Empire City, Gotham, The City that never sleeps, anyway you slice the 'Big Apple' pie New York City is the one of the most ethnically diverse and culturally stimulating places on the planet. It is also VERY crowded. If you are a person who is claustrophobic or one who doesn't appreciate their personal space being violated, then NYC may not be the place for you because chances that you may smell what the guy sitting next to you had for lunch or notice the personal hygiene (or lack there of..) of the lady standing in front of you [snow flakes on shoulders in the middle of summer!] are pretty darn good.
One thing I noticed about native New Yorkers is that they have a big personality. They have an opinion on practically anything under the sun and are never shy to let you know how they feel, even though you are a stranger to them. Being the quiet person that I am I found this brazenness extremely amusing as this was a far leap from the polite, always accommodating people I was used to encountering back home.
My personal experiences with NYC have been a mixed bag so far. I am tempted to label it a rude city after having dealt with obnoxious customer services reps at stores who will not even make eye contact with you, if they ever do acknowledge your existence, to being cursed by strangers for no apparent reason. The most memorable ones among these, apart from being given 'the finger', was the time when I was given 'advice' on my apparent stupidity for having chosen a traffic impeding strolling suitcase for the busy streets of NY rather than a wise choice, which would have been a backpack; and also the time when a random guy yelled at me, 'Hey Yankee, go home!'. After considerable amount of googling of the term 'Yankee' I realized I wasn't one and looked nothing like one, may be the guy lacked a significant vocabulary and could not find a better word in the heat of the moment.
In spite of these experiences, it is the pleasant and quirky ones that keep me from labeling the city rude. Like the time when I fainted on a train and was helped by complete strangers who made sure all my belongings were safe and were with me until the paramedics came. I still remember the lady who refused to leave me until it was determined that I was well, even if it meant for her being late to work and also the lady who called later that day to checkup on me. This along with being helped by strangers every time I've slipped and fallen on a patch of ice have reaffirmed my faith in humanity. [Three winters so far and three bad falls for each one of them, hope the jinx is broken and 4th time's the charm]
So, like any big city NYC has the good, the bad and the ugly. Living here has made me bolder and stronger, I just hope it hasn't made me thick skinned and insensitive. Oh, as for the quirky experience I had, it was the time I got skin care advice from someone on the subway. Her tip - Mix aspirin and warm water and rub the mixture on your skin to make it blemish free!
One thing I noticed about native New Yorkers is that they have a big personality. They have an opinion on practically anything under the sun and are never shy to let you know how they feel, even though you are a stranger to them. Being the quiet person that I am I found this brazenness extremely amusing as this was a far leap from the polite, always accommodating people I was used to encountering back home.
My personal experiences with NYC have been a mixed bag so far. I am tempted to label it a rude city after having dealt with obnoxious customer services reps at stores who will not even make eye contact with you, if they ever do acknowledge your existence, to being cursed by strangers for no apparent reason. The most memorable ones among these, apart from being given 'the finger', was the time when I was given 'advice' on my apparent stupidity for having chosen a traffic impeding strolling suitcase for the busy streets of NY rather than a wise choice, which would have been a backpack; and also the time when a random guy yelled at me, 'Hey Yankee, go home!'. After considerable amount of googling of the term 'Yankee' I realized I wasn't one and looked nothing like one, may be the guy lacked a significant vocabulary and could not find a better word in the heat of the moment.
In spite of these experiences, it is the pleasant and quirky ones that keep me from labeling the city rude. Like the time when I fainted on a train and was helped by complete strangers who made sure all my belongings were safe and were with me until the paramedics came. I still remember the lady who refused to leave me until it was determined that I was well, even if it meant for her being late to work and also the lady who called later that day to checkup on me. This along with being helped by strangers every time I've slipped and fallen on a patch of ice have reaffirmed my faith in humanity. [Three winters so far and three bad falls for each one of them, hope the jinx is broken and 4th time's the charm]
So, like any big city NYC has the good, the bad and the ugly. Living here has made me bolder and stronger, I just hope it hasn't made me thick skinned and insensitive. Oh, as for the quirky experience I had, it was the time I got skin care advice from someone on the subway. Her tip - Mix aspirin and warm water and rub the mixture on your skin to make it blemish free!
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