Oh... by the way

This one is for you readers out there living in somewhere besides New York. I came across some other basic things to know when in New York in a magazine called VICE. I had to basically quote the parts of the article I liked because I love the writing style infused with New York attitude and the advice is certainly true.Without further explanation, here are VICE's ideas on what you need to know:

Say "Excuse Me"
New Yorkers always say 'excuse me.' They realize that the person they bumped might be a crackhead with a carpet cutter that wants to cut your face from above your eyebrow straight down your chin. Not only should you say excuse me if you bump into someone, you should even turn back and put your arms out in a ready kind of " I'm here to stabilize you if you fall" way. This helps emphasize sincerity. It is not a pussy thing to do this by the way. It's more like a prison/biker show-of-respect thing that is actually tougher than blindly walking away.


Nobody Cares
Guess what? People in New York are over it. That doesn't mean they don't like stuff - it means that they don't give a shit why they like stuff. Don't come here and go, "Hey guys, this is a little embarrassing, but I love that Journey song 'Open Arms'! We'll just say "Big Whup, that song is pretty good."

Dress for Success?
Trust us, nobody gives a shit why you wear what you wear. It either looks good or it looks bad. It doesn't matter if you think a pair of lime green sweat pants is "hilarious." They either look like shit (more than likely) or they look amazing (not totally outside the realm of possibilities).

Way to go Vice! For more rules check out the previously posted Things to Know when in New York. More rules to come.

Things to know when in New York

OK, I know I have only lived in the city for about 3 and half weeks now, but let me just vent a little bit. Earlier this week my commute took me through Times Square and Grand Central Station, both insanely busy places. One day while fighting my way through the Port Authority Bus Station I realized something:

Sometimes the simplest trips can be stressful and difficult because about 80% of people generally understand and abide by the unofficial, unwritten rules of the city and the other 20% are just obstacles - human missiles and land mines meant to throw you off course and challenge any sane person.

SO how is one supposed to know what to do and what not to do? Well, these unofficial rules I speak of can be discovered by either asking a New Yorker or simply paying attention to what the hell is going on.

Here are a few the rules I am aware of, in no particular order -

* Sidewalks - made for walking, everyone is in a hurry for one reason or another. If you gotta stop because you are looking up, taking a picture, lost, tired or just plain slow - kindly move to the side.

* Escalators - 2 lanes, stand to the right, keep moving on the left. Not that hard if you concentrate.

* Trains - during rush hour we all know there isn't room. You still gotta squeeze closer to the middle and make room if more people are coming on, trying to preserve some sense of personal bubble is futile. Deal with it!

Following these rules will ease the flow of traffic and help you avoid nasty stares from people on the streets and in the train (*or at least some of them.)


* If someone does give you a nasty look it's probably best to not look back too long or too many times.





More rules to follow in future posts. Peace.