A couple months ago, New York magazine conducted a poll of New Yorkers and found that over 94% of residents give tourists directions when asked. The 2011 Travel magazine 'Best U.S Cities', which was based of nationwide voting, didn't rank New York in the top 3 rudest cities. Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Cleveland rounded out the top 3, and many who did vote New York as one of the rudest could not cite an experience in which someone was actually rude to them, often describing a general rush to the city that they found intimidating. Others who found New Yorkers to be rude felt this way only because they were familiar with the stereotype.
Of all my experiences with New Yorkers- from Mani, the fast-talking muscly italian corner Deli owner, to Ivan the pharmacist to Latisha the cashier to the hundreds of musicians in the subway stations- they have all been warm, caring and remarkably genuine. Of the dozens and dozens of doormen, cabdrivers, Mets fans in the stands, Knicks fans at the Garden, cashiers, doctors, policemen, construction workers and other everyday New Yorkers, nearly every experience I have had paints a solid picture- New Yorkers are perfectly kind human beings. Of my dozens and dozens of friends who have visited New York, from Arizona to Ecuador, their misinformed stereotypes were busted dramatically when they found good humored New Yorkers gave them directions thoughtfully and socialized with them fearlessly time after time. Everyone I know who has spent more than a couple nights in the city finds New Yorkers to be very real and very cool people, and also very good people.
When my cousin moved here from Philly a month and a half ago, she was delighted to be welcomed to lovingly into her a class Brooklyn neighborhood. When my friend Alex was visiting, she was delighted to have had so many encounters with such friendly strangers with their thick New York accents.
From those who risked their lives to rescue as many moms, dads, sons and daughters as they could on 9/11 to those who directed traffic when the city blacked out in 2003, the heart of New York at its best has made headlines from time to time. The prejudice has stopped sticking and the statistics are slowly showing that not too many people believe New Yorkers are rude after all. While the stereotype, funneled primarily by those unsettled by New York's big crowds and fast pace and also by some irrefutable and easy-to-see and even easier to understand jealously is also spurred by all sorts of bullshit- anti-semitism, homophobia, racism, etc...
So...when I saw this post in Post Secret today (above), it added to my long list of evidence that New Yorkers are friendly. Always nice to be reminded of this reality.
Post Script:
"i was in central park the other day with margo and this adorable british family with their teenage daughter were listening to live jazz in central park and like 4 people were giving them directions. they were so happy they looked like they were in heaven. such a moment! i should mention it in the post" - Me
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