Tips for New York City tourists

I recently started working in Manhattan again, specifically right next to Chinatown. There are tourists everywhere. I like tourists, most of the time. Sometimes, though, they just piss me off.

Here are some useful tips for all of you New York City tourists so that newyorkers and you can co-exist in this place without unnecessary aggravation. This is a working list.

1. If you’re traveling in a group (of more than 1 people), please do not stop in the middle of the sidewalk to gawk at things, read a map or whatever. The sidewalks are always crowded. You are creating a traffic jam by stopping in the middle. It’s annoying. Please don’t do it. If you insist on doing it, don’t be surprised if you end up being at the receiving end of some New York attitude. If you do this in the middle of the rush hour, you’re extremely likely to get bumped, yelled at or even get into an altercation.
2. Do not stop in front of escalators or subway entrances, or at the top or bottom of the stairs leading in or out of the subway. When you do that you’re creating a bottleneck behind you. The natives are going to get upset, especially during rush hour.
3. Practically all New York City cab drivers are insane. Be very careful when crossing the street when a cab is approaching you. Never, ever argue with a cab driver. There’s no way of knowing how the argument is gonna end, but one thing is for sure…you aren’t going to win it.

-TPP