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Racontours Is Offering FREE New York City Walking Tours For Your Broke-Ass

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I once pointed out that despite the fact that I’ve lived in New York all my life I had never been to the Empire State Building. That changed a few months ago, but it still didn’t shake this point—I barely know my own city. If I don’t know the details and history of New York City from head to toe, I know the out-of-towners that have migrated to the Rotten Apple won’t know much either.

Okay, I know the obvious thing to do is just go on one of those bus tours you see all over Manhattan, but I’m broke and that CitySights NY All Around Town Tour will cost me $49 if I book a tour online. I’ll only have access to the tour bus for 48 hours and I’m assuming I’ll have to bring extra money to eat. So let’s do the math: $49 for a tour + $30 for food and drinks + $20 for emergency purposes = you wasted way too much money on a tourist attraction.

So what does a broke-ass do? The same things we do when we’re trying to save money, Pinky—try and download the world. Thanks to Racontours latest app—this can be found in the App Store or the Android Market— you can go on a walking tour on a budget. For just $9.99 you can choose to go on any of the eleven tours that Racontour currently offers.

“Our tours appeal to more adventurous and independent-minded people. Unlike bus and other traditional tours, our tours have no schedule. They start when you are ready, “said Oscar Sandoval, co-founder of Racontours. Praise, Baby Jesus!!! I have to admit, I’m a little antisocial. In fact, I hate people all together. I couldn’t fathom going through an ordeal the likes of which Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman went through on South Park’s, “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” episode.

When speaking with Oscar Sandoval, he mentioned that a year’s worth of research went into each tour. “We think of the process almost like that of a detective following a lead. Each clue leads to a richer story and experience of discovery. For example, comedian Lenny Bruce lived at the Marlton Hotel in Greenwich Village. Cool. He lived there while being tried for public obscenity. [That’s] even better. Then we found the actual trial transcript, and it was hilarious. But we couldn’t find a recording. No problem—we hired actors to recreate the scene.” That is both impressive and dumbfounding, so much so that I had to test this app out myself.

I decided that if I get one tour to try out, I’m going to take the biggest one there is, so I headed down to Central Park. Unfortunately for me, I picked a day when it was 97 degrees. Needless to say, it wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made, but when do smart decisions ever make for great experiences? Never. My tour began by the Pulitzer Fountain at 59th street & 5th avenue. Like most New Yorkers, I’ve passed by this fountain numerous times and I never even knew its name, let alone knew that a statue of Pomona, the Roman goddess of abundance was located at the peak of the fountain.

The biggest shocker of my tour was learning that Central Park isn’t even real. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was under the impression that the city was purposely built around Central Park in order to preserve some form of nature in this concrete jungle. I was flabbergasted to learn that what I thought to be nature is really just manmade. I now have a great respect for the men involved in creating this park, because all they used was gunpowder to break down and mold the park you see today.

The Racontours app worked seamlessly. If I had to do it over again, I’d bring some headphones with me because I looked rather silly holding my phone to my ears while trying to look at the endless amount of pictures that the app provides. The tour is rather interactive, providing questions after each checkpoint—to see if you learned anything—and it pauses until you reach the following destination, which can be easily followed on the map provided on the app. For nearly $10 a tour, I think it’s worth it, but don’t take my word for it. Try it out yourself.

That’s right, broke-asses. Racontours is offering all of Broke-Ass Stuart’s readers one FREE tour starting…NOW. In order to get your promotional code for a FREE tour you can email Racontour’s co-founder, Oscar Sandoval at osandoval@racontours.com. Act quickly because this offer will end on Monday, July 9th. For more info on Racontours walking tours you can visit there website here. Have fun strolling through the city, guys!!!

Racontours
Tuesday, July 3rd-Monday, July 9th at Any Time
For FREE tour email: osandoval@racontours.com
New York City

Photo Credit: racontrs.com

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Enrique Grijalva - Mr. Minimum Wage

Enrique Grijalva - Mr. Minimum Wage

My father came, my mother saw...and I conquered. I encourage children to do drugs, I buy alcohol for teenagers, and I drink beer with the homeless. In my spare time, I attend art galleries for the FREE booze while rubbing elbows with modish elephants. I also hammer six-inch nails into small penises. Stuart knighted me as Broke-Ass King of New York. You've been warned.