaker B: It was really cool. [00:12:53] Speaker A: You know what was really cool too, that I saw on your page yesterday, which is, I feel like might be an is another jaw dropping moment. Was the Jonas Brothers on the. Can you tell us, tell us about that? [00:13:03] Speaker B: That one. [00:13:04] Speaker A: Did you see that, Jay? [00:13:05] Speaker C: I saw that it happened, but I didn't see it. [00:13:08] Speaker B: I ended up knowing in advance for that. Not. No one told me. I think I went to a Jonas Brothers concert like six years ago and I get their text, but I'm not like, I'm not. I like them. I wouldn't consider myself like a huge like fan. [00:13:23] Speaker A: That would be so in the way Jay goes bonkers. Or Brothers. [00:13:25] Speaker B: You love the Jonas Brothers. Yeah, totally. So I end up, I end up getting this text at like 10:00am being like, come to the ferry, 1:30, like first 200 people. And I'm like, oh my God, I have to share this. Like, I'm not gonna like. And so sometimes with those concerts, like, I can't go to everything. So I will kind of crowdsource the content. So I saw someone else went and they let me use their video with. And yeah, it looked very cool. [00:13:51] Speaker A: Yeah, it was really cool. I was thinking, gosh, I take the ferry a lot. I wish I would have happened to be there that day. [00:13:56] Speaker B: The free concerts in the sub. So like one of My favorite things are the free concerts in the subway, in Times Square, in the ferry. And a lot of the times you just end up, like, lucking out. For example, there was a Bad Bunny Jimmy Fallon concert in the ferry. [00:14:10] Speaker A: How cool would that have been? [00:14:11] Speaker B: Oh, my God, that would have been. I wish. I wish I would have been there. But what I do end up always going to are the Times Square concerts and a billboard and those. They tend to, like, people find out maybe like an hour or two beforehand somehow, and there's this giant billboard. All of a sudden, you know, shakira Post Malone, you were there. Just pops out of the boulevard and you're like, whoa. [00:14:32] Speaker A: It was really cool. [00:14:33] Speaker B: Yeah, it's amazing. [00:14:33] Speaker A: And then I saw the Brat girl there. [00:14:36] Speaker B: Oh, Charlie X love her. [00:14:38] Speaker A: I don't know. [00:14:38] Speaker B: I was there for that one. [00:14:39] Speaker A: But, you know, I'd never heard of her, you know. [00:14:40] Speaker B: Really? Brat Summer last year. No. [00:14:42] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm just a little older you, so. But I loved her music. I'm like, this girl rocks. She's so talented. She was really good. And I was really fortunate, too. This is before the Pandemic. I caught Jimmy Fallon and Alanis Morissette in Rockefeller center downstairs. [00:15:01] Speaker B: They did a concert there. [00:15:02] Speaker A: Yeah, in the subway. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Was it around Jacket Little Pill when her musical came out? That was Honest Morissette, right? [00:15:07] Speaker A: I can't remember specifically. Yeah, I think so. [00:15:09] Speaker B: So I saw that show the day. The last day Broadway, like, before Broadway closed during COVID So that timing aligns. [00:15:17] Speaker A: I think that's it. That's it. Yeah. [00:15:18] Speaker B: That was a really good Broadway show. [00:15:19] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. And it was so cool because they had their disguises on. It was like, for Christmas time. And I was walking by and I saw them putting lights, like, some people doing construction, putting some lights on the ceiling. And I was like, oh, this looks like something's gonna happen, you know? And so I stayed for a few hours and wow. And it was worth it because I was right up front. I got a great video. Did you know on Facebook that went viral? It was awesome. I don't. Can't remember if I put it on Instagram, but I actually just thought the other day on my Facebook, that popped up. But it was really cool. I'd really. It was. [00:15:51] Speaker B: Those moments are crazy because, like, you could plan them. You could plan them to some extent if you kind of get a tip or something, which happens a lot. But sometimes you completely luck out. Like, sometimes I say that free events find me. Like I was last year. I was supposed to go to doctor's appointment. And I was too late because I'm always running late. So my doctor canceled me. I was really mad at myself because I'm like, oh, I'm late to everything. But then I was like, I'm just going to walk, like, clear my head. All of a sudden I walk in Times Square and there was literally a free Gwen Stefani concert happening. And I didn't know about it. And it wasn't like the big Times Square when it was like, I think like a stock company, like, hired her. So but I was just walking and I was like, what are the odds? Like, I'm here now. It's all meant to be. Like, this was great. I went to the doctor the next day. But I just feel like sometimes when you are always looking for, like, things to do in New York City, free things, like, things kind of just find you. [00:16:43] Speaker A: Which I completely agree. [00:16:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:45] Speaker A: And even on a smaller scale, for when I'm walking around the city and, you know, things just kind of transpire in front of you, like this beautiful scene. Say you're just doing, you know, for me, like a quick little video of the city. [00:16:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:57] Speaker A: Just the way everything comes together in the video. Like, cue the. The lady with the baby carriage walking by, someone jogging, you know, somebody walking a couple dogs. All in the scene, you know. And then the Chrysler Building is just. It just kind of just transpires right in front of you. And they're not playing just little moments, like New York City moments, which are really cool, you know? I love that. [00:17:18] Speaker B: Romanticizing New York City. [00:17:20] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. So, Rebecca, how do you actually find these events? Do you have a system, sources, or is it more about instinct and curiosity? [00:17:29] Speaker B: Yeah. So I like to say there's kind of like three ways I find out about things. The first one is a lot of research myself. So, like, I spend a lot of time looking up, like, recurring cultural events in New York City, you know, looking on Eventbrite, Google, like, all sources like that. The other is that brands will tell me about things now. Now that my account's gotten bigger, I get a lot of PR inbound, whether it's for festivals, concerts, pop ups, things like that. And then lastly is my followers will tell me, like, they'll be like, just saw this on the street. And then I'll be like, oh, I didn't know about that. [00:17:59] Speaker A: Well, that's pretty cool. [00:18:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like I have a lot of sources everywhere, which is kind of nice because I think it's kind of impossible for one person to know everything in a city like this. So my goal is just to try to share as much as possible so use all the help I get. [00:18:13] Speaker A: Oh, that's really nice. I like that. I really like that. Rebecca, have you noticed a shift in the types of free events offered in NYC over the years? [00:18:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean this kind of parallels what I was saying earlier. I feel like the rise of pop ups started and maybe really peaked or not peaked. It really started in 2022 after Covid when things were safe to be in person. I feel like brands were just like, let's have these in person experiences and get our products in the hands of the masses versus like, you know, just giving it to influencers, just putting it up on a billboard in a subway ad. So I think that has really changed. And I specifically remember when I started my account they still had these events but they were rare and people didn't know about them as much. [00:18:55] Speaker A: Right. [00:18:55] Speaker B: So I went to this event and they gave me some free, like a free smoothie and a free phone charger. And I was like, wait, this is so cool. Why is no one here? Like why do people not know about this? So now I think like big companies have shifted their marketing dollars to the awareness and in person events which has been pretty cool for the public. In terms of New York City, like there's, I mean there's always been so many free events like concert series. Like think about Shakespeare in the Park. It's been happening for, you know, love Shakespeare in the park, 60 plus years. Yeah. So I think New York has been a great city for free events like from a culture perspective for quite a while. And that hasn't maybe changed as much, but I feel like the brand side has increased a lot. For sure. [00:19:34] Speaker A: I love that. I agree, I do agree. You know, a little bit of a side note real quick, which I think is really important that I love that you have on your page that I noticed is two things that in addition to showing free things in New York City, you also do some things that are really helpful, especially for younger people. I saw two things that I absolutely loved on your page. One was free meals for the summertime. [00:19:58] Speaker B: Yes. [00:19:58] Speaker A: For, you know, people under 18. [00:20:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:01] Speaker A: And then also, you know, the free mental health help. [00:20:04] Speaker B: Can you tell us a little about those? The first is when schools are not in session. The New York City schools still give free meals, breakfast and lunch. [00:20:13] Speaker A: I love it. [00:20:14] Speaker B: To anyone under 18. And so they have a few different ways of doing this. They go to a lot of like parks or pools or even schools. They Have a couple of food trucks that run on the weekends as well. And so I went by and they just give you. You can like I think choose your main or something like that. And you don't have to really id. You don't have to be a public school versus a private school. It's really just open to anybody, which is nice. The other one is Talkspace has partnered with the New York City Health Systems to offer free therapy to anyone 13 to 17 in New York City. [00:20:47] Speaker A: I love that. [00:20:48] Speaker B: Which is really important for high schoolers to just kind of have that support, especially in such a big city like this. [00:20:55] Speaker A: Right. And you're going through those teen years where you're just learning about yourself and everything and it's important. I love that. When I saw that I was just like this is, this is really amazing. Really. I think it's really important, you know. So good for you. [00:21:09] Speaker B: Yeah, there's. I try to, I mean I try to on my account like there's obviously the brand pop ups but I really try to augment that with you know, free resources. Whether it's like about the lesser known parks or museums, the resources like that. So I try to make it all balance and not just be one thing or another and try to show the well rounded of like all the free things that you know, you can do in New York City. [00:21:35] Speaker A: Right. Really smart. Really love it, love it, love it. So Rebecca, which season offers the best free activities in NYC and why you think? [00:21:45] Speaker B: Hmm. I feel like every season has something different to it. I feel like September is really busy in terms of events. There's New York Fashion Week, the US Open, people are back to school. It's not kind of everyone on vacation in the summer, but there's a ton of events in the summer as well. [00:22:02] Speaker A: Right. [00:22:02] Speaker B: And then in December there's all the holiday stuff. [00:22:05] Speaker A: Oh my gosh, we're bombarded. [00:22:07] Speaker B: I can tell you the least. I feel like from January to March, maybe January to April is probably the lowest season of free pop ups and events in New York City. But yeah, it's the most. January is the most depressing month of New York City. [00:22:20] Speaker A: You know what, it's funny you said that. And that's why I go to Florida now every month for January. [00:22:24] Speaker B: I. My grandma lives part time in Florida now so we try to go for a week in January every year. [00:22:28] Speaker A: What city? [00:22:29] Speaker B: She's in Delray. [00:22:30] Speaker A: Oh, nice. My parents are on the west side of the. Of Estelle. Where's where? Del Rey and East or west on the east side yeah, I'm on. My parents are like Sarasota, you know, southwest Florida. So, you know, my parents are getting a little bit older, so I make sure every January I go down there and spend time with my parents and my family. And then. And I spent a lot of time in Orlando, too, growing up. So. Yeah, my friends there, too. So, Rebecca, have you had moments where someone told you a free event you posted made a real difference in their life? [00:23:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I get a lot of messages from people, which is really nice. And, like, some messages I get are, you know, people lost their jobs, people are depressed, they lost a family member. And going to these events has helped them get out of the house and, like, enjoy themselves. And I've gotten a few longer messages with, like, specific stories, but those have all been, you know, obviously, I'm really glad that I'm able to help people find ways to, like, get out and be happy and enjoy New York City. [00:23:31] Speaker A: I love that. Yeah, you know, I, you know, just a little, you know, I mentioned once a while, just the messages I'll get to my social media, you know, that. That people are so, you know, it's their dream to live here too, and they tell us, which helps me not take the city for granted as well. And it's. [00:23:46] Speaker B: I like looking at New York City like a tourist sometimes, because you don't realize. Like, I remember I came back from Europe and I was thinking, like, wow, the train stations there were so beautiful. And then I went to Grand Central, and I'm like, wait, this is also a really beautiful train station. But you never think twice when you go there every day or something like that. [00:24:01] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, that's true. That's tr. True. Rebecca, how do you handle the negativity about that? We get. [00:24:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:12] Speaker A: On our social media. [00:24:13] Speaker B: Sometimes my parents will be like, did you see those comments? And I'm like, no, I don't really try not to read them. If they're negative, you just take it with a grain of salt. I feel like people, when they're online, they like to, you know, share. They like to be negative because you're kind of behind a wall. You're not in person. [00:24:31] Speaker A: 100 agree. [00:24:32] Speaker B: And I think with having such a large platform, you're bound to get some negative comments. So I just don't really let it bother me. Sometimes it can bother me more than others. Like, I don't know. Recently I posted about a tree house and a garden. [00:24:47] Speaker A: Love that. [00:24:47] Speaker B: And I got. It's so nice. And I got so many comments that were like, stop sharing this to transplants. Like, what are you doing? Like, stop. And I'm just like, you clearly have very strong opinions, but there are things in New York City that are open to everybody. [00:25:00] Speaker A: So it's a public space. [00:25:01] Speaker B: It's a public space. And just because someone moved here four years ago or one year ago, doesn't mean they have any less right to enjoy a public space than you do. [00:25:09] Speaker A: Can you tell our audience about that tree house that we're talking about? [00:25:13] Speaker B: Yeah. So there's a few community gardens in the east village. There's actually three on 6th street that are all really nice. [00:25:19] Speaker A: Looking at your page with these. [00:25:20] Speaker B: And so there's a treehouse in one. There's books inside of it. That's 6 BC Garden, but then there's also 6B Garden, and their space is huge. And this was really cool for me to see. They have a theater. They have, like, free, like, events for kids and families. And you. If you live nearby, you can get your own garden plot. So. And then there's a smaller one a few blocks down from there, but it's really nice there. [00:25:43] Speaker A: Lower east side, right? [00:25:44] Speaker B: Or the East Village. [00:25:45] Speaker A: East Village, yeah. I love that tree house. You know what's funny is, you know, I posted the Green Acre park with the waterfall. [00:25:56] Speaker B: Yep. On the east side, everyone's like, delete this. [00:25:59] Speaker A: Why are you sharing this? Like, I mean, people were like, you know, because I put hidden gem on the east side, and people are like, this is on Facebook. And they were just, like. Just hundreds of comments of, like, well, now it's not, you know, hidden gem anymore. [00:26:14] Speaker B: You know, it's funny, I actually have stopped using the phrase hidden gem because. [00:26:18] Speaker A: Like, yeah, it's smart, actually. [00:26:20] Speaker B: Yeah. And I also, like, I said, like, I feel like everything on social media nowadays, like, has been shared at one point or another, unless it's entirely new. So. [00:26:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:28] Speaker B: But I found when I said that people would, like, make comments, so. [00:26:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So moving forward, I like that part, though. [00:26:36] Speaker B: Is very nice. [00:26:36] Speaker A: It's beautiful. [00:26:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:38] Speaker A: Have you been to that park? [00:26:39] Speaker C: I have, actually. And actually, I just recommended to someone I met, I think, during dodgeball. But he was saying that he had friends visiting. Like, what's. Somewhere they could take him? And I was thinking through the catalog of stuff that we talked about on the show, and I was like, oh, Green Acre park is really nice. And so I have to follow up with him to see if he ended up going. But, yeah, I've been. Actually, I went. I remember distinctly we went on a Spanish trip in high school. To see Don Quixote, like a play. And it was in that area and we went to Green Acre park afterwards for lunch. [00:27:16] Speaker A: I love it. [00:27:17] Speaker B: And I feel like when people complain, like maybe if a post goes super viral, it gets pretty crowded for like a couple, couple days after. But these community spots, like it evens out, right? Like it's one thing I pop up. Like it's only a weekend, you can have like five hour lines. But some of these, like the tree, I was like maybe for a couple days. But like it's, it's there forever for all we know. [00:27:37] Speaker A: So it's just, I'm glad you said it's only Saturday open Saturday and Sunday, right? [00:27:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think on Wednesdays and Fridays at night, if a garden member opens it, it will be open from like 5 to 8pm because I went there. [00:27:49] Speaker A: To do a live video recently and it was closed like in a weekday and I didn't know. And then I, you know, thank you. Now I know now I actually been. [00:27:55] Speaker B: Trying to visit it for like two years. So. [00:27:57] Speaker A: Yeah, that, that treehouse is so cute. That park is so cute. Rebecca, what are your top tips for making the most of NYC without spending too much money? [00:28:07] Speaker B: I think there's so many, I mean there's so many things you can do for free in New York City and I think it's just planning. So for example, like every museum you want to see, there are free days for most of them. Sometimes I might not be at like the opportune time, but if you plan in advance, like every Friday, the Whitney is free every Friday now the MoMA's free every Friday evening for New Yorkers. So I think it's just doing some research on some of the cultural events and activities you want to do and finding ways to pick the lower cost or free day. You can pay a lot of money for a concert with like maybe your favorite artist. But there are also so many free concerts in New York City, so many free dance series if you know kind of where to look and where to research. So I think if you plan out your time a little bit more because I feel like when I spend the most money, it's when I'm like that day I'm like, oh, I'm bored. What should I do? And I don't have anything. But if you kind of take the time to look up the cheap eats and the free things, it makes it a lot easier. [00:29:05] Speaker A: I agree. Yeah, you know, I feel, you know, walk around the city and showing the city, you know, showing the city via My live videos, like, on Facebook. I mean, every. There's so many free things to do. [00:29:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:16] Speaker A: You know, from my perspective, even if it's just like walking the Brooklyn Bridge, I mean, that's such an amazing thing to do, in my opinion. Walking through Dumbo and New York City. [00:29:27] Speaker B: Is a very expensive city. But what I actually think in some regards is, like, New York City has cheaper food in some cases than a lot of other cities. [00:29:34] Speaker A: I agree. [00:29:34] Speaker B: Like, I was in San Francisco and, like, I went to their Chinatown, and there was no 10 dumplings for, like $5 or whatever the price is in our Chinatown. [00:29:43] Speaker A: Right. [00:29:43] Speaker B: I feel like you can buy things for very expensive prices, but there are also a lot of affordable opportunities for, like, quality food. Not saying go to, like, the fast food place, but if you go out to different neighborhoods, there's a lot more, you know, affordable options to eat and. [00:30:00] Speaker A: Things like that, you know, And I feel like Harlem has some really cool, like, restaurants too, that you can get for inexpensive. And I'm like, you said Chinatown. [00:30:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:09] Speaker A: You know those dumplings, you get four or five dumplings for whatever. They're so good and they're so inexpensive. [00:30:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:30:15] Speaker A: Really agree. [00:30:15] Speaker B: Every neighborhood has some option like that, for sure. [00:30:18] Speaker A: I agree. You know what, too, that I love, that's a free thing to do, and I just saw it on your page as well, is the swings. [00:30:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. That was actually the beginning of my talk space video. Yeah. Those are fun. They are. Every time I've gone, they. You have to wait to get the swings. [00:30:35] Speaker A: That's a good point. [00:30:36] Speaker B: You have to be a little patient. But that is a beautiful place to watch the sunset. I think it's Pier 36 on the east side. [00:30:41] Speaker A: Yeah, they. [00:30:42] Speaker B: They tend to get stunning sunsets down there in the seaport areas nearby. And there's lots, like, walk around. And they sometimes have art installations there. So that's a good area. [00:30:51] Speaker A: You know what I wish they would do was just like, WD WD40. The squeaking on the swings. [00:30:57] Speaker B: Are they squeaking? I don't even remember. [00:30:58] Speaker A: They squeak really loud, you know, when you're trying to. When they're swinging, and I'm just like. [00:31:04] Speaker B: I'm gonna bring some of my stuff. [00:31:05] Speaker A: Have you been to the swings, Jay? [00:31:07] Speaker C: I have not been to the swings, no. [00:31:09] Speaker A: They're pretty cool. I like them. Sunset, like you said. Beautiful. That's free. Free, Free. [00:31:13] Speaker B: Yeah. So sunsets are always great, too. Bring a picnic, go to a park. Always a free activity. [00:31:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Nothing makes me happier than Central Park. Yeah, truly. Do you do park? Do you go there a lot or do you. [00:31:25] Speaker B: So I'm in Brooklyn now. I used to live in Hell's Kitchen, so I was very close to the park and went there a lot. Used to run there a lot. I definitely don't go as much as I used to. Just like proximity, you know? [00:31:37] Speaker A: Right. [00:31:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I love it there. [00:31:39] Speaker A: Do you go to. [00:31:40] Speaker B: I got engaged in Central park, too. Oh, congratulations. [00:31:42] Speaker A: I didn't know you were engaged. [00:31:44] Speaker B: This is years ago. [00:31:44] Speaker A: Oh, I didn't even know. Congratulations on both your engagement and your marriage. Where's your husband right now? [00:31:54] Speaker B: Working. He's working. He's working, like a corporate job. [00:31:57] Speaker A: Have I met him? [00:32:00] Speaker B: Maybe. [00:32:01] Speaker A: I don't think so. [00:32:01] Speaker B: I tend to selectively decide what events he'll like. Like, if there's a lot of free food, he'll go, yeah. Whereas, like, if we're just like, talking other creators, like, that doesn't really, you know. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Yeah, he's like, oh, who cares? Yeah. [00:32:12] Speaker B: And like, he's not really like a Broadway kind of guy, but like sports and food. Yeah, I. I know by now I'm like, will he enjoy this event? Or like, do I need assistance? And will, you know, but you know. [00:32:22] Speaker A: What he likes to do and what he doesn't. [00:32:25] Speaker B: He's like, we went to smorgasbord the other day and he. [00:32:27] Speaker A: Oh, nice. [00:32:28] Speaker B: That was good. Because then, like, yeah, you got a lot of food and. [00:32:30] Speaker A: Well, tell me. Said hi. [00:32:32] Speaker B: I will, I will. [00:32:34] Speaker A: Rebecca, are there any challenges or misconceptions about running NYC for free that people might not realize? [00:32:41] Speaker B: I guess the amount of time it takes on the back end, you know, it's not just going to events and, like, making a quick video. I spend a lot of time researching and adding to my website and creating the content. And it's always. It's an always on kind of job. So, like, if something pops up, I want to share it. And it kind of always involves being on your phone, which I don't think people realize as much, but, yeah, completely understand. [00:33:07] Speaker A: You know, I truly admire you and respect you for what you do because I know you put in the work. I mean, I put in the work, but you put in the work. [00:33:17] Speaker B: I think a lot of people think, like, being a creator in general is just like, you know, there is. I feel like a lot of social media lately is almost making fun of influencers. Like, oh, they just like go to Plotties and get Matcha, like, make a little video. But, you know, there. There is a lot more time that's spent, especially, you know, when you're trying to share New York City as it is. It's such a big city, and it's a big, you know, undertaking. [00:33:39] Speaker A: So I had. I did, you know, I have a tour business, and I took this woman, Michelle, and her granddaughter were here. She showed her granddaughter New York City. They were wonderful. We had a great time. And they went to dinner and with some friends, and then we're gonna go. We were gonna go do something later after that, too. And I said, well, you know what? I'm just gonna. I always have things to do on my social media. [00:34:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:02] Speaker A: I go, every second of the day is taken. So I, you know, she goes, I'm sorry if we take a long dinner. I said, I don't care. Take as long as you want. I'm not worried about time at all, because my time is taken. Working, working, working, you know? [00:34:13] Speaker B: Do you work every day or do you give yourself an off day? [00:34:17] Speaker A: Yeah, mostly every day. Yeah. So, I mean, it would be, you know, tour, social media, the podcast, you know, it's all mixed in, so it's daily, but, you know. But anyway, later she mentioned to me, she goes, I didn't realize how much someone. A content creator works. [00:34:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:32] Speaker A: She's like, you are always working. You know, you're doing your tours, you're doing. She's noticed. I was. I didn't care. I was busy while they were at dinner, you know, wasn't even paying attention at the time. She could. She could have taken six hours. [00:34:43] Speaker B: And you find a way to fill it. [00:34:44] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:34:45] Speaker B: Literally. I'm like, on my Uber, I'm like, I have three videos to edit. Like this and that. [00:34:49] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. Do live videos, do everything. And she was like, I really appreciate what you do. I never really noticed how hard you guys work. [00:34:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:55] Speaker A: So that's a really good hustle, but it's fun. [00:34:57] Speaker B: There's a lot of perks to it. [00:34:58] Speaker A: So that was nice to hear. Yeah, it really was. [00:35:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:02] Speaker A: So I appreciate you. I mean, from what I do, what I do, I think you're like 10 times what I do, so good for you. [00:35:08] Speaker B: I appreciate what you do as well. I love your content, too. [00:35:12] Speaker A: So, Rebecca, if you could team up with any New York City institution, brand or celebrity for a free event, who would it be and what would you do? [00:35:20] Speaker B: Good question. I was saying earlier, I find it hard to pick favorites or dream brands or anything. One of my goals, actually, in the past was to work with the US Open because I was such a big fan of fan Week. Awesome. And last year I worked with them and this year I'm working with them again. So that was a really cool moment for me and I was really proud of myself for that. I think some other brands I would like to work with are like a Nike, a Lululemon, but I think in terms of more of like a New York City institution, I think it'd be really cool to help plan an event with New York City itself. Kind of like a free event. [00:35:52] Speaker A: Yes. [00:35:53] Speaker B: So whether it's like, you know, a free concert type event in the park or maybe even just like a bigger pop up or festival where there's multiple free components, I would love to kind of get involved on that, more of that community aspect and help them plan things. That would be a goal or a dream of mine for sure. [00:36:10] Speaker A: That's pretty amazing. I can see you doing all these. All these things. All these things every day. I love it. So, Rebecca, here's 10 fun quickfire questions. You ready? [00:36:21] Speaker B: Let's do it. [00:36:22] Speaker A: Coffee or tea? [00:36:23] Speaker B: Coffee. [00:36:25] Speaker A: Nice. Best NYC park lately. [00:36:28] Speaker B: I'd say Bryant park because they have so many free events. [00:36:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:32] Speaker B: You know, sit, have a picnic. More like Central Park. [00:36:34] Speaker A: Yeah. I was wondering what you would say that with that one. [00:36:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:39] Speaker A: Pizza slice or bagel? [00:36:42] Speaker B: Pizza bagel. No, I think. [00:36:47] Speaker A: Subway or walking? [00:36:48] Speaker B: Walking. I love walking. [00:36:49] Speaker A: Yeah, but you do take the subway every day, right? [00:36:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Yes, I always max out on my subway rides. [00:36:56] Speaker A: Yeah. You know what, I want to ask you this as a young lady. Do you feel comfortable on the subway? Because I think it's important for our audience to know your perspective. [00:37:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I do. Sometimes I might feel like I'm a little oblivious. Like I'll have my headphones in or I'll be reading on my phone and I'm in my little bubble. So I think I need to get better sometimes about maybe not being so in my phone. But personally I'm lucky. I've never had an issue or anything like that. I will though, sometimes I'll be in a subway car and I'll just there's someone there that makes me uncomfortable or something. And I will at the next stop get out and move. Subway cars. [00:37:30] Speaker A: Correct. [00:37:30] Speaker B: So that I've done a bunch. Or when there's no air conditioner in one subway car. Exactly do the same thing. So I've done that quite a few times if someone's making me uncomfortable. But I haven't luckily had any personal bad experiences. [00:37:41] Speaker A: And so do you feel, you can say that you feel the subway is safe for the most part. And for people to take it. [00:37:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:49] Speaker A: And women too. Because I think it's very important from a woman's perspective. [00:37:52] Speaker B: Yeah, no, for sure. I mean, like, I'm not running to take it at 2 in the morning by myself. But for example, I think tonight I'm gonna be out till 10:15 and I'm gonna take it home. And I feel no issue, especially when you're coming from like a big public event when there's a lot of people also getting on the subway then. Yeah, I feel. I feel safe, though. And obviously there are incidents and like, I guess recently there have been more over the past year. But it's New York City. There's a lot of bad things that happened, so they happen everywhere, unfortunately. So I don't think. [00:38:21] Speaker A: Well, they happen all over the. [00:38:22] Speaker B: Yeah, over the country. All over the world. Yeah. Yeah. [00:38:25] Speaker A: Okay, that's good. I think it's important for people to hear that. [00:38:28] Speaker B: For sure. [00:38:29] Speaker A: Okay. So favorite NYC neighborhood. [00:38:32] Speaker B: This was a tough question for me. I feel like every neighborhood has its own. And I know this isn't rapid fire, but I feel like every neighborhood has something unique to it and I really enjoy that. I think lately I've been liking like, the Chelsea meatpacking area. I think there's a lot to do there and you get like the high Line, the cobblestone of meatpacking. But then art galleries in Chelsea. [00:38:53] Speaker A: Yep. Love it. Best free view of the skyline, I think. [00:38:56] Speaker B: Brooklyn Bridge Park. Looking into Manhattan. [00:38:59] Speaker A: Completely agree. Summer or winter in nyc? [00:39:03] Speaker B: Out of those two, definitely summer. But lately I'm more of a fall person. [00:39:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:06] Speaker B: The four fallen. [00:39:08] Speaker A: Central Park. [00:39:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:10] Speaker A: Most overrated tourist attraction, I guess. [00:39:14] Speaker B: Times Square. Although I will say there's a lot more to it that isn't touristy. Like, they have, like live concerts, they have cool art installations, but just the general atmosphere. And like, the character is probably Times Square. [00:39:27] Speaker A: Favorite street performer or art installation you've seen? [00:39:31] Speaker B: I like the giant pigeon. Oh, yeah, I really like it. I think it's so funny. [00:39:36] Speaker A: Me too. And lastly, if NYC had a free mascot, what would it be? [00:39:41] Speaker B: I mean, it's easy to say pigeon with the last question, but I don't think that's the answer. I don't know. It's a hard question. I think I would animate a building and put some face on a building and that would be the mascot. Oh, nice, like skyscraper kind of vibe. [00:39:55] Speaker A: But I also like the pigeon that you said too. I think that is. [00:39:57] Speaker B: Yeah. But I don't actually like pigeons that much, so I don't Think that would work? [00:40:02] Speaker A: That's hilarious. Rebecca, before we let you go, we here at the New Yorkers Podcast want to know what it means to you, Rebecca Getty, to be a New Yorker. [00:40:12] Speaker B: I think to me it means to be living in one of the most exciting, amazing cities in the world. There's a certain energy to it that I think all New Yorkers, you can only understand if you live here. And so I think I just associate New York City with being in the place where everything happens and, you know, being a go getter, being maybe a little always in a rush, but generally looking to go out and do things and to experience life and like all of what New York City has to offer. [00:40:43] Speaker A: I love it. That's an awesome answer. What'd you say? [00:40:47] Speaker B: I said that was off the cuff. [00:40:48] Speaker A: It's so. It was so good. I loved it. You know, it's. I could relate to everything you said. [00:40:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:53] Speaker A: You know, I think Jay could too, right? [00:40:55] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. [00:40:56] Speaker A: Yeah. And that's what it's about, you know. Thank you for joining us today for this week's episode of the New Yorkers podcast. Why don't you, Rebecca, let everyone know where they can find you on social media. [00:41:07] Speaker B: You can find me at NYC for free, which is NYC underscore free on Instagram and YC for free on TikTok or my website NYC for free co where you can also sign up for my newsletter. [00:41:19] Speaker A: Nice. What's your favorite platform? Real quick. [00:41:21] Speaker B: Instagram is it? Me too. [00:41:23] Speaker A: Nice. Once again, I'm your host Kelly Cop, also known as New York City Cop across all my social media. [00:41:30] Speaker B: Please like and subscribe to the New Yorkers Podcast and you could follow the New Yorkers on social media at the New Yorkers Podcast. [00:41:37] Speaker A: You can leave a rating or a comment to let us know how you are enjoying the show. We read through all your comments and DMs so please, we would love to hear from you. Thank you Melody Kelly, Michelle Rankine and Carol Ann Wildley for your kind words on the last episode. If you want to be featured at the end of an episode, leave a rating on after Apple podcast or a comment on Spotify. And I have a couple more people I want to mention, Bill Strickland, Leanne now and comment. Thank you for your comments on Facebook. Have a lovely day and we will see you next time. [00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:42:14] Speaker A: Thank you New York100 for sponsoring this episode. To learn more about them, visit ny100.org. [00:42:22] Speaker B: This is the last stop on this train. Everyone please leave the train. Thank you for riding with mta, New York City Transit.