“‘I rent a place on Cornelia Street,’ / I say casually in the car”, “Dive bar on the east side, where you at” , “Heartbeat on the High Line / Once in twenty lifetimes” and of course, “Welcome to New York.”
There’s no question that New York City features heavily in Taylor Swift’s discography, especially given that the mega-pop star lived in the Big Apple for a few years from 2016 onwards. To bring these Easter eggs to life, getyourguide.com partnered with On Location Tours for “Welcome to New York: A Tour of Taylor Swift Hotspots,” bringing fans from across the globe to spots around downtown Manhattan that have a special connection to Swift.
Following a global job search for the “Ultimate Swiftie Tour Guide,” NYC resident Hannah Kulawiak was chosen as one of the guides to lead the walking tour in New York City, providing input into certain stops on the tour and bringing a friendly personality and a bag of Twizzlers on the two-hour walk if you get her Swiftie trivia questions right.
“I have been a fan of Taylor since I was very young — I remember I had “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” on my Band Hero, and I had the “Speak Now” CD in the car — I kind of grew up with her throughout all my life,” said Kulawiak. “I know a lot about Taylor, about her favorite spots in New York, and know a lot about her songs. I’m really big fan and I love the city. I thought that this would be a perfect job for me.”
There are 13 stops on the tour — representing Swift’s lucky number — which snakes through lower Manhattan, starting in SoHo at the Housing Works bookstore on Crosby St. The connection? In Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylor’s Version)(From The Vault)” music video, she plays an older version of Sadie Sink’s character during a book signing at the end as Dylan O’Brien pensively looks through the storefront window from the outside.
Next on the itinerary were restaurants and cafes like Lafayette and Bond St. where Swift was spotted dining at, and Washington Square Park. The park is the nucleus of New York University, where Swift was given an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 2022 and was the commencement speaker at graduation.
“She means empowerment of a lot of young ladies, a lot of young women, and I really support her for doing that,” said Micky San, an attendee of the tour. “I commend her for doing that because the only way to get young people, especially, you know, what we were going through with politics involved, is through music.”
Kulawiak says that the tour includes much more than just fun facts about Swift.
“You’re also going to get some awesome New York City history,” she said. “This is a beautiful walk. It’s a great area of town. I really like all of the architecture around here, so it’s a really great time, regardless of how much you’re into Taylor Swift or not.”
The tour winds into the West Village and Cornelia St., where Swift famously lived for most of her time in New York, writing her two COVID-19 albums, “folklore” and “evermore.” It ends at the High Line on Gansevoort St., famous for its mention in “cardigan,” the second track on “folklore.”
“I really like her music as one of the older fans, but the fact that she was able to mobilize so many young people nowadays, I think it means so much,” Sans said.
Updated at 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 4.
