How far does one have to move from New York City to get away from "THE ATTITUDE"? (Rockland: best city, live in)

[SCOTTISH-DIVA]

Originally Posted by NaturalBornDaddy

Here are 50 reasons why I tolerate that NYC "attitude", besides the fact that I was born and raised here.

1) One Fish Two Fish on 97th and Madison
2) The view of Manhattan on the horizon as you return from a drive down south.
3) Mid December on Fifth Ave. looking into Rockefeller Plaza at the Christmas Tree with your family.
4) Jackson Hole on 85th and Columbus.
5) Nell's on West 14th St.
6) The aroma of peanuts roasting as you come out of the subway.
7) Some of the most beautiful women in the world.
8) 2 outs, bottom of the 9th, Yankee Stadium after somebody just hit the winning homerun.
9) The friendliest bartenders in the world.
10) McDonald's without mustard.
11) The best spanish food outside of Puerto Rico.
12) Orchard Beach in June
13) City Island on payday.
14) The Empire State Building.
15) Madison Square Garden.
16) Willie's Burgers on 145th st. and Eighth Ave.
17) Is there a better place for steak than Peter Luger?
18) Real Bagels
19) Bodegas
20) Empire Skates in Brooklyn
21) Brooklyn
22) Junior's Cheesecakes
23) White Castle's at 4:30 in the morning
24) Shea Stadium on Merengue Night.
25) The San Genaro Feast
26) The Roosevelt Island Tram
27) Oh my God, Central Park
28) The Bronx Zoo
29) Caroline's, Dangerfield's, Catch a Rising Star
30) The Port Authority Bowling Lanes after 9:00pm
31) Dallas BBQ's on 72nd st.
32) 7 miles of shoreline in The Rockaways.
33) The Copacabana
34) The Apollo
35) The Statue of Liberty
36) Washington Square Park
37) Rucker Park, home of "The GOAT".
38) You live in the birthplace of Hip Hop
39) Donald Trump isn't done yet.
40) Did I mention the women.
41) Some of the greatest people in the world live here.
42) Some cabbies are no longer scared to death of Black people.
43) The most unhealthy, best tasting Chinese food outside of China.
44) Coney Island
45) The Best, hands down Best, barbers in the country.
46) Street vendors as far as the eye can see.
47) Grand Central, Port Authority, LaGuardia and JFK Airports only minutes away.
48) Where else can you sit completely undisturbed enough to fall asleep on a crowded subway, and yet unable to sleep all alone in your own apartment?
49) Where else do complete strangers line up to give blood just because.
50) Once again, the women.

Need I say more?

I love new york I think it is an awesome place

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Originally Posted by mausketeer View Post
On my first visit to New York city (about 3 years ago) I was in the upper West side on Broadway one afternoon and I didn't have my watch on me. I had to ask FOUR different people what time it was before anyone would even ACKNOWLEDGE that I had spoken to them, let alone give me the time! I was flabbergasted. The first three people literally didn't even look at me, they just kept walking past me as though I didn't exist. When someone FINALLY told me they just snapped "3 o'clock" and walked away (like they had just done me a huge favour and I had inconvenienced them by even ASKING). No smile, no acknowledgment when I said thank you - nothing.

Keep in mind that In NYC, in addition to the usual panhandlers, it's hard to walk anywhere without being accosted by "street marketers". Even big corporations are on this bandwagon, promoting everything from shampoo to major movie releases. Political groups often stop people on the streets too.

Many NY'ers have learned to tune these distractions out, prefering to just get to where they have to go without interruption. It's not "attitude", it's just a way to get where you have to go without stopping for a sales pitch.

It's a learned behavior based on the fact that 95% of people who try to interrupt you on the street are either looking for handout, pitching a product, or trying to get you to sign a petition.

[Crooklyn Lover]

UpstaterInBklyn, I got a little chuckle out of your last post, cause just this weekend I kinda came off the wrong way on a traveling door to door salesman here in North Carolina. Some guy knocked on my door at about 12:00 pm, so I looked through the peephole, because I was not expecting company. The guy was standing at my front door with a big smile on his face so I told him; “You’ve got five second or less, so wha’cha selling or wha'cha preaching!” So as soon as the guy started his sales pitch I told him “Nah, sorry.” Afterwards, I thought about how I had handled the situation, but by then it was well too late.

[averagenyjoe]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

I think you should try another state of mind.

Attitude works both ways!

THATS THE ATTITUDE RIGHT THERE.

[taniamw]

Originally Posted by mausketeer

Just an observation of an experience I had there from a Canadian gal (I live in Vancouver)......

On my first visit to New York city (about 3 years ago) I was in the upper West side on Broadway one afternoon and I didn't have my watch on me. I had to ask FOUR different people what time it was before anyone would even ACKNOWLEDGE that I had spoken to them, let alone give me the time! I was flabbergasted. The first three people literally didn't even look at me, they just kept walking past me as though I didn't exist. When someone FINALLY told me they just snapped "3 o'clock" and walked away (like they had just done me a huge favour and I had inconvenienced them by even ASKING). No smile, no acknowledgment when I said thank you - nothing. I do NOT look like a street person, a bum or someone soliciting anything. I simply asked "Excuse me, do you know what time it is?", which is to me, a pretty easy request to accomodate.

Just for comparison, I travelled to Boston from there (I will be moving there in the next few months by the way) and was standing in a "T" station with my suitcase beside me (obviously a tourist) looking at the map trying to find the station I was going to. Without me even asking, someone immediately came up to me and asked me if I needed any help. She even went so far as to pull out a paper and pen to write directions for me so I wouldn't get lost. Pretty drastic difference.

So yeah, New York - wouldn't want to live there..... as a Canadian, I didn't realize how much I needed that sort of social interaction until I didn't have it anymore.

I am also Canadian (grew up in Toronto and Ottawa), and lived in Manhattan for seven years. I fell in love with the city and now that I'm living down south in NC I miss NYC as much as I miss Canada (maybe even more). I'm sorry you had a bad experience there, because I found New Yorkers to be the friendliest people when I was living there. Sure you run into a few jerks, but overall I find New Yorkers way friendlier than Torontonians.

In Manhattan if you want to ask someone for help on the street, look around for someone who doesn't look like they are in a hurry. A good bet is a mom or a nanny with a baby in a stroller. I used to get stopped several times a day by people asking for directions when I was taking my daughter to the park because I guess I looked less frenzied than the people around me. I wasn't late for a meeting and trying to decide whether to take the subway or try to get a cab.

[averagenyjoe]

I want to say that when I moved back to NY I wanted the whole package. NYC and all. Although I wouldnt live in NYC only because I am more laid back and want a good size yard to have a big garden in a neighborhood I can afford, I want very much to visit NYC OFTEN. I just LOVE the city and love the fact that ALL New Yorkers are not superficial as it "seems" in the South but will tell you like it is.
The big problem I see with the "infamous attitude" everyone talks about is not the fact that city folks cant be friendly. In fact in many studies, NYC outranked every other major city for their kindness and willingness to help perfect strangers. Where the "attitude" comes in is when someone is "inconvienced" in any way. Most, not all, just come undone. And God forbid you have an accident with a city person. Again, not all, but it is very common that they would sue the crap out of you and curse you into hell on your way. I have never seen so many "accident chasing lawyers" in all my life and for them to stay in business, too many are availing themselves of "whats in it for me" attitude.
In the business world, many will milk you till you can barely make a profit and then let the slightest thing go wrong with a deal and many are almost impossible to work with. Its "demand", "demand", "demand" Not even being reasonable in trying to work things out. There is no excuse for any of this and the beauty of "telling it like it is" doesnt mean you have to go bonkers on someone or give them a "verbal dutch-rub"
So, as long as nothing is going wrong and you need directions, the city people are THE BEST! I really love New Yorkers, I really do, but cant we be a bit more civil and use the "golden rule" a bit more. Its dog-eat-dog and survival in a city climate and when someone gets screwed we dont have to pass it on. I have seen New York City becoming more civil and humbled and I for one want to see this continue.
Fear High taxes but lets not fear gentrification. LONG LIVE NEW YORK. THE GREATEST STATE IN THE UNION.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

It's a learned behavior based on the fact that 95% of people who try to interrupt you on the street are either looking for handout, pitching a product, or trying to get you to sign a petition.

I don't for a minute doubt that is the reason.
What I want to know is whose fault is it?
You certainly can't blame anyone but New Yorkers for allowing it to be that way, can you?

[nadinethehowlingdemocrat]

How far do you have to get from New York to lose the attitude? To whatever distance you keep your Bible.

[x2or3]

Are there many cities as small in area as New York that hold such an enormous working and resident population?
Are there many cities anywhere where the citizens are so noticeable successful in almost all aspects human endeavor - technical, scientific, creative, Literary, civil, artistic, academic, labor.... name it.
Are there many cities that accept and shelter as many different cultures of people (and their languages and customs) as New York?
Are there many cities where even the simplest joys of life may be interrupted by a stalled, ancient #3 train?
Step back from your ignorance for just a minute or two and take a more careful look at these fantastic, enduring, lovable, extraordinarily busy, inspired and inspiring people...
Attitude... indeed!!

[Logan11]

I live west of Albany, but work in the 'city' a few days a month so I can speak with some knowledge of the differences between Upstate and Downstate. I can mainly talk about Manhattan - not the ethnic factors mentioned regarding Brooklyn and Staten Island etc.

I find the so called attitude is mainly a function of the fast pace of life and a survival technique so to speak. You have to be more guarded and 'tougher' to be successful in that environment. You can't assume the guy next to you is a good natured honest person such as in a small town upstate. 95% of the time he/she is a fine person, but you have to be cautious. So outwardly people come of as brasher and perhaps colder. Once you get to know people in the city though the humanity comes through and most are very nice and as helpful as anywhere else. The key difference ...in the heartland they will approach a stranger and actually offer help unsolicited while in NYC they would generally not do so...but would be very helpful if you asked for help.

I have even had mostly good experiences in the so called bad neighborhoods though of course you have to be careful. It's a situation where 95% of the people are probably decent and honest, but the other 5% spoil the reputation of the area.

One place that the attitude is prevalent is on the roadways, but there too it's a dog eat dog environment out there. I would love to yield to everyone and let them in front me me when changing lanes etc., but the best man wins out there. Once I get onto the Taconic or Thruway (out of the rush hour traffic), I switch back to my more courteous Upstate driving techniques.

Once you get into the more bucolic suburbs in upper Westchester, Orange County, Fairfield, Upper Bergen, Upper Passaic, Morris, Somerset Counties...the attitude is much diminished, but not absent completely because after all these are mostly NYC transplants. The northern vestiges of a NYC influence seems to be the Middle Hudson Valley (Ulster/Dutchess/Columbia) where of late the masses have been slowly creeping north. Once you get to the Albany-Saratoga area ..it has its own identity, fully apart from NYC. Although according to western NYers. we are more like Downstate NY and New England than like them.