I ♥ N Y … you will see that message emblazoned on t-shirts everywhere you look and I guarantee that, once you’ve visited, it will steal your heart as well. We’ve been to New York City twice now and, on our first visit with the kids, we encountered the Naked Cowboy, who has become one of New York’s top tourist attractions.
So who is he? The Naked Cowboy (alias Robert John Burck) is a rather colourful street performer who can be found at Times Square. He wears a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and underpants and his only prop is a guitar, which is strategically placed across his body to give the illusion that he is naked and wearing nothing … hence the name. He even performs in winter when it snows and temperatures plummet.
Burck hails from Cincinnati in Ohio and, although he holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science, he has found fame and fortune as The Naked Cowboy. He earns as much as US$1000/day when he performs himself but has now created a franchise charging other street entertainers a monthly fee to perform in his likeness. We also encountered The Naked Cowgirl one night in Times Square when we were on our way home from a Broadway show.
Photos with The Naked Cowboy are a bit of fun. He has the word “TIPS” painted on the side of one of his cowboy boots and, for those who fail to take the hint, he will tell you “a dollar in the boot … no room in the underwear”. And in his own words, “Hold on, you get both sides” and he turns around for a photo op from the rear.
I have to also point out here that Miss 21 was going through one of her “Don’t take my photo!” stages, so unfortunately, there is no photo of her with The Naked Cowboy.
We were so glad we encountered him. He is a funny character and quite the “traffic stopper” … oh, and he actually sings! I don’t know who got the biggest kick out of seeing him … the girls or my hubby!
Hehe this looks like a very fun day! New York is very high up on my bucket list… and its moved a little higher now that I know about the Naked Cowboy lol! xx
Hi Lucy, this was only one of the amazing things we discovered in New York. It really is the “city that never sleeps” and there is so much to see and do! I personally think New York should be on everybody’s bucket list!
That’s not something I’d choose to do if I graduated with a Political Science degree but good on him for earning a decent living being more of an entrepreneur. I hope one day to get to NYC and I hope to run into him or one of his likenesses xx
New York is an incredible city and my whole family has fallen in love with it! We spent 2 weeks there on our first trip and felt like we barely scratched the surface … good excuse to go back, don’t you think?
Hehe that is hilarious! He’s so famous and that’s great that you got a photo with him. What does he do in Winter?
In winter, he warms up in a local car garage by doing star jumps. He then strips down to his underwear and boots and heads out into the snow! Jump on you tube and you can watch a video – you won’t believe it!