Underground Thoughts

I don’t know how NYC got a bad rap for being “rude” and “unfriendly.” I spent the last two months traveling, and upon returning home to NYC it confirmed what I have felt these last three years – New Yorkers are some of the friendliest most helpful people to be found.  Smile at someone and they will smile back.  Ask for directions and don’t be surprised if more than one person chimes in to help. Get stuck in a long line, and after ten minutes you will likely have a new FB friend request. So I did a little Google search… and what do you know? This last year, an undercover survey by DK Travel found NY to be the friendliest city. So why the bad rap? Here is my theory.  NY’ers aren’t huge fans of the abundance of street clogging tourists, so we probably stare you down and ask you to move to the right on the escalator. Walking is like other people’s driving.  When we are speed walking down the street we seem rude. That’s because we have somewhere to go.  And just like you find sanctuary in your car ride, we find it in our half meditative walking state. You have your ears clogged with your radio – us with our ear-buds. Ironically, maybe we should keep our pretentious reputation and deter more escalator slowing tourists from flocking to the friendliest city on earth.