Who's Driving
Who's Driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck is all about the entertaining stories we share and brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Come along for the ride as we check in with friends & offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things Home and Garden.
Who's Driving
Who's Driving - NYC Baby S2E25
Wesley Turner is definitely driving this week while Stephen Merck, recovering from COVID, shares insights via phone about his adventurous trip to New York City and his upcoming projects.
Feel the energy of New York City as we reminisce about past visits and explore its vibrant post-pandemic atmosphere. The city's bustling vibe remains unbroken, from the architectural marvel of Hudson Yards to the revamped LaGuardia Airport. We dive into Broadway's magical world, raving about the show "MJ" and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from our intimate tours, all thanks to our friend Brooke from Farmhouse1820. NYC's spirit of innovation and excitement shines through every corner.
Don't miss out on this engaging episode packed with stories, tips, and serendipitous connections that make New York City so special. Leave us a review and share your own Big Apple living tips!
Remember to follow Brooke on Instagram by Tapping here @Farmhouse1820
We want to hear from you give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales on Sundays and Thursdays at 8pm est.
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithstevenand follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
Well, well, well, hello and welcome to who's Driving. Guess what y'all? It's just me, Just lonely old me driving down the road. We got to get Steven on the car phone because he has COVID this week and I was not riding along with him. So give me a second. It's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2:And I'm Stephen Merck. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship and business.
Speaker 2:These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.
Speaker 1:Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.
Speaker 2:Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1:You never know who's driving or where we're headed. All we know is it's always a fun ride. And on this week's episode we are going to be talking to Stephen all about his New York trip. He had a fun interview on the streets and we're going to talk to our listener, brooke. We're going to bring her on. She lives right outside of New York City and works in New York City. So we're going to talk all about New York City and what to do and how things are going. But, stephen, are you there? Hello, hello, hello, I'm here. First of all, you're in a mess now because you got sick with COVID. Can we talk about that? Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I picked it up in New York.
Speaker 1:That was my souvenir. I know it's crazy. So we left off. You and I haven't seen each other in two weeks, over two weeks now. I know it's been so nice you little ass, take it back, take it back. So I guess we left off in real life right before. Um, well, you were going to new york city and then y'all came back, but Daniel and I were gone for the week of the 4th.
Speaker 2:We came back, we were home for a day and a half.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we were gone.
Speaker 2:You were gone and we were here a day and a half, and then we took off to Amelia Island.
Speaker 1:For the 4th of July.
Speaker 2:For the 4th, and that's when my COVID kicked. In. Full gear Was on the 4th and now I'm taking a test. I'm taking a COVID test. At the end of this call I should be negative. Now I just have, you know, some of the residual congestion. Yeah, side effects. Yeah, yeah, side effects from COVID, but I think I'm probably negative. There's no fever or anything and I'm through the quarantine by the CDC and I have to be in Savannah tomorrow.
Speaker 3:Yes, and so right now it's.
Speaker 1:Thursday we're recording Thursday before this will come out on Tuesday. So by the time this comes out we will also be at the Atlanta market. So you've got to get better, because on Sunday you and I will be back together and you have to be done because we've got to get through market. Well, I mean, the show gets back on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's back on the road tomorrow. So I'm on the road tomorrow, so, like it or not, and Dylan has not gotten sick. So hopefully yes, hopefully he doesn't, because he's done a great job of getting me food and taking care of me. But I think I feel good, I'm anxious, I feel like a cat in a cage, ready to get out, and so I'm ready to get out and ready to be in Savannah for a couple days, and you know, then come home, pack and then we're headed to market Right.
Speaker 1:So you're going back to Savannah. We announced it last week, last week's episode, right here on our podcast, because we are franchising and that's where our first store is going to be, in Savannah. I'm so crazy excited and everyone was texting us and in the live sale, which you haven't been there for, the live sales, I've been doing those by myself. Everybody excited, everyone's excited for us and you know we have just the best community of people we do we because we're very they, they cheer us on and everyone's excited.
Speaker 1:so I can't wait to, you know, get that going even more. But, like we mentioned I think we mentioned our franchisees are going to be at market with us. So when we're at market is when we're actually going to announce it on like social media and show them and introduce them to everyone is at market. So the people who listen to our podcast got to hear about the franchising first and so in the midst of all of this.
Speaker 2:So Mark and Tina are buying a house in Savannah.
Speaker 1:Mark and Tina are the franchisees Are the franchisees.
Speaker 2:So they have a realtor, but that realtor is not the best realtor, which is me. So they asked me to go with them to go on their showings tomorrow evening and I said sure, and then we've got our meeting with the contractor Friday morning.
Speaker 1:And I've been stuck in the office for literally three days this week and I probably will be tomorrow as well Working on getting at least their basic website going and social media and emails. There's all of these backside, you know, business things that we have to do that you don't think about as well that we're helping, you know, set up for that, and I have been working on getting all of our live sales lined up for the Atlanta market, which is you know, literally You've had double time while I've been sitting.
Speaker 1:Yes, and normally I do, just, you know, a little hour here and there in the office. And or maybe you know, every few weeks I spend one day, but I've been locked up in the office. Or maybe every few weeks I spend one day, but I've been locked up in the office way longer than my ADD brain likes to handle. But it's been fun. I'm excited to head to the Atlanta market. So if you're listening right now and you haven't been following us on Instagram, we're at the Atlanta market and guess what? We're doing live sales every day and usually. But we're doing live sales every day and usually I think most days I have two or three live sales lined up.
Speaker 2:So we're going to be busy and it's some cool stuff. Like this is stuff that we've been working on for months. Yeah, like this isn't just stuff we like fell out of the air.
Speaker 1:We've been like excited about Right Scouting out and finding things.
Speaker 1:And it's funny and I don't know if I've talked about this with you or not, because I've been working on the live sales schedule and you know we're trying to, like you said, we've been working on and trying to find new people, you know. You know we want a variety, but now that we're been doing the live sales at the market for I don't know what two years now, I guess kind of how long we've been doing it at the market Vendors are now like on Monday, because we're a week before. You know, this past Monday, a week before market, they were all messaging me like, hey, will you come do a live sale here again? Do you want to do a live sale here? Like they were inviting us back, which I feel like we've had like one or two do that in the past, but now they're all like reaching out to us, so that's how I ended up stacking up so many live sales.
Speaker 1:Because I have. Well, they are always a great vendor and people always love that. So you know, some of our favorites are in there, plus some new ones. But instead of. You know, I think originally we did like a few live sales when we were at market the first time we went, because no one like people would say no to us when we were like, can we do a live? Sale They'd be like no, not when is that? You know? Kind of thing, dumbasses.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so, like I feel like the first time we did it, we did maybe like three the whole time we were there, maybe like every other day, and then we added on a few more and then we got it to where we had one every day. That was our goal, like we're going to do a live sale.
Speaker 2:And she's like, oh, I'm just kicking myself and I was like, well, good news. I said watch the live on Monday and you can get something even better. Oh, that's good, yeah, because we're doing. You know, we're doing a live sale Monday of some stuff that we did and we sold out of, and it's a different vendor, but I think it's even cooler.
Speaker 1:But it's really cool that now people are asking us back, whereas before we were trying to beg people to let us do the live sales.
Speaker 2:So now we've gone from our goal being to having one every day to now having two or three every day, and I think we're going to be there nine days and it's better now because it's easier now than it used to be, because we have Kate in the office which does a great job of getting stuff online, because at night we are so tired, we're so exhausted from working all day, we can't be doing that Right.
Speaker 1:So for those listening, the way that it works, like we go to market and now we have things lined up but we still just know, kind of, what vendor we're going to do a live with, but we don't know all the exact products, because we go to market to see their new products and new offerings. We have to ask them what's in stock and that sort of thing. So we're really scouting and getting it together sort of in real time. So the way when we first started doing it because we were new to live sales and didn't have the support, you know, back in the office that we do with Kate, we would go to a vendor and say, hey, tomorrow can we do a live sale? And they would do.
Speaker 1:You know when we would finally convince, when they would say yes, and so then we would scout their showrooms for the products we wanted to offer. They would do it on like a mock-up of an order for us and then we would go back to the hotel room that night after spending all day at market and I would enter them in the computer because they have, you know, had to be online with the price and the SKU and quantity and the vendor information and all of that, and we would end up going to bed at like 3 am after we, you know, tried to get set up for a live sale the next day. It was a lot, so now we just do the same thing In all fairness, it would end up you, right.
Speaker 2:Because, I would be. I would be laying there trying to help. I would come to your room and lay there. And I would just fall asleep.
Speaker 1:Fall asleep, yeah.
Speaker 2:So the good thing is I can't do those 3 ams anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the good thing is now we send it back to Kate and we're like okay, kate, this has to be online by this time and we try to work at least two days ahead of time. I do have Sundays. I was able know which would be the first day we're there, so I've been able to contact the rep and she sent me the availability or items that are in stock and I'm selecting from them, because it's a vendor I know very well and I'm going to give that to Kate on Thursday so that she can, you know, on Friday, by Friday, have it ready to go. So we don't have to do anything. So that's how it works. But I'm so excited, for I love Market and then I love doing the live sales.
Speaker 2:I do too. I love Market, but the biggest nightmare is to be sick at Market Right.
Speaker 1:So I'm hoping so, I'm hoping In 2020, no January 2021,.
Speaker 2:I went to market. My first day at market was my first day Out of quarantine. Out of quarantine and I was still felt horrible, yeah, horrible. So I'm just thankful that I had it soon enough now that I'll feel good for market.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's change the subject.
Speaker 1:Remember back in the day hold on really quickly when we would go to market and it was COVID and we had to get our temperature checked. I mean, we have come a long ways I know.
Speaker 2:And do you remember? Do you remember like we had to go through this huge line, huge line. No one was in it but us? Yeah, we went to market To get a temperature check.
Speaker 1:And they had set up a whole floor Like you know, like you would snake around like a ride or something, but it was like this huge floor and they had maybe like 20 temperature checking stations. That year when we went and we were like one of 10 people there, I don't know, there was no line, they were very militant about it?
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean it was very militant. And do you remember I would go up and say can you do it rectally? It'll be more accurate. I forgot about that and they would just look at you like oh my gosh, okay, but change yeah, they were so serious about it, but either way, all right, yes, so hopefully you're all better by in the next couple of days.
Speaker 1:You get to savannah, we get to atlanta, but let's talk about New York City, because that was what I wanted. I said when you go, I want your eyes open, I want to know all about it, because I know we've talked about it in a live sale. I don't know if we've talked about it on here. You and I used to go to New York City pretty regularly, like three to four times a year. We would go just for, like I mean, sometimes it was just like three nights, like quick little New York trips, and we would buy stuff for our retail store there and that sort of thing. And then we haven't been since COVID in 2020. So I think the last time we went was in the fall of 19, like September or sometime.
Speaker 2:No, no, it was actually 18. Was it? It was 18 because I thought about it, so I thought it had been five years, but it had been six years since I had been, because we didn't go to New York because my mother got sick in 2019. Oh, dang, so it was 2018. Okay, it could have been the spring of 2019.
Speaker 1:Well, remember it was hot, it wasn't August when my mom went. Remember I got the kidney stone.
Speaker 2:Oh well, you got married in September in Vegas, oh, in 18. We got married in 18, right or Vegas, oh in 18.
Speaker 1:We got married in 18, right or 19.
Speaker 2:Oh you did?
Speaker 1:Hell, I don't remember. Wait, when did?
Speaker 2:we get married no.
Speaker 1:No we got married in 18. Because it was 10 years from when we started dating and Daniel and I started dating in 2008. Yeah, it was 2000. So you're right, the last time we went it was before we got married, right.
Speaker 2:Oh wait, I think it was like August. My mother got sick in 2018.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your mom passed away in. January of 19.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so I guess we went, so it's been six years. We've lost like 28.
Speaker 1:We've lost all of our listeners going through this, but it's been a long damn time, right, so it's been a long time and anyway, the point of the conversation was this is what happens because we're not in the same room together, we're just having our little phone conversation. I forget we're recording the podcast actually. But anyway, the reason why I wanted to know is because I feel like through COVID, people have said, oh, new York City isn't what it used to be, or oh, it's gone bad. And you know, at one time, you know there was the few news reports that a few women got slapped in the face or punched in the face just walking down the sidewalk, um. And then, not that long ago and they may still have it, they had the um national guard right at the subways, which I know you weren't using the subway, but I don't know if that's still in place or not.
Speaker 2:I don't think that's in place, we'll'll have to ask Brooke in a minute. Yeah, but she takes the train in, okay, and we can talk to her about that, yeah. But so Dylan and I took my nephew Bryce for his high school graduation. We had a great time, okay. So it was, the airport was completely remodeled. Okay, we flew into LaGuardia. It was very. It was the cleanest I've ever seen. It it was. It's now a very beautiful airport. That's good. Everything was normal. It was normal.
Speaker 2:New York I mean, I've been a million times and I have to say I was prepared to see something of like I saw in the 90s. No, it wasn't, it was great. In the 90s, when I first started going, they had the porn stores right there on Times Square. Oh crazy, it was just grimy. Yeah, it was not good. So I was like, oh my gosh, is it back like that? No, it was very, very busy. There was some kind of national soccer competition in New Jersey right outside the city, so all those people were in the city and it was all the gay pride celebrations for the end of the month. But that was the weekend. We had to go because of my schedule and Bryce's schedule, so that's why we were there. But no, it was nothing like I had imagined it might be.
Speaker 2:It was great. I will say it's not quite as clean as it was in 2018. It's a little more trash here and there. Personally, I don't think there's any more homeless people. It seems like there were. It seems like there were less than when we were there in 2018, because, you know, I'm a I'm a sucker for giving to the homeless people. Can't help it, yeah and um, I don't think there were as many. Uh, you know where we were. Everywhere we went, we did end up walking. I wore Dylan and Bryce out. We walked 32 miles in the weekend and you know, there's some things that were not there there the last time we were.
Speaker 1:There is like um the edge at hudson yards um, which was super, super cool. Um, yeah, they were. We went to hudson yards, hudson yards when we were there, but it was all like construction and stuff yeah, yeah, it wasn't finished yeah, it was it was right there.
Speaker 2:It's right there at the end of the high line and it wasn't finished when we were there. Now it's super nice. There's all your high-end Gucci and Louis Vuitton and coffee shops and um, and this building is, you know and I'm not one of those green people all about blah, blah, blah. However, it was very interesting reading all about that building, how basically it's, uh, it's self-sustaining. You know it traps I forget, I don't even want to quote how many millions of gallons of water it traps from rainwater and uses in that building. It's super, super cool and we went up it's, you know, like I don't get too caught up in all that, all that green crap, but this was really cool.
Speaker 1:It's not green crap, it's cool, it's the way it needs to be done.
Speaker 2:It's just not interesting to you.
Speaker 1:It's not that you don't.
Speaker 2:It is not interesting to me, but the way it was presented.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean it's fine, it's fine, it's great, but it comes across very boring to me. Right, but the way it was presented in this building, in our travel path up to the top, it was, you know, because I actually took the time to read yeah, really interesting. Like they have a lot of plantings on this building here and there and wherever you know rooftop and different areas of the building, and it was showing how they were planted and then they reused that rainwater to water those plants, to water those plants. It was just like you know, and just from the plant side of me, I was really mesmerized how they could have these full-grown trees and such a small amount of soil and it was all like very, very interesting and kind of mind-blowing.
Speaker 2:And it took 20 years to build that, yeah, and I mean it was, it's beautiful, uh, and the views are nothing like I, you know, I've ever seen before, because, well, there hadn't been a building there, right, um, and you could b Bryce wanted to you could go up, like it stopped, I don't know two or three stories below the very top or maybe one, I don't know, but you could go up to the very top and they would harness you and you could dangle off the edge of the building. He wanted to do that.
Speaker 2:Well first of all, I can be a little frugal at times, but I really let my hair down that weekend because it was for his graduation, because I was like $50 a person to go up there. In my mind I'm like what the hell? What are we really looking at? That's worth 50, costing me 150 bucks, right? So I was kind of like, but he wanted to do that. So I said, yeah, it was so worth the 150 bucks.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was.
Speaker 2:And I said that it was absolutely worth it. Just yeah, reading it, seeing it going up there, I recommend it to everybody, and I forget how much more it was. He was like please, and I'm like oh my gosh, and I'm thinking what if he fell? And I'm like, well, he's harnessed in, no one's fallen yet, but I really didn't want it to happen. And he's probably listening. He listens to every podcast, so he's probably laughing about it. So we go up and ask and darn, they had just closed it for the day Isn't that something.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like oh, you're like maybe we'll come back by.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was not getting up there, I mean, I just looked at it. It would have been a cool photograph because you were dangling, you know, basically the whole city's under your head. So that was really cool and new and different. The other thing is on the High Line, which I love. When you and I first walked the High Line, it had just been completed.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, the first time. Yeah, everything was planted but small.
Speaker 2:Tiny and baked out there. Yeah, now it is all grown in. It's like a forest that's crazy. And there's all kinds of buildings along the way. It's like a forest that's crazy. And there's all kinds of buildings along the way. It is so nice, like before. You know, you just felt like I mean you were just kind of up there baking in the sun. It's so cool now to see.
Speaker 1:I'm glad that we saw it before it was grown in and then after, yeah, so if you haven't been to New York City before maybe you're planning a trip you have to go to the high line and it there.
Speaker 2:It's a pretty good span now, pretty long right, yeah uh, yeah, I don't remember how long, but, but you can basically you can access it at different point, if you don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's a raised. It used to be a railroad track, right, that was raised and then they converted it.
Speaker 2:Well, it was like the subway above ground. It was the railway above ground.
Speaker 1:The railway above ground, so you're elevated. But they made it into a walking trail with plants and trees and everything, so you're elevated, but it's really cool and there's cool places you can stop along the way.
Speaker 2:So that's definitely and it's amazing how the plants have flourished. You know, but you and I talked before. I was like these plants are just baking up here. It was just kind of weird. They are huge trees growing up there above the city. It's so cool.
Speaker 1:That's really cool.
Speaker 2:And there's a lot of new cool buildings. So we started at the Chelsea Market right there and we got on it and walked just maybe a mile up to Hudson Yard and then we did that tour and that stuff. But you know, it is definitely a worthwhile thing to do. We really, really enjoyed that.
Speaker 1:The question is did you make it to the portal? Did you go find the portal?
Speaker 2:We made it to the portal. Oh, you did.
Speaker 1:Was it closed? It was closed. Were people acting up and showing their tits?
Speaker 2:again? I don't think so. And then we went to do it twice, and then we went to do it again and it was closed. We Googled it and it was closed. Wow, so it's much smaller than I envisioned it.
Speaker 1:It's just like a little window, a little donut.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not big at all. It isn't big at all. And the funny thing is I didn't tell you this because I hadn't seen you While I was there. A friend of mine, a real estate friend of mine, she was in New York the same weekend, which you know I'm sure a lot of people I knew were in new york that weekend, but I was looking on facebook she was everywhere. We were on saturday that's funny everywhere we were. She was there on saturday even Hudson Yards and the Edge.
Speaker 1:I was like oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we just missed each other. It was crazy, that's too funny, what about?
Speaker 1:so then y'all went to the Michael Jackson on Broadway. Oh my gosh. It's called MJ MJ is that what it's called?
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, it was phenomenal.
Speaker 1:Okay, cause you know, we had heard like everyone had said it was good. And then we bumped into someone at the Dallas market and they were like, oh, it was kind of like dark or something, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's this, that she's a negative person.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Bryce and Dylan are not real big Michael Jackson fans the music, which is probably, you know, age thing too Right. But it was so good they even loved it. Oh, that's good. It was in like I get really bored in shows if they're not good and it held my attention the whole time.
Speaker 1:That's I highly recommend it. That's what we hadn't even gotten to talk about it because, well, we haven't seen each other really talked about it. Um, so I didn't know if you got bored or liked it, because that's always a good test is if it holds your attention, because, like you get bored in musicals and that sort of thing you would love it too.
Speaker 2:It was that good and it was, uh, it was like.
Speaker 1:It was like seeing michael jackson I know I'm kind of having um fomo now, even though you're yeah because I didn't while you were there, but now, hearing about it, I'm like I want to go to new york yeah, it was, it was good.
Speaker 2:Um, it was, it was good, we had good food. We had good luck with that. Um, we, like I said, we walked and we walked. Um bryce wanted to go to all the great stores on fifth avenue louis vuitton, gucci yeah, I saw y'all shop. Yada, yada, yada. A million people have messaged me and asked what he got. He got a Louis Vuitton wallet with his initials stamped.
Speaker 1:That's nice.
Speaker 2:That was his. He got a really good. He played his cards, his yeah he got a really good.
Speaker 1:You know, he played his cards right. He got a. He got he did. He see he was smart. He asked for the trip. So of course you're going to take him on the trip. But then the trip kept going because you had to, you know, feed him and these experiences. And then, oh, you know, you got him and these experiences. And then, oh, you know, you got him a wallet.
Speaker 2:When you look at the money, when you look at what he got versus what his brother got. See, his brother, I probably couldn't pay him to go to New York with me, so he just got cash for graduation and Bryce wanted the trip. Well, like you said, of course he's going to get the trip. And then you know, you get the, the other thing, you know the oh, you're not going to take him on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, You're not going to take him on the trip and be like, okay, you're paying for everything that you that you want to buy the way.
Speaker 1:So he kind of you know, because just the wallet alone would have been a nice graduation gift, but he got to go to New York City to get the wallet. Yeah, he was smart. That's smart. He was smart. Also, y'all got to go behind the scenes, right. Little tour yeah, brooke, who we're going to have on in a minute, and we'll mention she's on Instagram too. I can't remember Farm, do you know?
Speaker 2:Farmhouse1820.
Speaker 1:Yeah, farmhouse1820 is her Instagram handle, so you need to follow her because it's really cool Instagram handle. So you need to follow her because it's really cool. And then she shows being at home because she lives outside the city. Her house is gorgeous, yeah, and then she commutes in so you get to see both worlds, or whatever Her house was built in 1820. Oh, that's crazy. I guess that's where Farmhouse 1820.
Speaker 2:So we'll get into that with her in a minute, but she reached out and hooked you up with the behind the scenes tour right, and I mean I have in my years I guess I've seen probably 30 to 40 shows over the years.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I have to say that was one of my neatest experiences. Her husband, sean, has worked on Broadway for many years and I had never experienced anything like that. It's kind of a once in a lifetime deal and it was very fascinating and I was really shocked at how, what's, what tight quarters it is back there. I don't know what I thought they were. You know, had some kind of fancy Elton John styled out dressing rooms? No, it is very, very tight yeah.
Speaker 1:I've seen before on, you know, on TVs, I don't know which you know place, but on Broadway, and they're like, sometimes they have to run to their changing rooms, like might be, you know, upstairs, downstairs, in the basement and it's like tiny, very tight Almost.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't even know how they must just be naked right off the stage. Yeah, because it it is. I mean, it's just right there. I mean there's no extra space. That was super, super, super cool. And then on sunday, um brooke walked us around the city and we had an amazing, uh, italian lunch. Uh, we just had a really nice time. Okay, and in uh, that was the first day that the weather was. The weather was surprisingly very cool.
Speaker 2:You know, I had been dreading the heat right, yeah that heat there is just horrible in in july and august. And it was. It was in the 70s. Oh, that's nice. The only day that was hot was on sunday did but it was so.
Speaker 1:It was so so much fun yeah, so did y'all make it to central park this time? Did y'all go all the way up?
Speaker 2:uh, we did, but we did not walk through it. Okay, y'all did go, we did.
Speaker 1:What's the hotel right there, kind of the start of central park? Didn't y'all go there?
Speaker 2:the plaza. Yeah, yes, y'all went there okay, and and I walked into the residence quarters and got kicked out. That was funny, that's hilarious.
Speaker 1:So what I'm hearing is you would highly recommend, if you've been thinking about going to New York City, to go ahead and do it. Yes, it's awesome.
Speaker 2:It's New York, as it's always been. Don't let the media and craziness keep you from it.
Speaker 1:Yeah did y'all make it all the way down to like ground zero end?
Speaker 2:we did, we did. We went all the way down to to the monument and, um, we did all of that. We went down all the way to battery park at the statue. However, that was under construction down there, so that was kind of messy, so we didn't spend a lot of time down there.
Speaker 1:Okay. So I'm excited. Now I want to go, but one really funny thing happened. You took it to the streets with our microphone.
Speaker 2:I did.
Speaker 1:And you interviewed. It's a quick little I think like two it's funny. I just watched it. I just watched it for the first time. Right before you called um, you interviewed the is it naked cowboy? Is that what he's called?
Speaker 2:the naked cowboy.
Speaker 1:The naked cowboy so you sent me, you know, just a picture of you interviewing him the day, like the moment it happened or whatever, and I put it on my instagram stories and everyone was cracking up and like I can't imagine what steven said to him. Uh, well, they also wanted to know what was in your pocket, because in the video you had your umbrella umbrella in your pocket and it looked a little obscene and I was thinking he wishes I was not.
Speaker 1:I was not that happy to see the naked cow okay, so before we play what you, you know you talking to him. I didn't realize. I thought the naked cowboy was kind of like a I don't know if you'd call it a franchise. I thought there were multiple Naked Cowboys walking around. I did too. So when you say Naked Cowboy, it's actually the one and only Naked Cowboy.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:So that's the same.
Speaker 2:Naked Cowboy we saw, like years and years ago, just walking around, if yes, because he turned it into a business and he uh trademarked himself. Yeah, which?
Speaker 1:is so, which is so funny, so smart? Yeah, let me play this. If you're, yeah, okay, let me play this really quick, because I do have some, uh, definite follow-up questions. But here we go. Let's hear he made a little jingle and I do like that. We need to play it here on the podcast as the intro Hold on. Here we go, okay.
Speaker 2:I have a podcast in Greenville, South Carolina called who's Driving. We're actually who's Driving.
Speaker 3:So how did you? What's your name? I'm Steven. I'm the naked cowboy who's driving. I hear it's Steve and we're still surviving.
Speaker 3:So how did you come about being in your underwear out here on Times Square? I was actually born naked for 53 years. Really, 1998, I was shooting for playgirl magazine. I was trying to be a country singer, an actor, uh, or a movie star. I was very determined at that point. Anyway, I went to venice beach to shoot for a new magazine.
Speaker 3:When I wasn't shooting for the magazine, I went to the boardwalk and I was completely dressed as a cowboy boots, had jeans, everything. Because I was trying to be a country singer too. Taking advantage of the opportunity to be on the boardwalk Was ignored the entire day. The photographer shooting me nude said I want to play in underwear, played in underwear the next day. All my Tony Robbins, my goal set everything most celebrated entertainer of all time. I had my vehicle. I was naked cowboy at that point and I haven't stopped since. I was trademarked in 2000. I trademarked myself, and now we've been all over the world and that's what I do. A year, 25 years, six months, 18 days. So you were, uh, were you in playgirl? Yes, may 98. My name is robert burke easily robert findable.
Speaker 3:Oh really, I'm going to go on there. Are you well equipped? They didn't cut my picture out of the magazine, but that doesn't mean anything. Well, thank you so much. All right, let's go talk to you. Well, if you really want to live and feel the way I feel, you've got a wood valve or balls of steel. Thank you thank you.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that is so funny. So I just have questions. So okay, all right, so let's do a little recrap recrap I love. In the beginning, though he said he threw out the joke. I was born in whatever year, he said, 1958 naked, and you were like, oh really.
Speaker 2:Well, he wasn't born in 50. Whatever year he said maybe he is 50.
Speaker 1:Whatever year. He said I was born blah blah, blah naked and that was supposed to be his joke and you were just like, oh really. But then he said, okay, we heard it. He was trying to make. You know, make his way, didn't happen. Started singing his underwear while he was shooting for a nude magazine and he was in Playgirl he said at I think he said may of 1998, um, and now he's been a naked cowboy robert burke.
Speaker 1:Yes, and he's been the naked cowboy now for 25 years, I think. He said six months, something, something. Um, have you looked it up, did you? Did you google it okay?
Speaker 2:uh, we, we did, uh, we did as soon as we got back to the hotel room that night, uh-huh um, we pulled him up. Um, were you impressed? Not, not impressed, but not, it wasn't a disappointment either. He's very average. I was just kind of expecting a kielbasa or something.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, it probably takes a little more to impress the gay man than it does in a playgirl, probably Because I don't think most ladies are gay men than it does, you know, in a playgirl.
Speaker 3:Probably, probably.
Speaker 1:Because I don't think most, you know, ladies I don't think are as concerned, you know not that they don't.
Speaker 2:I don't think they're into even look. I think more gay men look at playgirls than women.
Speaker 1:So that was funny, that you just walked up, right up to him and was like well, I mean, I'm, that was like somebody that I, you know.
Speaker 2:I have wondered how in the hell you end up in tom square in your panties with a guitar. I mean it, you know. How did that happen?
Speaker 1:right and he just saw the opportunity and took it on, and I'm sure?
Speaker 2:so his wife is the naked cow oh, he's married to the naked cowgirl he's married to the naked cowgirl, but dylan found where there was a lawsuit prior to them being married um he sued her for copyright infringement oh, before they got, you know, yeah, before they got.
Speaker 2:If you know, if, allegedly, if that's true, you know, like I said, reading online you don't know what is really true and what is it. Yeah, but if you want to see, if you want to see naked, it's Robert Burke, may of 1998 in Playgirl magazine and you can see his little Willie.
Speaker 1:Hey, little guy. The funny thing is a couple of people messaged me when I posted.
Speaker 2:You can see his guitar pick tar pick.
Speaker 1:A couple of people messaged me when I posted just the picture of you standing there with them or whatever, saying that you interviewed him. Um, they were like oh, I hope he asked does he like you know stuff his underwear or whatever? And I was looking at the picture like, well, surely he doesn't, because it doesn't look like I mean mean Uh-uh, there is no stuffing. Yeah. It didn't look impressive, just standing there, like he hadn't, you know, stuffed it with anything.
Speaker 2:No, no, not that he couldn't be.
Speaker 1:You know a grower, you know sort of situation.
Speaker 2:But I'm just saying it was not. It wasn't like a zucchini was piled up. Yeah, oh my gosh, that is hilarious. Then it was fun talking to him. Yeah, and his little jingle, and you know if you're going to be naked or in your underwear playing a guitar. He did it the right way. Yeah, you know he turned it into a business, so kudos to him.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly, and I mean he's been doing it for over 25 years, so there must be some, you know, making some money and money to do that, yeah, um well, what we?
Speaker 2:we look that up to what we again? Allegedly well, no one's going to really know. He makes it. Uh Well, no one's going to really know he makes from online. What we could find is he makes an average of $150,000 a year.
Speaker 1:Oh, he's making more than that.
Speaker 3:He's got to be making more than that.
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, he gets probably cash tips, but he makes appearances in places that would pay more than that, and I don't even know if you could live in New York City.
Speaker 2:Allegedly, allegedly, allegedly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would definitely think it has to be more than that, but who knows? I would say double. Well, let's see if we can get Brooke on the phone too, from Farmhouse 1820, and let's talk to her about New York City. So here we go. We have Brooke writing along with us now and, of course, stephen's here.
Speaker 4:So Brooke hello Nate, thanks for picking me up.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you, and I know you listen to the podcast all the time.
Speaker 1:And so now, on Tuesday, you can be walking to work and listening to yourself on our podcast. Yes, absolutely so. If you don't know, brooke she, uh, is one of our fans listeners, but she also has her own instagram, farmhouse 1820, so you need to look her up. We'll put her handle down in the show notes as well, so you can see it down there or just tap the link. I'll add it down below, because you have a really cool property so you commute.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Do you commute every day? I mean like Monday through Friday.
Speaker 4:Every day, Monday through Friday. So, I'm on a. I leave my house at 6.05 and I'm on a 6.42 train, and then I get to work around 8.45.
Speaker 1:Okay, wow, so like two hours, is that how long?
Speaker 4:Two and a half. Yeah, so I commute 25 hours a week.
Speaker 1:Dang but you live where do you live? You said Hudson.
Speaker 4:I live in the Hudson Valley.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:So about 65 miles north. I live in Dutchess County, okay.
Speaker 1:And so then you commute every day. But I guess that's fun. At least you get to ride in, right?
Speaker 4:Right, and it's a pretty commute and I ride along the Hudson River the entire way and it's pretty and it's kind of nice to just take my time and get to work and then when I get into grand central, I walk, rain, sleep, snow, I, I walk, and it's one mile from platform to door okay, it's a nice little mile walk and I love how you've been, so I have a question okay, I didn't ask you this um, when you're on the train.
Speaker 4:So you're on the train two hours a day, basically well, I mean I drive to the train station and then I take the train and then I walk, so that's why. So it's a 15, 20 minute drive and then my train rides about an hour and 40, and then I walk okay, and that's about a 20 minute walk.
Speaker 2:So you do this every day, every month, every year. Are there the same? Do you see a lot of the same people that you ride in with I?
Speaker 4:see some. I see some of the same, but it's not as busy as it used to be before COVID because a lot of people work from home. So on Tuesdays, wednesdays and Thursdays especially Wednesdays it's busier, because it's a matinee day, I guess, or people going to work on those days. But Mondays and Fridays it's pretty slim pickings as far as people on the train and then. But there's one guy that falls asleep every day at a mile wide open. That would be me or I'm just going to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, mouth wide open.
Speaker 1:That would be me. I'm just going to take a nap for the next hour and 40 minutes.
Speaker 2:And, wesley, I haven't seen you at all, but it was so funny because, you know, I really I didn't know, I didn't know Brooke at all. I mean, we had communicated some before we got to New York. You know, I really didn't know that much before we got to New York. You know, I really didn't know that much. And then we start talking and her son is going to college in South Carolina. Oh, that's cool. And she spent a lot of time in Clemson on the Clemson campus. Oh, and she was in college.
Speaker 4:Yeah, my best friend was in.
Speaker 2:Clemson, in the same bars yeah, the same bars that I worked.
Speaker 1:That is crazy. What a small world yeah.
Speaker 4:And you want to know what else. Wesley, I was born in Columbus, Mississippi.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is even crazier.
Speaker 4:So that's where I had my personal story and my parents were huge Mississippi State fans, so every year they used to order that Edam cheese.
Speaker 1:Yes, so good, yeah, oh, state fans. So we every year they used to order that eat them cheese.
Speaker 4:yes, so good, yeah, yeah, and then we lived in montana for a while and then when I lived in atlanta, that's where I went to college. Um, we used to my parents used to shop at hastings nursery all the time where I used to go with them yeah, well, how crazy is that?
Speaker 1:that is too crazy yeah so crazy. So, we were meant to be friends with yeah, that is too crazy. So the other fun thing is for your job. You work in the design building right.
Speaker 4:I do at the D&D building and I work at Fabricut, so we're a fabric and wallpaper company that we sell furniture, also in hardware and it's to the trade.
Speaker 1:So we need to come by there and visit as well. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 4:You know, we're always at High Point too, so you'll see, we have a beautiful showroom at High Point. It's huge. And do you go to High Point? I'm hoping to go in October, but there's no guarantee they don't like to pull the showroom managers out of the showrooms that often, but I would love to go.
Speaker 1:That is too cool and I know there in the building. You showed the building one day in your stories and there were several vendors you know that we're very familiar with all right there in the building. So I was like how cool is this that you're working right there with the things that we do every day?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, it is really cool. It is. It is. I do, I love my job and I, like you, know a lot of the designers that come in. I find very inspiring. They're pretty cool. Yeah, um, fun to work with. I mean you've got your. There's a few choice ones, but other than that, I mean, for the most part, they're, they're really awesome. So I do, I love my job, I have a great team, I love my team, and so I just feel very fortunate and how long have you been doing that?
Speaker 4:I've only been there since september, end of september. Oh yeah, yeah, but I yeah, I wrote a blog for years and I still have it. I haven't been keeping up to it, but that's my farmhouse 1820. So we live in an 1820 farmhouse.
Speaker 1:Okay, and you have a blog that goes right along with the Instagram, then.
Speaker 4:Yes, okay.
Speaker 2:Before that, she worked for Tommy Hilfiger.
Speaker 4:I did.
Speaker 1:I did. That's really cool, I did.
Speaker 4:I worked in licensing design so it was really, really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I met with Tommy a lot, so it was great, and so how long have you lived in the Hudson Valley?
Speaker 4:I have lived. I met Sean and he has been here his whole life, so that's how I got up here. But I have lived up here and oh, 1999. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've been there a while then.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I moved to New York in 98.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:And I lived in the city near Times Square.
Speaker 2:So that's, we walked by her, we walked by her apartment.
Speaker 1:That's fun. So then you're the perfect person to talk to because you've seen the ups and downs and if you've commuted in and lived there and that sort of thing All about New York City. So before Stephen went he kind of said, well, before he even planned a trip to go, we had said and we mentioned a few times that we used to go several times a year but we hadn't gone since COVID. And you know, some people, or you hear on the news or whatever like oh, this is happening. And then some people's like it's not like what it used to be or it's dirty or that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:So I was very excited when Stephen's nephew, when Bryce, picked it, because I was like oh you get to go and you get to tell us Because I knew Stephen would tell me, like exactly how you know, his take on it or whatever. So what is your take If someone's planning a trip to New York City? Out there, listening, you know, to the news, because we've heard, you know people, some people got hit in the face, I think was a thing for a minute there, and then there was, was it? The national guard was on the subway because they were, you know the crime had increased and that sort of thing. Um, but what's your take on the city itself?
Speaker 4:well, out of out of the gate. I love it. I love new york city. I always have, since the first time I visited it and um, it was my goal to always live and work in New York City. So I love it. But now, after COVID risen really high, a lot of restaurants are getting run out, but for the most part it's. I feel it's back to good old New York, yeah, crowded.
Speaker 1:Steven said it was nice and crowded and busy For him. He said he didn't really feel like it was that much of a difference. He said it might've been not quite as clean as before but not like, not bad and as far as like businesses and stuff. I mean as a tourist, you know he probably didn't notice. You know, if your favorite restaurant closes or something you know, I guess, right, we wouldn't notice that as much it wasn't to me like there wasn't a lot of stuff closed or out of business.
Speaker 2:It wasn't anything like that, yeah.
Speaker 4:So you know, I just on the on the Upper East Side, you know quite a few stores have closed. There is a Banana Republic on 59th and Lex that that was an iconic, that kind of thing. You know those are gone, that kind of thing, you know those are gone. And but I don't find it to be that messy or dirty as far as cities go in comparison. But you know, I mean, sure there's a little bit of trash but it gets picked up. They have sanitary people that walk around that clear out the trash cans, but there's not as many. There's not as many trash cans, but in busier sections there are like time square, there's a whole yeah so, but that's like mass pandemonium at night.
Speaker 4:That that's, that's crazy crowded yeah, time square and yeah yeah yeah, and no matter what time of year. And then Rock Center is just crazy elbow to elbow people around the holidays, right, you barely can walk. You just end up getting picked up and moved with the crowd.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know I love one day you were showing in your stories, like the you know, the windows at a couple of places that were all designed, yeah, which was really cool, okay. So if someone is planning a trip to New York City and maybe they've never been there before because you know, when you live there you take things for granted. You know like, oh, I'll go do that. Or oh, that's there more so than when you're, let's say, never been there. What would be like maybe your top? You know two or three things that someone who's there has to do other than say Times Square, everyone knows Times Square. Do you have any like hidden secrets?
Speaker 4:My hidden secrets. So if you're going in on a budget and you want to try to do as much for as little, get the best bang for your buck do as much for as little, get the best bang for your buck. The first thing I would do I would go, I would get on the Staten Island ferry and I'd ride the Staten Island, because you go right by the Statue of Liberty Okay.
Speaker 4:And you have a beautiful view of the city, and then you can I mean, staten Island is nothing, so you could just get on, you know, get off and then get on the next ferry and then head back and the 911 memorial is is downtown, right there too. That's all called battery park city and um, there's, um, you can walk across the brooklyn bridge also. It's right there, and I highly recommend doing that we've never, because that's an iconic thing yeah, and then?
Speaker 4:um, the next thing I would do is I'd head up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, because it's free to go to.
Speaker 1:That's cool.
Speaker 4:And yeah, it's beautiful and the park is right there, central Park, which is great, and you can walk around there. And you know they have carriage rides and all of that if you would like to take a carriage ride. And then there's tours that you can take that are really great. A friend of mine owns the company On Location Tours and you can take then they do movie stops of where movies have been shot in the city and also television shows.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And then there's a Sopranos and a Sex and the City tour and all that stuff. If you're into that, so I would really recommend that. And then's a Sopranos and a Sex and the City tour and all that stuff. If you're into that, so I would really recommend that. And then, of course, you got to go to Broadway. You got to see a show.
Speaker 1:Right yeah. So, yeah, I think the best thing about going to New York City, because Stephen and I have done it every which way of going there, because the first time I really well, we'll get into that, but we have gone there you can go to New York City and actually do it on a very low budget, like you can make a really fun trip if you're especially if you're willing to walk like we will walk everywhere. We've walked from Central Park.
Speaker 1:I prefer it All the way down to the Battery in one day, like we have walked like 15 miles or more um well, you see more, you see more of the city yeah, you see more.
Speaker 1:You can pop in and out of places right and that's what we've done, and so that's my one thing. If you're planning a trip but you're like, uh, just just go and walk around, there is more than enough for a long weekend. I mean, you could do it for a week. But just to go, have fun and spend very little money because there are a lot of cool things Like you can walk by, you know the Empire State Building. You don't have to pay to go up to the top.
Speaker 4:You don't have to pay to go up and you know, the Chrysler Building is so beautiful, that's my favorite building. And then you can walk down fifth avenue and then you hit the flat iron building right and um, just that's beautiful walk through grand central station.
Speaker 1:That's very to do that, yeah yeah, I, I still I.
Speaker 4:I love it every morning when I, when I walk in at night, I'm just like get me out of here.
Speaker 2:But but I'm ready to get home, but yeah, it is beautiful.
Speaker 1:You can have affordable meals, like Stephen and I've done, even from like the little diners or, you know, get that three. It used to be like $3 pizza, it's probably five or 10. I don't know what it is, but you can really go.
Speaker 4:Well, you've got to have a slice of pizza. You got to go have a bagel. There's a place called Esa Bagels E-S-S-E Bagels and the one I always go to is I think it's on 53rd and 3rd or 55th and 3rd something I can't remember but it's just one of the best bagel places in New York City. But you got to have a bagel. And then there's this place that it's in the Parker La Parker Meridian Hotel and it's called the Burger Joint and you walk into this fancy, fancy lobby and it's full of marble and gorgeousness and there's a big, huge, like floor to ceiling, red velvet curtain and a little bitty neon sign of a hamburger.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And go in there and there's usually a line, but it's probably the best burger you'll ever eat.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God, and it's very affordable.
Speaker 4:It's cash only, but it's a you know there's celebrities that have signed their names on the wall and it's small but, um, it's really good burger, that kind of drips down your hand burger it's. And then they have veggie burgers too. For those, that, yeah, they have those. And then I think they have chicken, um, nuggets too, but they, they, they can accommodate, uh, vegetarians. But I think I think I had a veggie burger and it was delicious.
Speaker 1:I love it. I'm vegetarian, but I love a good veggie burger.
Speaker 4:I do, yeah, I love both. So I yeah, I do too. So, but that's a good little tip and that's right across the street from the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art or the Museum of Modern Art not the Metropolitan, but the Museum of Modern Art and you can pop in there. That's not free, but you could shop in their gift shop, which is so cool it's in the Meridian Hotel. It's across the street, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Or the Burger Joint, by the way, the.
Speaker 4:Burger Joint is? It's in the lobby of La Meridian Hotel, which is, I believe, at 56th and between yeah and 6th, 56th and 6th right in there, Don't quote me.
Speaker 1:I can Google it right quick If they're listening and want to go. They can Google it too, right?
Speaker 4:Okay, Well, it's just called the Burger Joint and it's really good.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 3:What other do you have any?
Speaker 4:other you know restaurant that might be off the beaten path or anything that you like and I went to and Dylan and it was called Sicily and it, but it's on 46, between eighth and ninth and on on the. South side of the street. It was really it's Italian really good. It had wood fired pizza and New York is known. I mean we've got the best pizza.
Speaker 2:And it's a funky. It's a funky twist on Italian too. Like Dylan and I had a pepperoni and sausage pizza and it was drizzled with hot honey, so it's a different twist, but it was excellent.
Speaker 4:And I had a cacio e pepe pasta. It was really good. But that's Restaurant Row right there. So 46th Street, between 8th and 9th, that's what they call Restaurant Row and there's a really fun place. This is another little fun. It's called Don't Tell Mama and that is also on Restaurant Row, but that's like a piano kind of theater bar and that's on the north side of the street and people go there like around 9 or 10. And the waiters sing and it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun. You don't have to sing, but it's crowded. It's really crowded. That's really cool, it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun. You don't have to sing, but like it's crowded, it's really crowded.
Speaker 1:That's really cool.
Speaker 4:And it's fun, it's called Don't Tell Mamas.
Speaker 1:Don't Tell Mamas. What about? Because I know your husband works on with Broadway or whatever. What do you have any tips for listeners never been to New York City or maybe they have been and they're going to go to any Broadway show.
Speaker 4:Like do you have any tips for them, or maybe they?
Speaker 1:haven't got, I got. I got a few. Yeah, maybe where they should eat or any anything that goes along with Broadway. Any good tips?
Speaker 4:Okay, so I can list a couple of good little restaurants that are right there, but the tip I have about if you want to see a show and I don't really mind if you don't have your heart set on something and you don't want to spend that money you got to go to TKTS, which is right there in the middle of time square, and every day they have different shows that are that have that release tickets to TKTS that are highly discounted.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:And, um, you can, you can just get your ticket there and then go, go see your show, and it's usually the day you have to get the day off. It is a good percent off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's a good point, cause they want to fill the house, cause I've seen that before. That's the one that's like in Times Square, where the steps are. Right. That's exactly it, and I always thought is that a scam? Is that a thing you know? Is that actually?
Speaker 4:a good place to buy it.
Speaker 1:So you're saying, if you don't really have your, heart set on something and you're just like, oh I'm here, let's see what they have available.
Speaker 4:It's a good place, let's see what they have available and you know they're yeah.
Speaker 4:And you know they're yeah, so they release tickets that aren't sold and you know they're good seats. So anyway, that there's that. I would recommend that. But then they also have something called Rush, and if you want to see something like Hamilton, where my husband works, you could go to the box office and, like, put your name in for a lottery or just stand there and wait, and then when they have cancellations and when people don't pick up their tickets, those are called rushes and then you can, you're the first person in line or whatever they're released as they go.
Speaker 1:So what if you're doing that, if you're going to do that way, cause you're like, oh, I'm really set on this. Hopefully someone you know got sick or whatever and doesn't show up, uh, and you won't? There too? Yeah, what, how, what, how far in advance before the show should you show up for that, or how? How would someone work?
Speaker 4:that hamilton, they get out there early you know I yeah, yeah, but sometimes hamilton also has standing room only and if you don't mind standing, you can, and after a while, like when the second act comes up and no one has been has seated, you know, a couple rows up you see a couple seats available. They're yours. Ok, so you can go sit as long as somebody doesn't come, you know, but after the second out, nobody comes in anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love this insight. Okay, what else you got?
Speaker 4:So that's always a good tip, too is is a standing room, or the rush seats they're called, and um, the same goes for for MJ. That's a really, really hot show, and so, and, and though, these shows aren't going to be at tkts, but that's how you could possibly see these shows for cheaper or on last minute because they're discounted.
Speaker 2:Rush seats.
Speaker 4:I'm not sure exactly what that, what the discount is and um, I don't even know if sean knows. I know that there's a discount. It's not as heavily discounted as TKTS, but I know that there's some money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've heard, tkts is like on average 50%.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah it is, but it's a good thing to keep in your pocket when you come to New York City if you want to see a Broadway show.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:And then so is there any advice for people who, okay, you get out of the show and you're hungry, or maybe before the show, like you know, any insight if you're visiting something to do? Or maybe, like, make sure you give yourself this much time, or anything like that?
Speaker 4:Right. So you have to make sure you look at your tickets, because some Broadway shows curtain is at seven and some curtain is at eight o'clock, so you've got to make sure you look. And so in the matinees some are at one and some are at two. I know Hamilton. All matinees are one o'clock and all evening shows are at seven. So just make sure you look at your ticket. But if you know a lot of, if you're hungry and you want it, there's this great place on 44th, between sixth and Broadway, and it's called Cafe and Datois and it it's a just kind of a known great place to go after the show and stay open late, and it's it's just off Times Square enough to not be Times Quarry, but it's a nice place yeah so I yeah, and then I um, I don't know what time they stay open, I'm not familiar.
Speaker 4:Like you, go to restaurant row, I know, don't tell mamas they. They sell food too. They offer food and just kind of a good time. And I think there's a steak place I can't remember the name on restaurant row, but then there's also Joe Allen's, which is really good and they can go there. But anywhere on restaurant row on 46th street, between eighth and ninth, is a best bet, a really good bet. And then, oh wait, there's also um john's pizza and that's on 44th yeah and um, oh, that's the.
Speaker 4:I love that place. They have great pasta, they have great pizza. Um, it's beautiful atmosphere in there yeah, john's is pretty famous yeah, it's good too. It's consistent.
Speaker 1:You know it's not astronomical yeah, and of course you're gonna save money yeah, you're gonna.
Speaker 4:Your check is gonna be lower if you don't drink, so well, you know, I mean that kind of goes without saying, but um anyway, but I, yeah, I usually have last night of course you can have that but it's it's really good that's awesome, it is really good.
Speaker 4:And then there's a great thai restaurant called yum yum too, but I don't know if that is how late that that is open, but it's. It's really good too, but those are some good. That's a good food for thought. The Restaurant Row and then John's is where I go, and then Cafe and Detroit.
Speaker 1:That's all good, because even if you're not going, if someone's listening and they're just in New York City, they could also go to all these great places during the daytime for dinner or whatever.
Speaker 4:Sure, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:That is so good.
Speaker 4:That's what I would recommend.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad to hear that New York is trucking along, and I'm ready to go back myself now. So when I come back, I'm going to have to meet you in person too. We're going to have to hang out.
Speaker 4:I would love it, I would love it, I would love it.
Speaker 1:It would probably be me and Daniel and Steven.
Speaker 3:We usually travel in a pack.
Speaker 2:The more the merrier. The more the merrier, the more the merrier.
Speaker 1:We're like a pack of dogs.
Speaker 4:We usually travel together. Yeah, that's the best yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much for joining us today and remember.
Speaker 4:Well, thank you so much for having me. Thank you for picking me up.
Speaker 1:Yes, we will let you ride along anytime If you're listening. Remember to give Brooke a follow on Instagram Her handle is farmhouse1820. And I'll put it in the show notes below and that will encourage Brooke to do more stories and show us more of New York City, because you've messaged me and said you're really trying to. You're kind of a little shy, you said to be on stories, but I said you got to go for it and you've been doing good.
Speaker 4:So I listened, said to be on stories, but I said you gotta go for it and you've been doing good. So I, I, I listened. I have your voice in my head all the time you just her house is gorgeous yes, the house is gorgeous and the garden you've been working
Speaker 4:on is really cool thank you so, thank you so much there's a lot my home tour is on my blog, yeah okay, we'll have to go check out but I'm doing a home tour now on tuesdays. Home tour tuesdays night, where I show one room at a time, maybe two rooms there you go stay tuned, stay tuned.
Speaker 1:I'm showing on instagram you'll be whipping out stories all the time on instagram. I can remember my first was when instagram you know, I started Instagram before there were even stories and then I remember it rolling out and I was like, oh my gosh, I got to do this now and I was nervous. And my first time that I was like, ok, you're going to do it every day was when I went to one of the markets and then, by the end of doing it every day for like 10 days, it just you know, it wasn't as scary as it is when you first start out.
Speaker 1:You just got to keep doing it. But everyone give Brooke a follow and thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 4:We're out of time. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much and we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 4:Okay, sounds good.
Speaker 1:Bye-bye, all right.
Speaker 2:She is the sweetest, and can you? I mean, I thought it was so crazy. You know we're here, we are hanging out together and she knows Clemson and she's been to all the bars.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It was just so In the way the past, it was just so weird yeah.
Speaker 1:And the way the paths have intertwined and that sort of thing is so cool. Well, we got to wrap this up. We are out of time. I hope by the next time we are together, you aren't sick and maybe I'm not sick, and I hope everyone listening is staying well out there as well. Remember to leave us a review wherever you're listening to our podcast and you can see the show notes down below with Brooks Handel, our hotline. If you maybe live in New York City and have any pointers, we could always, you know, do a follow up or whatever. So make sure you check out the show notes below and we'll see you next time. Thanks guys, bye.