Friendly New York

Hello New Yorkers and visitors!

New York gets a reputation as an unfriendly place. But this past time I went, I spent two nights and found it more charming than small towns I have visited. People freely gave directions and struck up conversations wherever we went.

If anyone out there is considering a trip, but finds the ';big city'; intimidating, do not fret. It can be a very inviting place.

Friendly New York

Thank you, much appreciate the positive feedback about New York. Most New Yorkers will go out of their way for visitors. I snapped lots of digital pictures for our visitors over the holidays (I guess I look harmless enough to be the stranger they hand a $400.00 digital camera to).

Where%26#39;s the subway? What train am I on? Where does this one go? (You%26#39;re always tempted to remind them this isn%26#39;t Disneyland but I can%26#39;t). How come the map says it goes here but we%26#39;re here now (because we%26#39;re not on the one that you%26#39;re pointing to on the map), which way is uptown, where%26#39;s the river, where%26#39;s Broadway, where am I? It really is part of what makes living here alot of fun.

I hope you%26#39;ll come back really soon and I am so pleased you find us to be friendly, we are.

Friendly New York

jayster,i lived in Gramercy Park from %26#39;76-86...people were always stopping me(guess i looked harmless) to ask directions,questions..always said ';where are you from,you%26#39;re too friendly to be New Yorker'; well...I was born in brooklyn,then lived in city,i guess i%26#39; m a new yorker! of course we%26#39;re friendly..people are good/bad /indifferent no matter where you go . new yorkers,by %26amp; large just mind their business,and appear aloof..good way to deter trouble. but also can be the most helpful,gregarious ever!

it is a small island,filled with so many people,from so many backgrounds-it is amazing,but it ';works';!

I agree that I found New Yorkers to be exceptionally friendly.

But then...I have a philosophy...it%26#39;s not that they%26#39;re any friendlier than any others it%26#39;s just that you%26#39;re on holiday/vacation so are obviously in a better mood than normal.

You%26#39;re not rushing around or stuck in commuting traffic worrying about what to feed the kids, etc, etc.

You%26#39;re smiling and warm and friendly and people reply to you in kind.

So, when I get back from New York, Portugal, New Zealand, wherever and say the people are so friendly I actually believe that the locals are generally just being a mirror to myself!

jayster - thanks for the compliment, ya big lug!

so what else did you do here and who came with you? More deets!

We just got back today and found staff that work in shops are very rude!!!!

You can be as nice and ask things as politely as you like! They all still seem to have an attitude problem, like its your fault they have to work there!

Apart from that, was GREEEEEAAAT!!! Will be doing a trip report soon

Clerks in some stores can be brusque, but I find this more a big city thing than a New York thing. In my extensive visiting experience, the rudest folks in NYC, by far, are the tourists.

In fact, I think Readers Digest did a (non-scientific) study this past year and concluded (based on criteria like picking up dropped papers, holding doors open, responding to requests for directions, etc.) that New York was actually the most polite big city in the world!

I%26#39;m going to agree with Keyfan...

If you ask someone in NYC for directions and they%26#39;re rude (and not in an obvious rush, which is why you probably chose them to ask) they%26#39;re probably a suburban commuter who is more afraid of you than you are of them! Most likely, they dont know where anything is, beyond the route from their subway station to their office - and they%26#39;re feeling dumb about that.

I occassionally encounter rudeness in stores - but very rarely. And, more so in other US cities than here. It also depends what you are asking and where you%26#39;re shopping! I witnessed some out of control behavior this past week. People who shop in discount stores need to learn not to expect the service you get at Bergdorf. The dressing room attendant is not going to look for other sizes for you. When there are 10 women on line to pay for 70% off coats at L%26amp;T, dont bother the cashier!

I have to agree with jayster on this - I travel for business frequently to many cities, one of which (lucky me) is NY. Of all the offices I visit, the people in NYC are the warmest and most accomodating. Nobody here will let you go hungry or feel lonely - they are always checking up to make sure visitors have what they need.

Out %26amp; about, nowhere else have I had people (strangers!) give me a metro card once they were done with it, offer directions or recommendations on where to eat, etc. Yeah, if you are in a line to order your breakfast sandwich and you hesitate or ask a question, people will get annoyed (including the clerks), but you just need to get into the rhythm of things and you%26#39;ll be just fine.

Love love love NYC, can%26#39;t wait to come back :)

And jayster, thanks for this post, very nice.

Jayseter, glad you had a positive experience.

Yes, there are rude sales clerks in some stores, it is true, no need for us ';locals'; to get defensive, not everyone is nice, but there are rude %26amp; not nice people everywhere you go. I really don%26#39;t understand why that behavior is tolerated by store managers. Really no excuse, but dealing with the public is not easy task.