Gracie G. from Florida was the winner of the Propeller experience to "Win a VIP Trip to Meet Gracie Abrams at her Sold Out Show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC" that took place in October 2024. Below are some of Gracie's highlights from the experience.
I was scrolling on Instagram a few weeks ago when I came across a post from Propeller detailing an incredible opportunity to fly out to New York City and attend Gracie Abrams' sold out show at the historic Radio City Music Hall. I knew that these often draw so many entrees and therefore I was skeptical of my chances and never envisioned that I could win, but I knew that regardless, it was a chance to support an incredible philanthropic organization, Planned Parenthood, and to help support and increase awareness around other causes such as mental health and LGBTQ+ rights.
Around two weeks after entering the sweepstakes, I was notified by email that I was the winner of the experience. I was shopping at Target and on FaceTime with my boyfriend, and immediately my reaction was pure happiness and disbelief to the point where even he didn't believe me at first when I told him that I won! Over the following two weeks, we were receiving all the emails with the flights, hotel, and other experience details. With each email, it started to feel a little more real that I would be flying to New York City for the very first time and getting to meet one of my favorite artists!
On October 4th, my boyfriend and I boarded our plane and flew from Florida to New York City. At this point it still didn't feel real, but we were so excited for what the weekend would bring! We arrived at JFK, then took an Uber to the hotel, where we were greeted by the most amazing staff and a beautiful hotel entryway and lobby. The hotel was vibrant with a downstairs bar and restaurant filled with people.
Our hotel room was incredible with a panoramic view of the city. We were immediately greeted with a welcome note and snacks from the hotel on the desk and were in awe taking in the entirety of the room. We took a break and sat on the daybed people watching and then decided to get ready to start our weekend in New York City! The first order of business was figuring out how to navigate the subways, which ended up being super easy and a great way to navigate through the city. We strolled around West Village before our dinner reservation at Arthur & Sons. After a great dinner, we headed to Broadway to see Hadestown. We both had never been to NYC, so we also never had the opportunity to see a Broadway show. We had the most incredible time here and it was a great performance in a truly remarkable Walter Kerr Theatre. Once the show ended, we walked back to our hotel and got to experience Times Square on our way!
The next morning, it was the day of the concert! We started our morning early and took the subway to Lafayette Bakery, a French bakery that I came across on TikTok and absolutely had to try. The croissants were amazing and everything we hoped they would be. The weather was very nice, it was only 65 degrees, which was such a lovely change from Florida. We decided to finish our food in Bryant Park before heading back near the hotel to explore Central Park. After seeing some incredible views here, we decided to head back to the hotel to start getting ready for the concert!
While spending some time relaxing in the room before the show, we ordered some pizza to eat for lunch. Of course, you can't go to New York and not try a slice of its pizza. It lived up to its reputation and was the perfect food to eat before the concert. Then it was 3:45pm and time to head to check in for our VIP experience! We got our wristbands and once let into the venue, we got our exclusive VIP merch which included a tote bag, hat, zine, keychain, and postcards – one of which you could write on and her team sent them to Gracie to read. After receiving our bags, we had a photo op experience in front of a backdrop and each participant got a polaroid photo. Then, we had an early merch shopping opportunity and then were led to seats to watch the VIP vlog experience. The show started at 8pm and ended around 10:45pm, and it was incredible! Radio City Music Hall was absolutely beautiful, and Role Model and Gracie Abrams put on a fantastic show. The feeling of getting to see your favorite artist perform live surrounded by thousands of fans like you never gets old!
After the show ended, Gracie's team helped guide us backstage where I had the incredible experience getting to meet and chat with Gracie. She was seriously the most down to earth and sincere person ever. The conversation was so easy going and it felt like I'd known her for years! Getting to actually meet your favorite artist and have a conversation with them is an experience I'm not sure I'll ever be able to live down!
After the show and incredible meet and greet, it was the next morning and our last day in New York. We spent our morning grabbing bagels at Ess-a-bagel before having a quick lunch reservation at Din Tai Fung - which I had also been dying to try for forever! Then, we ventured the subway this time to get to the airport and head back to Florida.
Overall, I'm so incredibly grateful for this experience that was only made possible because of Propeller and the amazing organizations they partner with!
- Gracie G.
