What are some things that tourists visiting New York city should know about?

Question

I'm asking in regards to any kind of tourist traps, or scams, or anything like that. Also, how can a tourist visiting New York avoid looking/acting like a tourist?

Answer 1

1) New York is a walking city, and we walk a lot faster than you do, cause we do it every day (we don't get in the car to drive 1 block, cause most of us don't even have a car). So, no matter what you do DO NOT STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK especially if you're in Midtown Manhattan. If you have to talk to your friends, STAND TO THE SIDE SO WE CAN GET AROUND YOU!!!! And when you walk, KEEP TO THE RIGHT, just like when you were driving! We hate bumping into you tourists, it's really irritating!

2) You can save yourself a lot of money if you stay in a hotel in Downtown Brooklyn, or out by Kennedy or La Guardia Airport. It won't take you that long to get into the touristy parts of Manhattan and you'll save yourself a bundle (you'll be paying $ 150 a night instead of $ 350)

3) Don't be scared of us! We're people just like you, and we're probably a lot nicer than the people in your town (a lot of us work in tourism-related industries, so many of us have a dollars and cents reason to like you tourists) If you need directions or help, don't hesitate to ask a New Yorker - we will help you if we can. And don't be scared of crime here - our city is actually safer than yours is! (we should be, our police department, with 40,000 officers, is the biggest in the world!)

4) Get used to being in a multicultural environment! Our city is majority people of color (70% Latino, Black or Asian) and there are over 200 different languages spoken here (besides English there's Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Yiddish, Haitian Kreol, French, Arabic, Italian, Hindi, Polish, Urdu, Bengali, Hausa-Fulani, Ukranian ect ect ect). If you're not comfortable around folks from a different race than you, then you probably shouldn't come here! If you like meeting people from different cultures than yours, then you will be in paradise!

5) Use the subway! It's the fastest and cheapest way to get around - $ 2 bucks an you can get anywhere in the city. Get yourself a subway map and a metrocard at the token booth and ride away! Do NOT drive here - our streets are crowded enough and most folks who are not from here do NOT know how to drive here! You'll just antagonize the other motorists and probably end up paying a $ 250 ticket and/or getting your rental car towed away to the NYPD Impound Yard (our city gets $ 4 billion a year in revenue from writing traffic and parking tickets - that's 10% of our city budget!)

6) Tip your server! The standard tip here is 20% (if the service is good, tip more). The servers and bartenders in this town work very hard (and most of them are aspiring actors, singers or artists - working in a restaurant or a bar is their 'day job' that pays the bills) This is an expensive city to live in, and they only make $ 5 an hour in salary, the rest is tips - so tip generously!

7) Don't just go to Times Square - the only people you'll see there are other tourists. Go out to other parts of the city - if you're into Jazz and/or Black culture, go to Harlem (A,B,C,D, 1, 2,3,4,5, ot 6 trains to 125th St), if you like art go to Chelsea (A,C or E trains to 23rd St) or Williamsburg (that's in Brooklyn - L train to Bedford Av), if you like Asian culture go to Chinatown (D or Q train to Grand Street or F train to Delancey St) or Flushing (that's in Queens 7 train to the last stop, Main Street), go to one of our museums - there's a bunch of them on 5th Av near Central Park and you can also go to the Brooklyn Museum (2,3,4 or 5 train to Eastern Parkway). If you like sports, go check out a Knicks or a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden (the Knicks suck this year, but you will get to see a lot of famous people at the game, like Spike Lee, Woody Allen and Tyra Banks)

8) Be respectful at Ground Zero! 2,900 of our friends and neighbors were brutally murdered by terrorists on September 11, 2001, and the symbol of our city was blown to bits in less than an hour - it's still something that everybody who's from here feels in a very personal way. Ground Zero has become very touristy, and there are lots of folks who aren't from here down there taking pictures and buying souveniers. It's really tacky and a lot of us feel it's kinda insulting (especially those of us who work in the Financial District, the commercial area around Ground Zero where about 250,000 people are employed). So please respect our grief, and if you must go there, be respectful - that big hole in the ground where the towers used to be is an unmarked grave for the 1,300 people who's bodies were never found!

9) If you need to find a public restroom, just go to a restaurant or bar that has a "restrooms for customers only sign" and BUY SOMETHING - it doesn't even have to be that expensive, a cup of coffee or a soda will be good enough. Then you're a customer and you can use their facilities.

10) Try and dress like we do, so you can blend in. Most New Yorkers (especially women) wear a lot of black clothing - so you should try that. Also, just say no to fanny packs - wallets for the guys (in the FRONT pocket, not the back, so you don't get pickpocketed) and purses for the ladies.

11) And that street in Lower Manhattan that's called Houston Street? It is NOT pronounced like the city in Texas! It is NOT "Hus-TON" Street, we call it "HOW-ston" Street! It doesn't matter that it's spelled just like Houston, Texas, we don't pronounce it that way here! It's HOW-ston, not Hus-TON! Oh yeah, Greenwich Village is pronounced "GREN-ich" Village NOT "Green-WICH" Village!

New York is a great town, so come here and enjoy yourself!!

Answer 2

I also find it annoying when they stop at the top of an escalator. Or when they don't stay on the right so others can pass them. Some people just don't realize that they are sharing the space with others. They treat it like they are in their living room. New Yorkers know that everyone has to keep moving or everything will grind to a halt. In most places it isn't like that. I can stop dead on the sidewalk of the city where I live and nothing will happen because there are so few people.

Answer 3

This stuff is going to sound obvious but tourists are still doing these things: The big joke about tourists is that they are always looking up and walking slow. It's going to be difficult not to look up at the buildings sometimes, just try not to be obvious about it. If you want to walk really slow and leisurely, don't do it in the middle of the sidewalk, try to stay to the left or right. Tourist families like to spread out across the sidewalk in a line causing an angry pedestrian jam to build up behind them. They seem to be completely unaware that they are doing that. Tourist families yell things back and forth at each other like, "Hey guys! Stick together!" and wonder (loudly) if every construction site they pass is "Ground Zero". Tourists on the subway can also be pretty loud and they like to announce to their 'group' and the entire car what stop they are getting off at while usually mispronouncing the name.

Wearing a noticeable fanny pack is still a tourist thing. So is walking while clutching your purse against your stomach if you're a woman. Typical tourist clothing can be seen here (middle row of photos): http://www.normalbobsmith.com/amazingstrangers/027.html
The most noticeable tourist outfit is the light colored blue jeans and white sneakers/brown leather 'outdoorsy' shoes. You generally will not stick out as much if you wear dark colors or black. It's winter so that's not so tough. Obviously you will look like a tourist if you pull out a huge map and start spinning around while looking confused.

I can't think of any particular scams right now. Just don't bother talking to anyone who tries to stop you on the street. They're usually asking for money. Some jerks try to 'entertain' you without your permission then harass you for change. You just have to be strong, shake your head 'no' and keep walking. I usually keep my money, etc. in a zippered inside pocket of my coat so I don't usually carry a purse/bag anymore. It's just easier that way. If you're a tourist, it might be hard not to walk around with a bag. Just don't keep all your important stuff in it.

One tip: Houston St. is pronounced like "House-tun". It is NOT pronounced like the city in Texas. Also, Union Square is NOT a "Station" like Grand Central. It is an area and park with a large subway station below. Do not call it "Union Square Station"
funny tourist quote: http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/005183.html

Answer 4

They should know the quickest way out at all times.

Answer 5

Be alert at all times.