New to NY

Just wanted to express my gratitude to all of you who have been invaluable to helping people plan a vacation to the "Big Apple"...for those of us who have never been, this board is unbelievable!! It seems before I get a chance to post a question someone else already has asked the same question and for the most part all of you are very generous with your time and knowledge and I for one truly appreciate it!!! Thanks again!! We are truly looking forward to our 1st visit in only 2 weeks!!!

junebug

You're welcome! I'm glad my fellow NYers are so generous with help too -- I hope this finally dispels that stupid myth about NYers being rude and unfriendly. We're not -- ask and you'll receive whatever info you need. New York is still the best city in the U.S. Welcome and have a fun trip.

NYer

I am glad that we could be of service. Let me also remind you that people on this board tend to be a representative sample of most New Yorkers you will find while exploring the town.

What does this mean? If you get lost, don't hesitate to ask someone for directions, people are more than happy to provide them to you! (In fact, I am willing to put money down that while you are in New York at least one person will ask YOU for directions Of course there is a trick to the process. People's curiosity will get the best of them and they will want to know where you are from and what you think of New York. Let them know that New York is a great city and you are so glad you came. After that you are golden and will find it hard getting the person to shut up!

Have a great trip and welcome to New York.

Philip

Just to add on to what Junebug and NYer have said: New Yorkers come across as being rude because they are constantly bombarded with people wanting their attention, such as people wanting money or sticking fliers in their face. Most NYers are willing to help a lost tourist, sometimes it takes a few seconds to register the fact that a person just needs directions and not money.

suzanne

Philip- That is SO true. When someone on the street comes up and says "excuse me..." the next thing out of their mouth is either: "can you spare some change?" or "We're conducting this survey...it'll just take 5 minutes..." or "Would you like to buy some candy to support my basketball team?" or "Are you a friend of Jesus?" AAARRRGGHH! Leave me alone!! I get sick of it, day after day after day. It's SO nice when someone asks instead, "How do I get to 5th Avenue?" Happy to help!

Nice My Butt

This thread has become one giant group asskiss. People who feel the need to remind others how nice they are aren't nice. New York didn't become New York because of a bunch of pansyass polite people running around. You want nice? Go to the south.

Want to know how "nice" New Yorkers are? Ask Bernie Goetz. Ask Robert Chambers. Ask David Berkowitz. Ask the Central Park jogger. Ask John Lennon.

z

The previous poster wrote " You want nice? Go to the south.". Not if you are Black or Hispanic

Me

And "Nice My Butt" gets the prize for most idotic post of the day.

Yes, you can definitely judge the "niceness" of a city of 8 million by a handful of notorious crimes going back nearly 30 years. Just like you can judge Colorado by Columbine, or California by the "Hillside Strangler", etc. David Berkowitz? Had to reach back to 1977 for that one, didn't ya? And John Lennon? What does that have to do with the niceness of New York? If I'm not mistaken, his assassin traveled all the way from Hawaii for the express purpose of killing him. If Lennon had lived in Alabama, he still would have been killed. NY had nothing to do with it.

Sorry for continuing "Nice My Butt"s hijack of this thread but I couldn't let it sit unanswered.

NotZ

Z, did it hurt when you fell and hit your head? You dumbass, why would you say it is not OK for blacks or hispanics to go south?

I am black and I live in the south.