Traveling serves to rediscover oneself, to discover new places and cultures, or even to heal. This was what he always thought Gabriela Zaratea 54-year-old woman from the city of San Nicolás.
Zárate now lives in Buenos Aires and has been a dentist specializing in pediatric dentistry for 32 years. In 2022, in addition, decided to learn how to use Instagram and it became a tourist guide for those who visit the incredible city of New York.
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She was 23 years old the first time she traveled with a group of friends to the Big Apple. That was the last item on the itinerary, after a tour of Europe. New York was not her favorite destination, but in 2006 she began to participate in a forum where several Spaniards, one Chilean and she, the only Argentine, were dedicated to talking about The City That Never Sleeps. Thus she became her place in the world. Until now, she traveled 17 times and she always did it in different ways: with family, friends, strangers, and even alone. She now has three other trips scheduled for this year.
He visited places like the Statue of Liberty to those most hidden corners that only New Yorkers know about. She especially remembers seeing the Twin Towers in 2001, just a few months before the attack, and how it affected her after seeing so much destruction in the same place where she had walked.
Gabriela Zárate provides advice for those visiting New York. (Video: Instagram @nyc_secrets_)
Revealing the secrets of New York
Gabriela Zárate grew up in a family of doctors, so she experienced the chaos of COVID-19 very closely. 2020 It was a very hard year for her personally.. In addition, he had to cancel a trip to Morocco, but, in return, he was presented with another opportunity to return to New York and he accepted it.
With that visit, he hoped to be able to recover from everything he had experienced in Argentina for more than a year, but when he arrived, Zárate only found himself with the ravages of the pandemic: more poverty, many people living on the streets and hundreds of businesses closed.
Much of his information comes from his own experiences. (Video: Instagram @nyc_secrects_)
“I told myself ‘I have to help this city that I saw grow and tell what it was before, so that it would have the splendor again and the magic it has for me’. I want them to fall in love like I fell in love with, ”she told TN. So, she took the advice of a friend, the same one who helped her create the @nyc_secrets_ Instagram account a little over a year ago, and began giving advice, talking about tours for all kinds of budgets, answering questions on broadcasts on live and tell curiosities about that tourist destination that he loves so much.
Gabriela Zárate enjoys her new project because it is a way of contributing to society. (Photo: Courtesy of Gabriela Zárate)
She feels safer and bolder in New York – to the point of getting on a motorcycle, something the Gabriela Zárate of Buenos Aires would never have done. “I like to travel everywhere, but I feel that New York gives me a special energy. I like being a tourist in New York, it makes me feel more like I am,” he confessed.
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That energetic version is the one that permeates his Instagram account, which he got 54,000 followers in a short time. That success is a combination of rigor and dedication. In fact, she began to study and became a professional through journalism and Instagram management courses.
Gabriela Zárate remembers with emotion having been in front of the Twin Towers shortly before the attack. (Photo: Courtesy of Gabriela Zárate.)
His effort paid off: he proposed to the producers of a TV channel broadcast from the city and they liked the idea. In December 2022, close to Christmas, he became a correspondent for a day. He spoke about the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the most important symbol of the December season in New York.
This new stage in her life is very rewarding, especially because she feels that she is a help to others. “Sometimes, if someone texts me low on energy, I contact them privately. I realized that I can contribute a lot from the socialZarate said. He also assured that this is his only reward, because he does not monetize his profile or get any revenue from his advice. “I do it as a passion. If I come to see it as a job, if I stop being me, I close the account, ”he said.
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Zárate is planning to retire next year and aspires to be able to spend more time creating content. In fact, he is already thinking about making publications about Buenos Aires and other cities that he wants to visit.
However, the best thing for her is to receive the affection of people. “People come to greet me at the hospital”, she recounted with emotion and added between laughs: “I joke with my dad, I tell him ‘and you thought I was going to be famous giving talks at dentistry congresses'”.
