In her most recent act of extravagant niceness, Taylor Swift gave a stranger $90 because the woman said she was going to Chipotle. HuffPost Entertainment got to the heart of this important news story and tracked down Micaela Rodriguez, the now-slightly-richer girl in the boat. Here's what happened.
Happy birthday! How old are you?
Thank you! I'm 17.
Can you tell us about meeting Taylor Swift?
Okay, okay, okay, I’ll tell you guys. [Pause] So, basically for my 17th birthday we went to New York City, and we were, like, rowing the boats ... I was singing really loud, and I saw my friends whispering. So, I paused the music and there was Taylor Swift! She was right in front of me. It was crazy. My friends were like “It’s her birthday! It’s her birthday!”
Did Taylor verify that it was, in fact, your birthday?
She was like, “Really?” And my friend was like, “Yeah, she turned 17.” Then she asked me and I was like, “Yeah, I swear.” And then she was like, "Oh, okay, happy birthday."
How did you get out of your boat?
I asked to take a picture with her and she was like, "Yeah, of course." I was so excited I jumped off the boat and then she held my hand, and we took a picture like that. The current was so strong that my friends were drifting away, so I went into the gazebo.
And then she gave you $90?
She asked me how my birthday was going and I said, "Oh, we're going to go to Chipotle!" And she said, "That's so cool!" The interviewer from Rolling Stone gave her a look like "C'mon, Taylor." So, she walked to the interviewer and walked back and opened her purse. I said, "No, it's okay!" And she said, "No, you and your friends should go have a fancy birthday dinner. It's on me. Go enjoy yourself." Then she put the money in my hand and closed my hand and said "Happy birthday."
Why $90?
She just opened her purse. She was in a rush. I guess she just took the money and, like, gave it to me. She told me to go have a fancy dinner.
Did you go to Chipotle?
No, we had to go back to Long Island.
What did you spend the $90 on?
I don't know. I still have it.
Are you going to frame it?
I think I'm gonna frame it in my room.
Would you have expected her to be like that?
She was so sweet! She was so nice.
Did she smell good?
She looked like a porcelain doll.
Are you a really big Taylor Swift fan?
I like her. I wouldn't say I'm her number one fan, but yeah. She's a good singer.
This interview has been edited and condensed.