“George Goes Everywhere” is a fun new web series on Millionstories.com that features internet personality George Igoe visiting a variety of popular cities and fitting in as many adventures as he can for the day for under $100, including the elements of culture, food, drink, and history. The show is short, fun, and it's a concept I can't wait to replicate in my next travel adventures.
“George Goes Everywhere” is a great way to encourage safe, local travel in your community or a to explore a nearby city. So many of us travel for work, that while we've been unable to travel as we normally do, now that things are opening up a bit, it's a great time to explore things near to you and support those smaller local businesses!
I had the chance to interview George recently about his NYC episode, as well as the show in general. It was fun to learn about the behind-the-scenes as well as where the idea for the show came from and more.
Learn about the making of the NYC Episode of “George Goes Everywhere”
Here are the locations that George visited in NYC for a total of $99.75
- Queens: Queens Museum $8
- Brooklyn: Enlightenment Wines $7
- Bronx (map says Brooklyn, history says Bronx): Wonderous Studio of Breaking $30
- Staten Island: Enoteca Marias / Nonnas of the World $20
- Manhattan: Subway view of old NYC via subway ride $2.75
- Manhattan: [Lower East Side] BATSU! $32
- Manhattan: [Upper East Side] Papaya King $0
What was the impetus for this series? What made you want to travel and spend $100 in a whole bunch of different cities?
George: It came from my personal life. I think I’ve always love to travel but didn’t have the bankroll to support my ambitions and so I’ve had to get creative in my personal life. I’ve worked in TV for over a decade now and so at a certain point it makes sense to combine these two aspects of my life and start making videos about the travel
Queens Museum
Being from NJ, I imagine you were probably fairly familiar with NYC? Is that why you started with NYC or was there another reason?
George: I am obviously very biased toward New York. It's one of my personal favorite episodes that we did. That’s probably why we started with that one. It’s one that’s personal to me. It seemed like a good enough place to start.
What made you choose the locations that you did? Were all 5 boroughs always part of the plan? And what drove you to choose the locations that you did within each of the 5 boroughs?
George: I was not familiar with any of them, except for the Papaya King; I’ve known about that for many years. When I look at a place and I’m looking for things in a city, I try to do something that’s not just fun and affordable, but also says something about the location. So in that New York episode, the city is so famously segmented by the 5 boroughs, places like Brooklyn and the Bronx and Manhattan are known as cities unto themselves. They are very well-known places and so it just made sense. In a city as big as New York, let’s try to cast as wide a net as possible and try to find something for everyone and try to hit a bunch of different categories. It just made sense to try to hit all 5 boroughs.
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Were there locations within NYC that you considered that didn’t make the cut?
George: In NYC we had pretty good luck. Before we go to places, we have to reach out to them. There is behind-the-scenes stuff occurring in terms of producing a show. You have to reach out and get permission, and so there are technical and logistical barriers sometimes. Related to the subway station, I did want to go to the NY Transit Museum, but they were under renovation and they were not able to accommodate us. But we had pretty good luck with New York. People were pretty accommodating and welcoming to us. The breakdancing instructor was great. He responded to us in about 15 minutes and he was like, “Yeah, let’s do it, I’m on board.” When you get stuff like that it’s always a pleasant surprise.
In general, how do you pick locations, and how far in advance do you choose them?
George: We try to do as much in advance as possible because there is paperwork involved and logistical issues behind the scenes, but there are also instances where we just show up at a place and say, hey, can we do this, and are usually successful. Not always, it's a little hit or miss, but it depends on the place. If we try to go to the Empire State building and just showed up there, it’s probably not going to work because it’s a large institution-type place. You go to a mom-and-pop restaurant, you can probably do that on the fly and have better luck.
Do you have any other favorite unknown spots in NYC that you want the readers to know about?
George: Museum of the American Gangster. [East Village] You go down underground into an old tunnel where they used to bring in bootleg whiskey and stuff like that. That’s a cool place.
The New York Transit Museum. I still haven’t been there and I want to go there. They do tours of that subway station that I looked at but like only every 3 or 6 months or something. But you have to book it in advance and it sells out fast.
I’m glad that the Nonnas of the World on Staten Island made it into the episode. That is something that people really responded to and had no idea was there. That’s something I love hearing when people who have lived in a city forever and had no idea. I love the roulette aspect of it. You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get and you go into it a little blind and I think that’s wonderful. It’s right near the Staten Island Ferry drop-off point, so as far as Staten Island goes, it’s relatively easy to get to.
About “George Goes Everywhere” and George Igoe
Hosted by television writer and YouTube personality George Igoe, the weekly digital series offers inexpensive travel tips in top U.S, cities with a daily budget of only $100!
Filmed pre-COVID-19, Igoe dives into local culture and history as he tours cities’ hidden gems, from old subway stops and Naval ships, to puppet museums and corn mazes. His 12-city tour kicks off in New York City, where George visits Papaya King, Queens Museum, Old City Hall Subway Station, and even takes a class in breakdancing. Other city adventures include Boston, Atlanta, Nashville, and more!
A New Jersey native, George Igoe has worked for shows such as “Family Guy,” “Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything,” “The Cleveland Show,” and was a writer on CBS’ “Mike & Molly.” No stranger to the world of affordable travel, he developed “Rich Travel/Poor Travel,” a show where he traveled first class with frequent flyer miles, then explored the destination city on a micro-budget.
About Million Stories & The Singleton Foundation
In addition to “George Goes Everywhere,” the free streaming platform Million Stories offers a diverse slate of series centering around financial literacy, including “Adulting with Richard Sherman,” where the San Francisco 49er's captain coaches young people through ‘adult' financial decisions. From paying off student loans, creating a budget, or starting an emergency fund, Sherman breaks down his tips and strategies for financial success. “Faceplant” shares personal stories from people who discover the value of failure in pursuit of their dreams. A variety of people are profiled including YouTube personality GloZell, Academy Award Winner Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and two-time Olympic gymnast Danell Leyva.
The Singleton Foundation, which powers Million Stories, is a non-profit organization that has launched the digital media platform dedicated to educating & encouraging Millennials and Gen Z with regard to financial literacy and entrepreneurship through bingeable short-form video content. Million Stories harnesses the power of entertainment and storytelling to make money matters easy, inspiring, and manageable. The channel aims to provide millennials the financial skills and entrepreneurial mindset to face finance challenges through free extensive, easy-to-use learning resources.
[…] George said it's a cool place when I interviewed him. […]