i want to be a less annoying tourist!! (New York, York: work, home)

[mamaof2]

i am very excited about an upcoming visit to NYC with my husband. i have read some posts on this forum where complaints about tourists have been ample!! ha. what can we do to keep our annoying touristy habits to a minimum???? thanks!!

[Viralmd]

Don't walk five, four or even three abreast. We walk a LOT and quickly here and like to pass those who are clogging the sidewalks. Nothing makes me crazier than walking behind a chorus line of tourists who are walking (while looking up, I might add, which doesn't add to their already glacial speed) and taking up the entire sidewalk...all at the mindnumbing speed of 1/4 mile/hour.

[john_starks]

yeah, lol. i second the massive herds of people who walk ultra slow and stop at the crosswalks when the light says go! that's why i limited my time in midtown.

[Carbro]

I am delighted that you asked!

If you are on the sidewalk and not moving, please move over to the building. That way, people won't be bumping into you and cursing under (or not under) their breath. Much more pleasant for everyone.

We are colorblind to traffic lights. If no vehicle is within smash-into-me range, we cross regardless of walk/don't walk. Time's a-wastin', people! Frank Sinatra described it as "Take your best shot, and go!"

Do not feel shy about asking directions. Most New Yorkers are proud of our city and love an opportunity to be helpful and defy unfortunate (and downright false! ) stereotypes.

I hope you have wonderful experiences here.

[jeffcon0]

YES! YES! YES!
Everyone in this thread has touched on my biggest pet peeve: slow moving herds of tourists walking 2, 3, 4 or more abreast. We expect this in places like Times Square and most NYers will avoid that area like the plague. In "normal" areas where New Yorkers live, shop, work, and generally move about try to stay out of the way. We move fast and with direction and mom, dad, and the two kids stopping dead in the middle of the sidewalk to gawk or look at a map is infuriating. If you need to stop move off to the side, do not stop and change direction abruptly, if you have a hard time walking and talking on your phone at the same time move off to the side.

The moral of this story: Make way for people who are moving quicker than you. It never fails to amaze me how few grasp this common sense nicety.

Oh, and the escalator is not a ride. If you want to stand move to the right and let people pass.

Other than that don't hesitate to ask us for directions, recommendations, or whatever. Just last week I gave a tourist couple who stopped me on the street advice on a good Indian restaurant in the area. We like to help.

[gichicago]

The general rule is just be aware of your surrounding. You must be quick to react as everything moves faster, from the people to the cars, lines at lunch etc....

> Walking and Escalator tips here are top notch. Study and follow those please!
> Do not to eat in a chain restaurant or one of those generic touristy restaurants around Times Square. Scour the board, Zagats nymag.com at the least (Chowhound, egullet if your a little more daring) to get some ideas.
> Subways stations get busy, so stay to the side when looking at maps

[jeffcon0]

A few more:

Don't just get on the tour buses. They are fine to cover a lot of ground quickly but get out and walk around. See what life on the ground is like with the rest of us, stop in some shops, get a coffee or an "adult beverage" and watch the crowds go by, wander around of the main streets and take it all in.

So many tourists' definition of NYC is Times Square and Midtown. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "It's nice place to visit but I could never live there". I ask where they went and find out they stayed in Times Square and never venured out of that midtown area. It's all offices!!! Of course you don't want to live there. New York is a cluster of very distinct neighborhoods and you should check out as many as possible as they all offer something different.

Don't be afraid to check out Brooklyn. Even Brooklyn has it's touristy spots. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, check out Brooklyn Heights and the promenade for one of the best views you'll get of Manhattan. Get a pizza at Grimaldi's right under the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't worry I'm not leading you off the beaten path here, these areas are all VERY popular with tourists and when you tell your friends back home that you were in Brooklyn they will oooh and aaah and ask you about how dangerous it was. You, of course, will chuckle at this once you realize what it's really like.

I definitly second the suggestion from glchicage to stay away from eateries in Times Square. You can go to Applebees anywhere in the US and pay half the price.

Remember that virtually all of Manhattan below 96th street is SAFE and you don't need to be intimidated or watch your back.

If you need to get a cab step out in the street like you mean it and flag one down. Don't stand timidly on the curb and raise your hand or someone else will pick it off before you.

[lifetimeliguy]

Originally Posted by mamaof2

i am very excited about an upcoming visit to NYC with my husband. i have read some posts on this forum where complaints about tourists have been ample!! ha. what can we do to keep our annoying touristy habits to a minimum???? thanks!!

You seem to have received some great advice from the earlier posts, so I thought I would add what I would do if I had a few days to spend in what New Yorkers call "the city" (have lived here over 50 years but hardly ever "visit")...

1 - go to lower Manhattan and take the Staten Island Ferry round trip, preferably on a sunny day. The ride back to Manhattan is unforgettable.

2 - Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and (if you get a chance) , the George Washington Bridge.

3 - As suggested earlier, see some of the neighborhoods in the outside boroughs. Stay away from the "gentrified" places (Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights). Go visit Queens where the real working people of NYC reside.

4 - see the Bronx Zoo and the Museum of Natural History

5 - Stand in Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station during rush hour and observe the masses of commuters.

6 - Visit Central Park (but realize it's been "sculptured").

Hope you enjoy your visit.

[Biskit]

Don't walk around with a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, white sneakers and shopping bags from the Hershey Store in Times Square - you can buy a candy bar at your local Wal-Mart, it's no different!

I actually like when tourists ask for directions, it's kinda cute.

[Moth]

The moral of this story: Make way for people who are moving quicker than you. It never fails to amaze me how few grasp this common sense nicety.

Indeed!

Just treat the sidewalk like a highway. If you have to stop, you would not do so in the middle of I-95. Nor should you on a crowded sidewalk. Just shift to the side.

Go to top of the Empire State building but time it so you are there at sunset.