The busiest tourist season is upon us and here are some rules to help all.

Rules of the Sidewalk

For NY’ers and Tourists

Walk to the right, especially if you have a sign “Wide Load” on your butt
Do not stop short.
Do not do pirouettes in the middle of the street when lost.
Do not walk five across the street as if you are playing Ringo leevio or Red Rover, Red Rover let Fred Come Over.
Drink your Starbucks at Starbucks. All you latte lackeys do not hold you overpriced coffee in front of you like a cocktail.
Would you drive on the left, stop in the middle of the highway, or take every family car and block every lane?

Just NY’ers
Do not run down the street between the walkers
Do not ride your bike down the street. I know bikers think they are elevated live forms but pedestrians may disagree.
Sunday fathers-do not use your child’s stroller as a battering ram. If you are mad that you are divorced or stuck with the kid, take it on yourself not us.
Dog walkers-try not to have the entire 20 foot lead extend across the sidewalk. Someone is going to step on Chihuahua.

Tourists
Look at the map either at the curb or next to a building not on a corner, the middle of the street, by garbage cans already blocking the street, or in front of a subway stop.
If you must window shop do it by the windows and not from the middle of the sidewalk with binoculars.
Jay-walking is a NYC sport. If you are going to wait for a light, get out of the way of those who want to break the law.
If you are going to look up assign a designated seeing eye tourist so others can pass.

Cell-ibites

SHUT UP!!!. Now we know publicly how petty and inane you are privately.
Do not dial the phone as you walk. Pull your annoying butt over to a building.
Do not pace the street, while talking as if the street us your living room.
Watch where you are going. You are in the phone, not us.

Thank you.

Heck, no!

We're going to walk arm-in-arm and gawk at all the pretty tall buildings.

We're going to pose for pictures in front of Tiffany's and ask for some friendly person to take our picture and expect sidewalk traffic to stop for our photo op.

By damn, it's our trip-of-a-lifetime visit in NYC and y'all are going to just have to "put on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT!"

LOL, excellent but this applies to All Cities.

May I add...when getting off of the escalator, do not come to a dead halt at that point...there are people behind you!!!!!!!!!!

'If you are going to look up assign a designated seeing eye tourist so others can pass'

That's me! When we're in NYC my daughter hangs onto the back of shirt so that she can pull me out of traffic.

This thread could go on forever, haha. This may sound like city slickers bitching about tourists, but seriously, these things will help your trip go more smoothly.

One of the other really annoying things is when groups of people (be they tourists or whatever) surround the MetroCard machines, trying to figure out how to use them. This practice blocks people who know how to use them from getting or refilling their cards so they can get to work. Just have one person figure it out, while the others step aside. Teamwork doesn't help in this case.

Starrsville, I know it's your "trip of a lifetime", but when you're on a street full of other pedestrians, don't walk arm-in-arm. You may be having fun, but really, it's rude because you block lanes of foot traffic for many people. It's akin to driving a Panzer tank down a one-lane road.

Scarlett is also correct about stopping at a dead halt after stepping off the escalator. This also applies to the top of stairs coming out of the subway.

By damn, it's our trip-of-a-lifetime visit in NYC and y'all are going to just have to "put on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT!"

I am not a transvesite, I am NY'er.

But let me ask you one question. If I visted your home town and acted in a way that was not in keeping with local customs and then told you too bad, how would you react?

It's a JOKE!

Geez.

Ady, you may have very well passed me on a sidewalk in NYC without notice.

Just giving you a bit of the perspective "from the other side"

I'm pretty sure Starrsville was joking.

But explain this: do not run down the street between the walkers, and do not ride your bike down the street?

Don't you mean sidewalk? Or do you really want bikes off the street and on the sidewalk?

But, to answer your question...

Sure! Come on down and be yourself.

I can't imagine you wouldn't do otherwise

This definitely applies to all cities, even a city like San Jose which is NOWHERE NEAR as crowded as NYC. Everytime I walk anywhere with my mother-in-law I have to constantly pull her out of pedestrian traffic. She will drift across the sidewalk so that the 2 of us have managed to block the entire thing. Drives me nuts. And no matter how many times I reminder her to walk to the right, she drifts to the left. I think subconciously she just doesn't want to walk next to me

My 2 cents from Chicago...

think its pretty standard that you WALK up the left side of the escalator and STAND on the right.

Don't read the paper as you meander down the sidewalk.

Stop typing on your crackberry and pay atatention to where you are walking. I don't want to have to guess where you are going to weave next as I try to pass you.

Ok... I work in Rock Center -- 'nuff said. It used to really stress me out (irk, piss off, feel homicidal, etc) that the tourists were/are blocking every possible point of ingress and egress in my building(s), ESPECIALLY during the holidays. This year I've made an early New Year's resolution to not let that bother me so much. It would be so fantastic though, if everyone didn't congregate on the sidewalk and by the doors en masse. Seriously. Also, I really, really think it would be great if tourists would not just stop in the middle of the sidewalk, as others here have already mentioned. If I encounter that on my way home in a little bit, I am going to grab the whole lot and drag them down the subways stairs with me -- albeit with a smile on my face and in the best of holiday spirit.

"Do not dial the phone as you walk. Pull your annoying butt over to a building." - can't do. Reception is much better in the middle of a sidewalk

michelle - my condolences. I don't know how you can stand working there. Every year someone wants me to "go see the tree". I'd rather jump off the roof.

For (only the self-centered) locals:

Get yourself out of the apt. 30 seconds earlier than normal so you don't have to run up escalators/stairs and in general can be a more pleasant and accomodating person.



MichelleNYC:

Good for you - bravo!

Also elevators-- don't forget to let the people get out of the elevator before you board. It always puzzles me when people don't follow that common sense "rule"-- it's like they've never used one before, as they block those trying to get off.

Sorry Starrsville, sometimes intent is lost on these postings.

Sorry, I meant ride the bike down the sidewalk.

For all those coming to NYC at Christmas: without exaggeration, the streets near Rock Center, Macy's and Times Square often become inpassable.

Last year NYC had over 40 million visitors. And you thought cleaning up after the relatives was tough.

Not to be a naysayer, but when you are complaining about how those 40 million visitors walk, talk, ride bikes, etc in NYC or any other city, remember they are also pumping money into your economy. It only takes a little bit of patience and we can all get along.

The advice about steppping briskly off of escalators is VERY serious. I have in past years seen the clueless get off and just stand there - forcing those behind them to squeeze past or literally push them out of the way.

Macy's gets so crowded that on the lower 3 or 4 floors they have "facilitators" at the bottom of all escalators - louding annoncing "step lively and move away". And they do mean move quickly. If you don't they will simply grab your arm and pull you out of the way - to avoid someone triping on you and seriously injured - or someone being caught in the teeth of the escalators.

Also don't stand too close to the side if you're a female wearing a long skirt or long dress pants.

I witnessed in San Francisco, a young girl got her pants caught between the escalator and the "side wall". She walked out of them and away Gym-type shorts were underneath.