On Saturday, New Yorkers and tourists gathered in Times Square to encourage people to “get rid of” bed bugs, fat bellies, noisy neighbors and feelings for former lovers in 2025.
More than 100 people gathered for the 18th annual event, each taking note of the grievances they wanted to keep and symbolically erasing them.
For 13-year-old Mason Riddle of Hartselle, Alabama, starting the new year with a clean slate means not having to “argue with his mom.”
“I do it all the time, but she's tired of it,” he told the Post.
His mother, Jessica Riddle, didn't think their argument was serious enough to wipe it out on her own miniature chalkboard provided by the Times Square Alliance. Instead, the single mother of two wants to rid herself of self-doubt and confusion.
“I ask myself every day if I'm raising them right. I just want to enjoy life and have fun and not stress too much,” she said.
“I'm trying to get better at organizing so that things run smoothly in my life.”
Coney Island resident Anna Daratany, 57, is saying goodbye to the hormonal woes of menopause, especially the weight around her belly.
“The journey has been crazy. It's been like four years. … You've made it through, I've been through it too,” she said with positivity.
Dalatany is trying to lose weight and “get into her golden years,” she said, adding that she hopes to lose another 15 pounds. “I know it's because of my hormones. I know it is.”
Irene Marin, 57, of Rego Park, is looking forward to being more assertive and not bowing to the demands of others in 2025, while New Yorker Georgina Calvillo, 25, is about to say goodbye to a recent heartbreak.
“He wanted to start a family in Mexico, but I wanted to see the world here in New York, so we decided to separate,” said Calvillo, who works as a nanny in the Big Apple.
Of the roughly 100 people who packed into the visitor center on Saturday, perhaps no one was more excited than Lauren of Williamsburg.
The 29-year-old says he chases away bed bugs, noisy neighbors, a bad job and general sadness.
“I live above a very noisy pizza place and the floor has been vibrating for a month and a half,” Lauren said. The man, who did not give his last name, added that he had also been plagued by bed bugs after accidentally bringing them home from a trip. Nashville.
“It was horrible. I had to pack everything. It took me a month and a half to pack. I was scared to be around people because I didn't want to give them bed bugs,” she said. continued.
“That was all. Meanwhile, I was interviewing for a job.”
Luckily, Lauren has already turned the page and is enjoying her new start. The bedbugs were removed the same day after negotiating with neighbors to reduce the noise.
“Everything changed drastically for me on the same day. It was my birthday, and I was unpacking from Bedbugs because I got a job offer,” Lauren said triumphantly. Ta.
Good Riddance Day is one of several year-end events being celebrated in Times Square this weekend ahead of the iconic New Year's Eve ball drop.
Tom Harris, chairman of the Times Square Alliance, said a typical list over the years includes financial problems, cancer and a bad boyfriend.
“When we look back on the past, we say goodbye to things and aim to get rid of things in good faith,” he told the Post.
“Today is our way of publicly declaring that we are eliminating what is in Times Square.”
