Native NY'er that lives in Manhattan. I like his attitude. I had one minor disagreement, do not buy anything from street vendors on Canal Street. Some support terrorism. Otherwise he was just fine.

Hi Audchamp - What do you mean, "support terrorism"?

It has been reported in the mainstream press that porceeds from some street vendors in New York go to terrorists. Many NY'ers do not like street vendors for a a variety of reasons including they hurt stores that pay rent, they often sell illegal merchandise, and some support terrorism.

Some of the stores on Canal Street sell illegal merchandise, as well. A few years ago there was a raid on a store and tourists were trapped in the basement until the police let them go. As the tour guide noted, we too have seen busts in the middle of Canal Street.

Why anyone above the age of teenage would want obvious knock offs is beyond me.

I regularly buy fruits and vegetables from street vendors but they have city licenses to do so.

Most of the street vendors and many of the stores on Canal street are hand in hand with organized crime - goods sometimes "fell off the back of the truck" but more often are very poor quality fakes that quickly fall apart - who are infringing on the copyrights of the designers (yes they have copyrights just like singers and authors).

In some cases the profits made do go to support either organized crime or terrorists. the poilce have made some sweeps through and arrested people they could catch (not purchasers yet, but there are rumors that the city council is considering making the purchase as well as the sale of these goods a crime). And there was at least one incident when the shop owners and customers were locked in a basement for some time hiding from the police (who eventually found them and freed the customers).

And I too don;t understand why people want to buy this junk. It's obvious the stuff isn't real - so what's the purpose (do people think they can fool their friends? don;t they realize how silly they look?)

Oh - and this is from another native New Yorker - third generation - who lives in Manhattan.

That any of that stuff on Canal Street "fell off the back of the truck" is what they want you to think.
That suggests it's authentic, which it NEVER is.

I live two blocks north of Canal and I regularly see people getting into the backs of vans with some of these vendors in an effort to get some special "secret" deal. It's beyond me that people put value on fake Chinese crap being distributed by thieves and dirtbags from god-knows-where.

Louis Vitton for $30?? I don't think so. Of course they're all fakes.

Yes, there are raids at times, but obviously it hasn't put a dent in this trade.

Anyway, the rest of this video I think is informative as well. And the tour guide seems to me like the kind of guide one would want if a tourist.

No - it's fakes off the back of a truck - which is why their fakes are supposed to look more real. No one can possibly think any of these things are real. the only thing "real" in these places are the plastic tscotkes