The 'Hey, Guys, I'm in New York City, Just Hanging Out' meme originates from a home video recorded by a young man named Nikolas in July 2001, just months before the September 11 attacks. In the footage, he cheerfully introduces his location with the World Trade Center towers looming in the background. Years later, the clip resurfaced online and gained viral status as a prime example of 'liminal space' energy and retroactive irony. Today, creators use the template to evoke a sense of 'calm before the storm' or as a bait-and-switch format where the speaker claims to be in NYC while actually being in a fictional, dangerous, or bizarre setting.