Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl at London Stadium, and Taylor Swift performing at Wembley Stadium over the weekend.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images/Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl joked that Taylor Swift doesn't perform live.
Swift appeared to respond by saying her band plays live for three and a half hours at each show.
The comments came after Swift fans harassed Grohl's teenage daughter earlier this year.
Taylor Swift appeared to respond to Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl's accusation that she doesn't play live over the weekend, as relations between the two appear to have soured.
On Sunday, Swift wrapped up the UK leg of her "Eras Tour," which is the highest-grossing tour of all time and proof of her immense star power. Before it kicked off, Barclays Bank estimated that it would inject £997 million ($1.26 billion) into the UK economy.
However, her intense fan base is fiercely defensive of her and often harasses those who criticize her.
Some fans speculated Grohl's comments were in response to Swift fans harassing his teenage daughter, Violet Grohl, over tweets she sent about the singer earlier this year.
Here's a timeline of what's been said.
May 2015: Grohl says he's 'obsessed' with Taylor Swift
Dave Grohl at the 2015 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/WireImage
In 2015, the Foo Fighters and Swift both performed at BBC Radio One's "Big Weekend" in Norwich, UK.
Grohl showed his support for her during his performance and joked that he was "obsessed" with her, BBC News reported.
He told the crowd: "I'm officially obsessed. She might want to get a restraining order because I'm all about Swift. To my opening band, Taylor Swift. Taylor and the Swifts."
January 2024: Violet Grohl deletes social media after criticizing Swift's carbon footprint
Dave Grohl and Violet Grohl performing at Glastonbury 2023.
Harry Durrant/Getty Images
Violet Grohl deleted her social media profiles in January after she criticized Swift for using a private jet to fly to "Eras Tour" performances. Swifts responded by trolling her and reportedly sending her death threats.
In a since-deleted tweet, she wrote: "Why can't Taylor Swift just drive like everyone else."
Wow I wonder what prompted Dave Grohl to take a little swipe at Taylor Swift? I’m sure it’s totally unprovoked & not at all to do with his 17-year-old daughter being relentlessly trolled & sent death threats from Swifties because of this totally innocuous tweet back in January. pic.twitter.com/NJetVw9aa2
listen i won’t dispute that violet grohl had a somewhat bad or poorly worded take on the Ai porn, and I get criticizing that she previously liked a johnny drop post (from 2022) but she is a literal teenager. They don’t always have the most nuanced takes. Swifties went tooooo far pic.twitter.com/2EBnDxNMgJ
June 2024: Grohl suggests Swift doesn't perform live
Dave Grohl and Pat Smear at the Foo Fighters gig at London Stadium.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
At a Foo Fighters show in London on Saturday, Dave Grohl told the audience: "We were joking about the Taylor Swift tour earlier. I know that she's on her 'Eras' tour. I'm telling you, man, you don't want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift.
"So we like to call our tour the 'Errors Tour. We've had more than a few eras, and more than a few fucking errors as well. Just a couple.
"That's because we actually play live. What? Just saying. You guys like raw, live rock 'n' roll music, right? You came to the right fucking place."
Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl implies that Taylor Swift doesn’t play live during the band’s show in London:
“We like to call our tour the Errors Tour […] because we actually play live”
Taylor Swift onstage at Wembley Stadium in London.
Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images
Swift hasn't directly addressed Grohl's comments, but she appeared to respond while performing in London on Sunday.
"Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band who's gonna be playing live for you for 3.5 hours tonight, they deserve this so much.
"And so does every one of my fellow performers. And you just gave that to us so generously, we will never forget it," she said.
🏟️| Taylor shouts out her incredible band, crew, and fellow performers after the standing ovation 🫶
"Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band who's gonna be playing live for you for 3.5 hours tonight, they deserve this so much. And so does every one… pic.twitter.com/7E9CKcIAa4
— Taylor Swift Updates 🩶 (@swifferupdates) June 23, 2024
A still from a video shared by the Ukrainian military of ATACMS in use.
General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Screengrab via X
Russia accused Ukraine of injuring civilians in an ATACMS attack on Crimea on Sunday.
Russia is likely placing military facilities near civilians to deter Ukrainian strikes, experts say.
Sevastopol's governor said four people were killed and 82 hospitalized as a result of the attack.
Russia is likely placing military facilities near civilian areas in Crimea to try to deter further Ukrainian strikes, military analysts said.
The influential Institute for the Study of War reached the conclusion in an assessment on Sunday, citing a reported strike against Sevastopol, where Russia has its Black Sea Fleet headquarters.
On Sunday, Russia's Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of launching five American-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS, with cluster warheads on civilian infrastructure in Sevastopol.
Four ATACMS were shot down, it said, but the impact froma Russian air-defense interceptor caused one to deviate from its trajectory and its warhead to explode midair over the city.
Fragments of cluster munitions injured more than 20 civilians, including children, it said, adding that the US was partly to blame.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol, said four people were killed, 151 sought medical help, and 82 were hospitalized as of 9 p.m. local time.
Russian and Ukrainian sources appeared to confirm the missile strike, with some claiming cluster munitions landed near civilians.
Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne said its sources heard explosions in the city of Yevpatoria.
Crimean Wind, a pro-Ukrainian group that monitors information in Crimea, postedfootage that it said showed explosions in Yevpatoria and near Vytine.
Meanwhile, one Russian source claimed the attack hit the village of Lyubimovka, only kilometers away from beaches popular with vacationers and locals.
Placing potential military targets near civilian infrastructure is a strategy Russia has leveraged in the past, with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and schools in occupied Ukraine used to shield Russian military equipment, the ISW reported.
However, in doing so, Russia is likely breaking its own International Humanitarian Law, which says that military command must refrain from placing military targets close to or in highly populated areas.
Neither the ISW nor Business Insider could independently verify if Ukrainian forces used missiles armed with cluster munitions.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, the ISW said that Ukraine's sustained attacks against Russian air defenses in Crimea could make the peninsula untenable as a military staging ground.
Photo by Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Ukraine has destroyed columns of waiting Russian soldiers with HIMARS, a Ukrainian commander said.
He said they were targeted as soon as Ukraine got permission to use allied weapons across the border.
Experts say Ukraine's ability to use Western-supplied weapons on Russian soil is aiding its fightback.
Ukraine has been able to destroy columns of Russian soldiers after it got permission from its allies to use their weapons to strike military targets across the border into Russia, a Ukrainian commander said.
The artillery commander, with the call sign Hefastus, told the Associated Press that Ukrainian HIMARS started firing in the northern Kharkiv region as soon as Ukraine got permission.
Ukraine got permission from its allies last month to strike military targets in Russia with weapons they'd supplied, reversing a long-held restriction.
"From the first days, Ukrainian forces managed to destroy whole columns of troops along the border waiting for the order to enter Ukraine," Hefastus said, according to the AP.
He said Ukraine could not have achieved this without its new permissions, as regular ammunition cannot reach that far.
Hefastus added that Ukraine was now able to destroy Russian command centers.
Russia has also been stationing troops close to the border with Ukraine, ready to be called in to fight.
Ukraine's deputy defense minister, Ivan Havryliuk, told the AP that at least 90,000 Russian troops deep in Russian territory were readying for a new assault when the restrictions were lifted.
It's not clear if any of these were the troops allegedly hit by the HIMARS attacks.
This changed in May, when many of Ukraine's allies said that it could now use weapons they'd supplied to go after military targets on Russian soil.
The US, which announced its policy change on May 30, did not go as far as some, but still said that Ukraine could use weapons it provided to hit into regions across the border from Kharkiv.
Experts say this new reality has had a big impact there, particularly given the Russian border is so close to the fighting. Russia was able to resupply its forces with troops, ammunition, and equipment and Ukraine could do little to interfere.
George Barros, a Russian military expert at the US-based Institute for the Study of War, told BI that within the first days there was a "positive difference."
"They've actually helped blunt the Russian offensive at the heart," he said, with Ukraine able to launch "small tactical counterattacks."
Some Russian attacks have been reduced, two Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post, but they added that air bases where it is launching attacks from are out of range of what the US permission allows Ukraine to hit.
According to the AP, Ukraine's new strike abilities have "greatly slowed Russia's momentum," with local reports saying they have also allowed Ukrainian troops to push forward and reclaim some territory, although they are still under great pressure.
Firefighters walk through the wreckage of the factory in Hwaseong, South Korea.
ANTHONY WALLACE/Getty Images
A fire at a battery factory in South Korea has killed 22 mostly Chinese workers.
Officials told Reuters the fire began after several lithium battery cells exploded.
Concerns are growing over lithium battery fires, which can be harder to put out than regular fires.
22 workers have died after a fire tore through a lithium battery factory in South Korea.
Local fire officials told Reuters that the fire at the Aricell battery factory in Hwaseong began after several battery cells exploded inside the warehouse.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear, but officials said that the blaze was now extinguished.
Local fire official Kim Jin-young, citing information from Aricell, told Reuters that 18 of the deceased workers had been Chinese.
He earlier said that two others had suffered burns and serious injuries, and that due to the intensity of the blaze it was difficult to identify the dead.
However, it is also occupied, with the tenant having possible occupancy rights until 2053.
The listing said the tenant pays $416.67 monthly and will continue to pay the same amount throughout their time living there.
Speaking to ABC 7 News, Steven MacDonald, a landlord-tenant legal expert, said: "For some reason, they gave this person a 30-year right of possession. I've seen that before. It's kind of a sloppy way of estate planning."
He added: "They can do it that way. I think they should have done it a different way."
MacDonald said it would take a "very, very unique buyer" who would be open to buying the property below value while waiting decades to move in themselves.
Ilia Smith, who lives on the street, said the listing surprised those in the neighborhood.
She told ABC 7 News: "Thirty years. I don't think I'll be around for that."
According to the San Francisco Standard, the unusual sales proposition stems from a family drama.
The local outlet reported that the current tenant, 83-year-old Sandra Lee, lives there with her daughter Cheryl Lee, 66.
It is owned by Sandra Lee's son. Sandra Lee told The Standard he put the house up for sale against her wishes.
She said her stepfather had secretly arranged a lease in 2018, which secures her low rent and a place to live until 2053.
"If it wasn't for the lease that [my son] didn't know about that was made in 2018, I don't know where we'd be," she told The Standard.
Business Insider was unable to contact the son for comment. Park North Real Estate also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco metropolitan area is one of the most expensive housing markets in the world.
Although I loved traveling to Venice, I'd rather explore different places in Italy next time.
I also thought Phuket was gorgeous, but would prefer other options for a beach vacation in Thailand.
When traveling, I always try to approach each destination with an open mind and a desire to experience the culture, meet the locals, see the guidebook recommendations, and get off the beaten path whenever possible.
More and more people are choosing to travel in 2024 — a record number of about 15.9 million Americans have already traveled internationally in the first quarter of the year — and I'm on the same page.
I've been lucky enough to visit more than 40 countries and have traveled to six of the seven continents. Although I'd love to revisit some of my favorite places that have made an indelible impact on me, a few destinations haven't left me with the same desire to return.
Of the places I've visited so far, these are the ones I probably won't return to.
I loved Los Angeles, but one visit was enough.
Growing up in Australia, I dreamed of visiting Hollywood.
Anadolu/Getty Images
Growing up in Australia, I dreamed of visiting Hollywood — the place where so many movies are made. When I was 14, my mom said she was taking me to Los Angeles, and I thought I was the luckiest kid on the planet.
Beforehand, we spent a few weeks road-tripping around Mexico, checking out the Mayan ruins, eating local cuisine, and going to dance parties on the beach. When we arrived in Los Angeles, it didn't have the same allure as Mexico did for me.
We had a wonderful time exploring the movie studios, walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and driving by celebrity homes. But once I'd seen LA, I didn't feel the need to go back.
I actually did end up returning with my husband when we were in our 20s, as he was keen to tick off those experiences, too. But he felt the same way I did — there are other places we'd rather revisit.
Monaco was glitzy and glamorous, but it just wasn’t my kind of place.
I enjoyed exploring the Prince's Palace of Monaco during my trip.
Laborant/Shutterstock
When we were in southern France, we decided to take a day trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco. My husband was desperate to see the Monaco Grand Prix, so I spent the day exploring the city with his mom while he and his dad checked out the Formula 1 race.
The gardens were perfectly manicured, and the streets were spotlessly clean. However, it just wasn't my kind of destination.
We were constantly surrounded by wealth, but I prefer visiting places where I can interact with people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
I’m glad I’ve seen Venice, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Venice isn't the type of place I'd like to visit multiple times.
MariaMaslova/Shutterstock
Venice is one of those places that has to be seen to be believed. Built on a group of islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, there really is nowhere else like it in the world. The absence of cars gives it a particular charm, and it almost feels like the buildings are floating on water.
I traveled to Venice on a European vacation with my now husband when I was 23 years old. We splurged on a gondola ride through the canals and marveled at the Renaissance and Gothic architecture. In Piazza San Marco, we bought an overpriced ice cream and checked out St. Mark's Basilica.
Venice is definitely worth putting on your bucket list, especially considering it's predicted to sink as soon as 2100. However, it's probably not the kind of place I'd visit multiple times because I found it to be crowded and expensive.
If I go back to Italy, there are other places I'd like to see, like Lake Como.
Phuket is beautiful, but I'd rather explore other areas of Thailand.
Phuket, Thailand, is gorgeous, but I prefer Krabi for a beach vacation.
Viwat Udompitisup/Shutterstock
Phuket is home to some of Thailand's most popular beaches, seaside resorts, restaurants, and bars, making it somewhat of a tourist hot spot.
When I was 17, my parents took me there for a weeklong vacation, and we stayed in a resort in Patong. Although it was fun swimming in the resort pool and parasailing around the bay, I didn't leave wanting to return.
On return trips to Thailand, I've found other places I've enjoyed more. For example, I loved Krabi,a province in southern Thailand known for its limestone cliffs and sandy beaches. It was less crowded than Phuket and, in my opinion, much prettier.
LVMH, the French luxury-goods conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tag Heuer, has acquired a majority stake in the tiny 100-year-old bistro Chez L'Ami Louis, renowned for its high prices, Bloomberg reported.
The conglomerate didn't close the financial terms of the detail, per the report.
"Chez L'Ami Louis has acquired an unprecedented atmosphere and popularity among Parisians, becoming a go-to destination for those seeking an authentic culinary experience in the capital," LVMH said in a statement.
Arnault — the world's third-richest person whose wealth Bloomberg puts at $200 billion — has been building up LVMH's portfolio of luxury hospitality companies. This includes the Cheval Blanc and Belmond hotel chains, as well as travel retailer DFS and yacht builder Royal Van Lent.
But reviews are mixed. While some guests love the restaurant, others have left scathing feedback, leading to an overall 3.5-star rating on Tripadvisor.
"It's undeniable that L'Ami Louis really is special and apart," Scottish critic AA Mill wrote in a 2011 review of the restaurant for Vanity Fair. "It has earned an epic accolade. It is, all things considered, entre nous, the worst restaurant in the world."
Arnault regularly jostles with tech titans Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the title of world's wealthiest person: Bezos currently tops the list with an estimated fortune of $211 billion, per Bloomberg. Arnault's estimated wealth is more than double that of Europe's second-richest person, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, from Spain.
The planemaker is under scrutiny as officials examine the terms of a 2021 settlement. Boeing was charged with fraud conspiracy after 346 people died in two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. It paid $2.5 billion as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.
That deal was due to expire just two days before January's Alaska Airlines blowout. A door plug came off a 737 Max in midair, sparking a crisis at Boeing while the DoJ examined whether this violated the settlement.
In a May court filing, it said the planemaker had broken the terms of the agreement, and as a result, "Boeing is subject to prosecution by the United States." Boeing said it believes that it has honored the terms of the agreement.
The Justice Department has until July 7 to make a decision on whether to prosecute Boeing.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that Boeing could avoid criminal charges. The firm could instead be given another deferred prosecution agreement as a result of breaking the previous one, per the NYT.
In an email to Business Insider, Paul Cassell, an attorney representing the families of victims of the 737 Max crashes, said he received a letter from Glenn Leon, the DoJ's criminal fraud chief, calling The Times' report "simply not correct."
"The Department has not made a decision on how to proceed or whether to pursue prosecution of Boeing," Leon added.
Cassell, a criminal law professor at the University of Utah, said: "We hope that the DoJ is not claiming to have made 'no final decision' as a ploy to gain additional time to hammer out a deferred prosecution agreement deal with Boeing."
"There is no reason to think a second DPA deal would be any better than the first," he added.
On Sunday, Reuters reported that prosecutors are recommending to Justice Department officials that they do bring charges against Boeing.
The NYT's report said that the Justice Department believes it's unlikely that a jury would find Boeing guilty.
And if Boeing was convicted of felony fraud, it could jeopardize its contracts with the government — including the Defense Department — which make up significant revenue.
The DoJ and Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Business Insider outside US working hours.
"We've launched more than 50 experiences in 25 cities, and Netflix House represents the next generation of our distinctive offerings. The venues will bring our beloved stories to life in new, ever-changing, and unexpected ways," Marian Lee, Netflix's chief marketing officer, said.
If the concept of taking original IP and turning it into an immersive, in-person experience sounds familiar, that's because it is.
That's Disney's formula.
The Walt Disney Company began as a cartoon studio but expanded to theme parks in 1955 with Disneyland in California. It's since launched theme parks worldwide. It also added other experiences, like cruise lines, resorts, and residential real estate communities.
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Theme parks are a major money maker for Disney. Its experiences division, which includes theme parks, was Disney's top earner in 2023, bringing in $32 billion in revenue.
So it's not surprising that the company, looking for ways to add to its bottom line, sees Disney as a role model. At a 2019 conference, former Disney CEO Reed Hastings said that Netflix admired Disney.
But media and retail analysts told Business Insider that while Netflix is taking a page from Disney's playbook, the end result might look different.
How Netflix can expand beyond streaming
David A. Steinberg, CEO of Zeta Global, called this phenomenon "clicks and bricks," which refers to a consumer's desire to merge online spaces and the real world.
Consumer data collected by Zeta Global found that "the vast majority of transaction research is done on the internet, but the vast majority of transactions are still created in the real world," he said.
It's a recipe that Disney has perfected over decades of operating its theme parks and other experiences. One of the newest additions to its collection is Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disney World, a ride based on the 2009 film "Princess and the Frog."
Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Orlando Sentinel/Getty Images
While Netflix House will likely attract its subscribers, Resonate MCO Ericka McCoy said the potential for new audiences can't be overlooked. That includes younger generations who are desperate for real-world connections.
"There's a big opportunity for Netflix to make this a really interesting experience that not only captures Netflix watchers but a significant portion of cinema-goers looking for that new thing," she said. "They should be able to capture those audiences that are loyal to concerts."
Netflix could rescue struggling shopping malls
A shuttered Sears store at Lycoming Mall in Pennsylvania.
SOPA Images/Getty Images
Netflix investing in shopping malls might seem at odds with headlines announcing the "retail apocalypse." However, Steinberg said there's still money to be made in these establishments.
"Malls are certainly having problems in a large component of the country, but it's a very low-cost way of getting large amounts of foot traffic," Steinberg said.
He said that Netflix would likely get more foot traffic in a mall than if they built stand-alone shops.
"Even though numbers might be softer than in the past, these are two of the biggest and most frequented malls in the country," Steinberg added, referring to King of Prussia and Galleria Dallas.
McCoy told BI that the physical space offered at these malls is perfect for "voluminous experiences."
"Think of Hollywood Studios," McCoy said, referring to the Walt Disney World theme park. "You have that opportunity to create stages. Immersive experiences where you're walking into a set. You can't do that in a small space, and you'd have to build it from scrap."
Guests at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Orlando Sentinel/Getty Images
On the other hand, OptiMine Software CEO Matt Voda says securing a Netflix House venue could be a win for mall operators trying to replace anchor tenants.
"It's a way for them to avoid more boutique things that might be more expensive because the mall operators are so hungry to get consumers to show up," Voda said.
Voda added that Netflix has an "analytic advantage" over smaller brands since their data can reveal fan interests and passions — something that can steer business decisions.
"They know how many fervent fans there are in any given location, so they're able to reduce a lot of the variables that are big risks in retail," he said.
Netflix House and then Netflix World?
All three experts told BI that Netflix House could usher in a more immersive era for the company, but it's too soon to know Netflix's official endgame.
"Is this just a brand play to drive engagement and awareness of Netflix, or is there a bigger economic opportunity where they might do something like a theme park?" Voda said. "I think they would have to test this and see if it sustains itself over the years."
Steinberg leaned away from theme parks and suggested Netflix expand its permanent locations by making the experiences richer.
"That could be rides, or that could be virtual experiences," he said. "Part of it could be opening themed restaurants."
Rodriguez started her workday at 3 p.m. while traveling around the Greek islands.
Courtesy of Marissa Rodriguez
Marissa Rodriguez visited Greece on holiday and decided to stay in Athens to work on her business.
She told Business Insider it took her time to adjust to a more relaxed lifestyle.
She spent her first months working with clients in the US from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. while traveling.
When Marissa Rodriguez left her home in Puerto Rico to attend New York University in 2001, she didn't know she'd stay in Manhattan for two decades.
Rodriguez started working in fashion at 24 in 2007. She began her career building wholesale brands for different fashion houses.
Rodriguez told Business Insider she'd wake up at 6 a.m., go to the gym, and hustle to start work at 9 a.m. By the time she got into the office, she would already have many messages from colleagues.
"I was always rushing and always behind schedule and feeling like it was never enough," she said. Still, she had a dream apartment and thought she'd live in Manhattan for the rest of her life.
She lost her job
Rodriguez started working for C.Wonder, a company run by Chris Burch, an investor and entrepreneur, in 2013.
She told Business Insider she worked 16 hours a day some days and often worked weekends. Rodriguez said that lifestyle was the norm in New York, and she didn't question it.
When she was on holiday in January 2015, the CEO called her to tell her the company was shutting down. She lost her job immediately. Later that year, C. Wonder was acquired and started running under new management.
Rodriguez told BI they'd been working hard on a new project just before being let go. "We left feeling so good right before Christmas," she said. "It really came out of nowhere."
Rodriguez had worked since college, and her newly unemployed status was stressful, "I was on my own, so it was terrifying," she said. "But it was also an incredible moment because I had to take a pause for the first time."
She re-evaluated her career
For a few months, Rodriguez applied for jobs in fashion but left every interview feeling like she didn't want to do the role. She wanted greater autonomy and flexibility than her previous work and decided to move into consultancy.
She told BI she'd been interested in e-commerce for several years. In 2016, she launched Inspired Brands, a consultancy business that worked with e-commerce brands.
"I worked for some really weird businesses and weird clients while I was finding my footing," she said. A year into running the business, she started landing larger clients, such as Sofia Vergara and Renata Black's lingerie brand, EBY.
With her new business, Rodriguez thought she needed to stay in New York to meet clients in person. But her perspective shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She took a solo trip to Greece
Rodriguez decided to attend a friend's birthday party in Greece in June 2021. She'd never visited the country before and decided to take a 10-day solo vacation to Greece around the party.
"I had had three really awful relationships back to back," she said. "I thought: 'I need to go face a fear of being alone, so I'm going to go travel by myself to Greece.'"
Rodriguez said she felt like a different person in Greece. As a self-proclaimed "type-A" personality, she always had to have a plan for the day and struggled to go with the flow in New York.
While traveling, she would wake up at 9 a.m. — a welcome break from her 6 a.m. alarm in New York — and spend the day exploring. "I loved waking up in the morning when America is asleep and getting eight hours of the day to myself to do that I wanted," she said. Rodriguez would then work remotely from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m.
"All of a sudden, my entire lifestyle changed, and I found that I loved it."
Though she was traveling alone, Rodriguez said she never felt lonely. "I made so many friends," she added, "Greek people are so warm and welcoming."
Athens felt like an unexpected homecoming
Two months into her vacation, she returned to Athens, which she had passed through at the start of her trip.
"I landed in Athens and had this sense of being home," she said. "Almost like I could have been here in another life."
For Rodriguez, Athens felt like a combination of what she liked about New York — a cosmopolitan city with distinct neighborhoods that are different from each other, and Puerto Rico — everyone knowing everyone and being near the water. She wanted to stay but didn't know how.
By October, she was due to leave Greece and couldn't stay in the country any longer without a visa. She heard that the government had launched a digital nomad visa, which allows nomads who earn a minimum of $3,769 a month to live in Greece for up to three years.
Rodriguez moved back to New York and applied for a visa. Her visa was approved, and she moved to Athens in December 2021.
"From 20 years in New York, I now understand that my entire understanding of 'normal' was totally skewed," she said, adding that food is much cheaper in Athens and there's a better food delivery service.
She's getting used to lifestyle changes
At first, Rodriguez was surprised by some differences between the US and Greece. She found that apartments didn't necessarily have air conditioning or hot water, but she's relaxed into her new lifestyle.
A Greek friend became her boyfriend in August 2022. "All of the caricature differences between us exist," she said. "I'm super American and very into personal development and growth. He'll say: 'Oh my God, take a nap, relax, watch the sunset. Stop being so American.'"
Rodriguez launched an e-learning platform called "Through Experience" this year. She works on her course in the morning and with her US clients in the afternoon.
"I don't miss the hustle and bustle of New York City," she said. "The energy is just too much."