Ever catch someone lying about being from NYC? (New York, Rome: roughest, neighborhood)

[Coolhand68]

On several occasions I have caught people lying about being from Brooklyn or The Bronx. Maybe they just wanted to sound tough and attempt to impress others, but it was always fun catching them in a lie. When I was working in a nightclub in California there was a guy in there running around telling everyone he was from Brooklyn, had everyone convinced he was connected with the mob and was a real bada$$. He got around to approaching me to request a song (I was a DJ) and made it a point to tell me he was from Brooklyn. So I ask what part of Brooklyn...he tells me Hell's Kitchen. So I smile and lean in closer...I tell him Hell's Kitchen is in Manhattan, nice try. He acknowledged to me that he was full of it and was really from upstate NY.

I caught another guy when I was stationed up in Rome NY. He was a preppie looking white kid, very clean and polished, telling everyone he was from Brownsville Brooklyn. Yeah, he had to pick the absolute worst part of NYC at that time (early 90's) to claim as his home. Turns out after looking up his locater info, he's from Long Island as I suspected.

It's just funny that often when I meet someone out of state that claims to be from NY, they always pick the roughest places to say they are from. Anyone else ever catch someone doing this?

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by Coolhand68

On several occasions I have caught people lying about being from Brooklyn or The Bronx. Maybe they just wanted to sound tough and attempt to impress others, but it was always fun catching them in a lie. When I was working in a nightclub in California there was a guy in there running around telling everyone he was from Brooklyn, had everyone convinced he was connected with the mob and was a real bada$$. He got around to approaching me to request a song (I was a DJ) and made it a point to tell me he was from Brooklyn. So I ask what part of Brooklyn...he tells me Hell's Kitchen. So I smile and lean in closer...I tell him Hell's Kitchen is in Manhattan, nice try. He acknowledged to me that he was full of it and was really from upstate NY.

I caught another guy when I was stationed up in Rome NY. He was a preppie looking white kid, very clean and polished, telling everyone he was from Brownsville Brooklyn. Yeah, he had to pick the absolute worst part of NYC at that time (early 90's) to claim as his home. Turns out after looking up his locater info, he's from Long Island as I suspected.

It's just funny that often when I meet someone out of state that claims to be from NY, they always pick the roughest places to say they are from. Anyone else ever catch someone doing this?

it's quite the opposite with me - i tell everyone i'm a famous writer from beverly hills...and they always say go back to your pj and write some more fantasies.

[clevedark]

I knew a rich girl in college who insisted she was from the South Side of Chicago when we all knew she was from no such place. It's funny what kids do to make an identity for themselves.

I also had a friend from Short Hills NJ in high school who would never admit that she lived there--she always said she lived in Millburn, a less wealthy enclave.

[DAS]

Originally Posted by Miles

it's quite the opposite with me - i tell everyone i'm a famous writer from beverly hills...and they always say go back to your pj and write some more fantasies.

Yes Miles, I know what you are posting about. I hate to tell someone I'm from NYC also when I visit outside of NYC metro area. People sometimes think you are the stereotypical NYer that they see on television or in the movies.

However, as soon as I say one sentence they'll say something like "are you from NYC, specifically from NY, NY". I'm always amazed that they pin it down that specifically. It will always turn out that they worked or went to college with a NYer from Manhattan so they know the accent when they hear it.

[Coolhand68]

It's funny you metion accents. You know each borough seems to have its own accent. Its a very subtle difference, but I can pick it up. I've met a few parents in Boston at my daughter's school, and I noticed their accent right away, it sounded exactly like the girls I knew in Bushwick growing up, and sure enough they were from Bushwick. I remember the old Irish and Italians who grew up in east Harlem, they had a distinct NY accent that was different from say a Bay Ridge Brooklyn accent.

I recall a friend of mine from Sicily who said the same thing about Italy. He could pinpoint what towns people were from in Sicily just by the accent and the way they spoke.

[bluedog2]

I think it's probably much the same for anyone who grew up in any major east coast city where there are accents. I grew up in Boston and although everyone thinks they can recognize a Boston accent I can recognize about 12 of them -depending on what neighborhood someone may have grown up in.

[Fred314X]

I've caught people lying about being from New York a couple of times. It's funny the way their first reaction is to get loud and stick with their story. And then they're completely mystified that I could tell they were lying. (Incidentally, I happen to have been born in Brownsville. If someone tells me that was their original neighborhood and I know they're making it up, tossing off a couple of street names and/or landmarks is usually sufficient to embarrass them into giving up.)

[Rachael84]

There are many people on the city-data general US forum who really never lived in NYC when they claim they did. I called out one person when I was having a heated argument with them. they called the BQE "the 278" and spelled "Manhatten" wrong...please

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

There are many people on the city-data general US forum who really never lived in NYC when they claim they did. I called out one person when I was having a heated argument with them. they called the BQE "the 278" and spelled "Manhatten" wrong...please

OMG,that is too funny.Had to be from California.They always refer to roads with the definite article followed by a number.

[clevedark]

Oh I just remembered when I was in college I took a trip to Italy with my friend, and she was bargaining hard in an obnoxious way with a (cute) guy selling leather pants in an outdoor market in Florence. To prove her superiority she started shouting that she was from NY, and he said (in his cute Italian accent) "No you're not, you're from New Jersey!"

It was very funny. Even a Florentine leather pants salesman can spot the difference!