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Maybe the amount of transplants from all over the world that are nice has changed the city. My mom is from Utica and used to visit NYC a lot back in the 60s and 70s and she said the people were very rude. She asked a police officer in the subway station how to get somewhere and he told her to take the train while he walked away and ignored her.
Then, she went last week for business and she tried to tell me how rude people are because I wanna move there but she doesn't want me to. The only thing she could come up with was that the people are always pushing you on sidwalks...well that's obviously gonna happen if you dawdle along while half the city is trying to get to work.
On the last cruise I went on, I met a family from NYC. Some live on Long Island, others in Brooklyn, and others in Queens. They were the nicest people I met on the cruise and I wish I was still friends with them.
I am friends with another family from Queens. Long story about how we met, but they are extremely nice.
My cousins that live in the UES are so nice you would think they are from the South...just don't do anything to get on their bad side or they will hate you and be very rude to you.
I work with a guy originally from NJ and he is very nice.
I don't think I can name one NYer I have personally met that is rude.
Maybe the amount of transplants from all over the world that are nice has changed the city. My mom is from Utica and used to visit NYC a lot back in the 60s and 70s and she said the people were very rude. She asked a police officer in the subway station how to get somewhere and he told her to take the train while he walked away and ignored her.
Then, she went last week for business and she tried to tell me how rude people are because I wanna move there but she doesn't want me to. The only thing she could come up with was that the people are always pushing you on sidwalks...well that's obviously gonna happen if you dawdle along while half the city is trying to get to work.
On the last cruise I went on, I met a family from NYC. Some live on Long Island, others in Brooklyn, and others in Queens. They were the nicest people I met on the cruise and I wish I was still friends with them.
Back in the 60s and the 70s, NYC was no man's land...anyone who could afford to move out did, so residents were a bit more...cranky lol.
You made a good point when you said people will be nice to you but don't dis them. That's exactly my credo. I can be sweet as apple pie, but if you cross me I can come outta my NYC bag in a NY nanosecond lol.
I am friends with another family from Queens. Long story about how we met, but they are extremely nice.
My cousins that live in the UES are so nice you would think they are from the South...just don't do anything to get on their bad side or they will hate you and be very rude to you.
I work with a guy originally from NJ and he is very nice.
I don't think I can name one NYer I have personally met that is rude.
In the 60s and 70s, anyone who could afford to move out of NYC did, since by then it was a no man's land.
Your point about people being nice as long as you don't dis them is very true, at least for me. I'm as sweet as apple pie but if someone disses me, watch out...I come outta my bag in a New York nanosecond lol.
I'm from the midwest. I had my friend with me once also from the midwest we are 2 girls in their 20s. However I am assertive and aggressive and I don't have 25 minutes for a little kid to stand with his finger in his mouth not knowing what he wants at mcdonalds. However my friend wants her hand held through life and likes alot of "fluff" in her opinion everyone is going to fast and is rude. I can't get enough of the people on a mission.
I'll tell you a secret: New Yorkers aren't ruder than people in any other city. It's just a reputation we seem to have acquired. It is true that in this town, when something has to be done, it has to be done yesterday. But that doesn't make us rude. People in other cities can say whatever they want; in general, New Yorkers don't lose much sleep over that.
Now in 2009 lots of more people have moved to NYC and some don't even respect you now I've came to visit for vacation (2 weeks). And some people are just rude they don't care if the door slams on you or don't even say excuse they just push you. I've lived in NYC for 15 years and i have experience of this, but some people are nice but very rare now but I can also say that people dont do it on purpose it just grows on us in NYC, you get tired of people pushing you, not holding doors and then you ended up doing it. But it still is a great place to visit in winter and New Years Eve. Great for Vacation
Now in 2009 lots of more people have moved to NYC and some don't even respect you now I've came to visit for vacation (2 weeks). And some people are just rude they don't care if the door slams on you or don't even say excuse they just push you. I've lived in NYC for 15 years and i have experience of this, but some people are nice but very rare now but I can also say that people dont do it on purpose it just grows on us in NYC, you get tired of people pushing you, not holding doors and then you ended up doing it. But it still is a great place to visit in winter and New Years Eve. Great for Vacation
Doesnt it usually work like this...someone opens the door and walks through and you take the door once they get in? I mean if you have two working arms why should someone wait 15 minutes for you to get ur act together and come in? Thats just my opinion...
and with regaurds to pushing...theres like how many people in NYC? You're gonna get bumped. I think some of the "charm" of NYC is that people don't throw a hissy fit temper tantrum whenver someone bumps you. Sure if I crash into someone at lightning speed im gonna say sorry. but If my elbow bumps someone and she keeps walking..im not gonna chase her down and apologize...
And yes New Yorkers are rude to people not from New York because people out of the city are not used to the fast paced enviroment and how people act here, I don't think New Yorkers do this on purpose New York is just so faced paced people are always in a rush. In this kind of enviroment people just get pissed of quicker and easier.
I worked in Manhattan and Queens, and I have had alot of times were I almost got into a fight over stupid things like road rage ( road rage is bad in NY ), bumping into somebody when walking ( so many people in the city, this is going to happen sooner or later ), job ( working for people in Manhattan is not easy, if their not happy they will let you know in a rude way ). Alot of other things as well. Staring is consider an act of aggression in the New York area like your asking for a problem. Anybody who lives in the area understands that. Making eye contact can be a bad thing. New York and North Jersey are like the states of stares and dirty looks. This is nothing new!!!
In North and some parts of Central Jersey its smiliar not as bad as New York but people here are rude to. Not everybody in New York or North Jersey is rude, their are nice people like in every city. Its just not likley to walk down the street and people saying Hi to you.
I lived in south jersey outside of Philly and Camden for 16 years. The people in that area are alot nicer, and the philly area is only about a hour and a half or two hours away. In south jersey people were just nicer and I was shocked in Philly everytime I was in Center City people said HI and you can have a conversation with a stranger at a local restruant or bar in philly like its not a big deal. Philly is slower the way the drive, its more laid back, and people are friendly, philly is the "city of brotherly love" but New York is no where close to that!!! I found people to be nicer in other parts of the country away from home. The more down south I go the nicer the people. Thats how I feel at least!!!
New York is the most aggresive city probably because its so fast paced. I read in a magazine years back that it was named the most aggresive and rude city. New York is also famous for being rude, and thats a fact. However, I don't thinks its a rude thing, New Yorkers are just tough.
I don't think NYers are rude in the traditional sense. The Outer Borough folks tend to be salt-of-the-earth folk and couldn't be cooler. Manhattan is what skews the preception, becuase Manhattanites are disgusting w/ the arrogance and general "I'm too good for you-ness". But again, alot of it is the transplants and such.
Another thing is the people from Connecticut/LI/NJ/Westchester. Frankly, if I could drop a bomb on CT, I would, just plain horrible people. LI isn't much better. NJ and Westchester, for some reason, is a mixed bag.
Also, not to be culturally offensive, but NY is filled w/ immigrants from places where social niceites are not as importiant. Alot of the Asians/Latinos/Afro-Carribeans are great folks on the inside, but come from places where it's do or die, so the attitude gets transported here.
And to Philly being nice? LOL. Someone didn't stay long enough.
I spent some vacations in Texas with my grandparents, and I found the people sometimes to be so friendly that it just didn't seem genuine at times. You don't find that in NY. I find people here to be generally polite and helpful. When I had my kids in strollers, someone always stepped up to help me lug the thing up/down the stairs. If you're lost, people will try to help you get to where you're going.
I think the wealthy tend to be more rude/entitled in their attitudes--this goes for people in Westchester, where I worked for many years, and in Connecticut. I agree that people in the outerboroughs tend to be nicer and more down to earth than in prime Manhattan neighborhoods. With immigrants, it depends. I used to also work in Chinatown, and some of those old Chinese ladies can get pretty aggressive at times, jumping ahead in line, etc.
Everyone I talked to there on Sunday was friendly. I asked for help about 3 times and each time they were very friendly. But I'm a city guy so I know how to ask (ie, "Excuse me, does this train go to Penn Station?"). I think if you ask, "Excuse me, we're visiting from Kansas and my niece is up in Boston right now, we've never been to NY before, it's such a busy city...." (NYer walks off) you'd have a different opinion.
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