# How New Yorkers think



## Bunk (Oct 16, 2021)

THERE IS NO NORTH AND SOUTH.  IT'S 'UPTOWN' OR 'DOWNTOWN.'  IF YOU'RE REALLY FROM NEW YORK, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONCEPT OF WHERE NORTH AND SOUTH ARE...AND EAST OR WEST IS 'CROSS-TOWN.'
YOU'RE 35 YEARS OLD AND DON'T HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE.
YOU RIDE IN A SUBWAY CAR WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE SEATS AVAILABLE.
YOU TAKE THE TRAIN HOME AND YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE ON THE PLATFORM THE DOORS WILL OPEN THAT WILL LEAVE YOU RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE EXIT STAIRWAY.
YOU KNOW WHAT A 'REGULAR' COFFEE IS
IT'S NOT MANHATTAN...IT'S THE 'CITY.'
YOU CROSS THE STREET ANY WHERE BUT ON THE CORNERS AND YOU YELL AT CARS FOR NOT RESPECTING YOUR RIGHT TO DO IT.
YOU MOVE 3,000 MILES AWAY, SPEND 10 YEARS LEARNING THE LOCAL LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE STILL KNOW YOU'RE FROM BROOKLYN, LONG ISLAND OR THE BRONX THE MINUTE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH.
YOU RETURN AFTER 10 YEARS AND THE FIRST FOODS YOU WANT ARE A 'REAL' PIZZA AND A 'REAL' BAGEL.
A 500 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT IS LARGE.
YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT RAY'S PIZZAS.
YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT ANY HUMAN BEING WOULD BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND A P.A. ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE SUBWAY.
YOU WOULDN'T BOTHER ORDERING PIZZA OR CHINESE IN ANY OTHER CITY.
YOU GET READY TO ORDER DINNER EVERY NIGHT AND MUST CHOOSE FROM THE MAJOR FOOD GROUPS WHICH ARE: CHINESE, ITALIAN, MEXICAN OR INDIAN.
YOU'RE NOT THE LEAST BIT INTERESTED IN GOING TO TIMES SQUARE ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.
YOUR INTERNAL CLOCK IS PERMANENTLY SET TO KNOW WHEN ALTERNATE SIDE OF THE STREET PARKING REGULATIONS ARE IN EFFECT.
YOU KNOW WHAT A BODEGA IS.
SOMEONE BUMPS INTO YOU AND YOU CHECK FOR YOUR WALLET.
YOU DON'T EVEN NOTICE THE LADY WALKING DOWN THE ROAD HAVING A PERFECTLY NORMAL CONVERSATION WITH HERSELF.
YOU PAY 'ONLY' $500 A MONTH TO PARK YOUR CAR.
YOU CRINGE AT HEARING PEOPLE PRONOUNCE HOUSTON STREET LIKE THE CITY IN TEXAS.
THE PRESIDENTIAL VISIT IS A MAJOR TRAFFIC JAM, NOT AN HONOR.
YOU HATE SEPTEMBER'S BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC JAMS CAUSED BY THE OPENING OF THE UNITED NATIONS
YOU CAN NAP ON THE SUBWAY AND NEVER MISS YOUR STOP.
THE DELI GUY GIVES YOU A STRAW WITH ANY BEVERAGE YOU BUY, EVEN IF IT'S A BEER.
THAT'S NEW YORK, BABY! YA GOTTA LOVE IT.
IF YOU ARE A TRUE NEW YORKER, SEND THIS TO EVERYONE LIKE YOURSELF, OTHERWISE FUHGEDDABOUDIT.


----------



## Bailey#1 (Oct 17, 2021)

That photo is about one mile from where I grew up, 40 years ago that area didn't look like it does now it was much worse.
I don't know how I survived.


----------



## CPNY (Oct 17, 2021)

checking your wallet after being bumped is a real thing haha. Yes, traffic during general assembly is the absolute worst. And yes, my monthly parking garage is $500, what a joke


----------



## Bunk (Oct 17, 2021)

This should be an event in the NYC Olympics






But in the finals you would have to park in the space, not drive out of it


----------



## CPNY (Oct 17, 2021)

After driving for over an hour looking for a spot one night, I found and parked into a spot just like that without hitting either car in front or back. As I walked to my apartment I saw a spot at the corner that must have just opened up. It was big enough for a pickup truck, I paused and thought to myself “maybe I should move and take this spot”. After thinking about what a hassle it would be to get out of the spot I was in I decided to just leave the car where it was.

The Next day I walked to my car and saw that it was sideswiped by a truck and the damage cost me $2000  The moral of the story is, driving and parking in NYC is horrible lol.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller (Oct 17, 2021)

Bunk said:


> This should be an event in the NYC Olympics
> 
> 
> 
> ...



- learned how to do that the summer of 1975 - with a 66 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon.
[Luckily it had power steering]

I was painting houses etc. And got a job painting the office of a non profit in Brooklyn
( a neighbor was the head mgr.) he needed a deal & I needed money towards tuition.
I drove in from the Island on Atlantic Avenue on about 4 weekends.

Parking for free required searching for a spot
And then about 20 of those moves in the YouTube video

*********
I think I listened to Frankie Crocker & WBLS on a transistor radio everyone of those weekends.

- and Brooklyn hadn't gone down hill & gentrified yet....


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller (Oct 17, 2021)

@Bunk
NEW YORKERS -
get ON LINE / not in line
Know someone who had TWO TWINS - not twins.


----------



## Bunk (Oct 17, 2021)

Not for nothing I grew up learning that you dropped the last vowel when pronouncing Italian foods that had  more than 2 syllables.  And of course we ordered a pie or a slice, but never pizza.

And did youz guys think that the correct pronunciation of the Island was Lon GIsland and order bagel with a schemer


----------



## RNCollins (Oct 18, 2021)

As a kid I remember when Time Square was much different than it is today, not Disneyfied. I won’t post a picture, this is a family website.


----------



## CPNY (Oct 18, 2021)

RNCollins said:


> As a kid I remember when Time Square was much different than it is today, not Disneyfied. I won’t post a picture, this is a family website.


Ok you can send  it to me in a PM LOL. New York is exhausting lol. Also, TS is reverting back to that picture you have rather quickly


----------



## beejaybeeohio (Oct 18, 2021)

My dawr-ter loves her amonds and pe-cans.


----------



## Bailey#1 (Oct 18, 2021)

Bunk said:


> This should be an event in the NYC Olympics
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I remember those days, we didn't have a driveway to work on my car, so it was always on the street, changing water pumps, alternators, breaks, was bad enough. Now add alternate street parking, and snow. What a nightmare!


----------



## Bunk (Oct 18, 2021)

In case you're homesick for the City Accent


----------



## Bunk (Oct 18, 2021)

RNCollins said:


> As a kid I remember when Time Square was much different than it is today, not Disneyfied. I won’t post a picture, this is a family website.



Remember some movies about the City that came out before Giuliani:

Taxi Driver
Escape from New York
Fort Apache
Death Wish
Shaft


----------



## nerodog (Oct 18, 2021)

Love it...my 95 yr old mom tells everyone  she's from NY...she hasn't lived there since she was 25...lolol...its her identity.


----------



## TravelTime (Oct 18, 2021)

I was born in NY and my family moved to Miami when I was 4. I went back to NY to get my MBA at Columbia. There is something about New York that stays in your system. I feel like a New Yorker at heart and a Floridian as well. I have lived in California now for almost half my life yet I do not feel like a Californian. I yearn to move back to New York or Florida but I know that will never happen for many reasons, most of all my husband is attached to California and has a good job here. However, who knows what will happen in 10-15 years when he retires. I doubt we will go to the East Coast as he is from Montana and has lived in California since he was in his early 20s and never wants to leave. I might be able to convince him to go somewhere else in the West. My problem is there are no states in the West that appeal to me. I am definitely an East Coast girl at heart. I could even see myself living in North Carolina, Virginia or Georgia. In fact, I find those states to be beautiful and appealing in many ways. Halfway between New York and Miami. Best of all worlds.


----------



## Patri (Oct 18, 2021)

Couldn’t read your post with all those caps. Too hard on the eyes.


----------



## jackio (Oct 18, 2021)

beejaybeeohio said:


> My dawr-ter loves her amonds and pe-cans.


Ok...how do you say pecan?  Pe-CAHN?
In NY we say PEE-can
On Long Island we say DAW-der. I don’t know anyone who lives on LI that actually says Lon Gisland. That’s a city thing.

In comparison to my relatives from Queens and Brooklyn, I always thought I do not have a NY accent. But it never fails, when I’m in another state someone always asks me where I am from.


----------



## Bunk (Oct 18, 2021)

Patri said:


> Couldn’t read your post with all those caps. Too hard on the eyes.




There is no north and south. It's 'uptown' or 'downtown.' if you're really from New York, you have absolutely no concept of where north and south are...and east or west is 'cross-town.'
you're 35 years old and don't have a driver's license.
You ride in a subway car with no air conditioning just because there are seats available.
You take the train home and you know exactly where on the platform the doors will open that will leave you right in front of the exit stairway.
You know what a 'regular' coffee is
it's not Manhattan...it's the 'City.'
you cross the street any where but on the corners and you yell at cars for not respecting your right to do it
You move 3,000 miles away, spend 10 years learning the local language and people still know you're from Brooklyn, long island or the Bronx the minute you open your mouth.
You return after 10 years and the first foods you want are a 'real' pizza and a 'real' bagel.
A 500 square foot apartment is large.
You know the differences between all the different ray's pizzas.
You are not under the mistaken impression that any human being would be able to actually understand a p.a. announcement on the subway.
You wouldn't bother ordering pizza or Chinese in any other city.
You get ready to order dinner every night And must choose from the major food groups which are: Chinese, Italian, Mexican or indian.
You're not the least bit interested in going to times square on New Year's Eve.
Your internal clock is permanently set to know when alternate side of the street parking regulations are in effect.
You know what a bodega is.
Someone bumps into you and you check for your wallet.
You don't even notice the lady walking down the road having a perfectly normal conversation with herself.
You pay 'only' $500 a month to park your car.
You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston street like the city in Texas.
The presidential visit is a major traffic jam, not an honor.
You hate Septembers because of the traffic jams caused by the opening of the united nations
you can nap on the subway and never miss your stop.
The deli guy gives you a straw with any beverage you buy, even if it's a beer.
That's New York, baby! Ya gotta love it.
If you are a true New Yorker, send this to everyone like yourself, otherwise fuhgeddaboudit.


----------



## mbh (Oct 19, 2021)

The list is great. Also

You know that if the Subway car is empty when all the others are full, there's a homeless guy in there
You walk only one speed, fast
You know who the tourists are because they are looking up at the tall buildings and just moseying along.
You never carry a golf umbrella when it rains


----------



## Bunk (Oct 20, 2021)

Who remembers stoops





and stoop ball


----------



## jackio (Oct 20, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Who remembers stoops
> 
> View attachment 41245
> 
> ...


And those pink balls are called Spaldeens


----------



## nerodog (Oct 20, 2021)

Y





Bunk said:


> Who remembers stoops
> 
> View attachment 41245
> 
> ...


My grandmother  from NY always called the area porch with steps  the stoop!!


----------



## Theiggy (Oct 20, 2021)

It’s Lawnguyland.

Lol I am also pegged as NY the second I open my mouth anywhere else. 

When I was in grad school I had a friend from Seattle and she told me I sounded like Fran Drescher on the Nanny. She had no idea how insulting that was! 

Oh and yes- ZERO desire to ever go to Times Square on New Years. 

I do recall the peep show era at 42nd street. Then pre-covid it became the area where you were accosted by Elmo. I haven’t been into Manhattan since Covid so not sure what state it’s in now. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## justnosy (Oct 20, 2021)

OMG!!! Everything posted is SO TRUE!!!
I'm a city girl! Born and raised in the city  
My kids are born and raised on the Island (Long Island )

You walk only one speed, fast  <---  my kids complain that I do that!!! I tell them it's the city strut!!


----------



## mbh (Oct 20, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Who remembers stoops
> 
> View attachment 41245
> 
> ...


In the Bronx we called it “off the point”


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Oct 20, 2021)

TravelTime said:


> I was born in NY and my family moved to Miami when I was 4. I went back to NY to get my MBA at Columbia. There is something about New York that stays in your system. I feel like a New Yorker at heart and a Floridian as well. I have lived in California now for almost half my life yet I do not feel like a Californian. I yearn to move back to New York or Florida but I know that will never happen for many reasons, most of all my husband is attached to California and has a good job here. However, who knows what will happen in 10-15 years when he retires. I doubt we will go to the East Coast as he is from Montana and has lived in California since he was in his early 20s and never wants to leave. I might be able to convince him to go somewhere else in the West. My problem is there are no states in the West that appeal to me. I am definitely an East Coast girl at heart. I could even see myself living in North Carolina, Virginia or Georgia. In fact, I find those states to be beautiful and appealing in many ways. Halfway between New York and Miami. Best of all worlds.



I agree about NYC. Rather than move, maybe you could just visit more? We travel for work and stay a few extra days about 2x /year.  We own a TS in NYC which feels like home when we visit. The staff remembers us and personally welcomes us. During our last visit the lady who runs the front desk wrote us a nice hand-written welcome letter and gave us a box of chocolates and two bottles on wine in our room. We are not elite status or anything.

New Yorkers are so proud of their city. Perhaps 9/11 created a higher sense of stewardship and ownership. It's refreshing to see. NYC also has great tasting tap water.


----------



## Bunk (Oct 20, 2021)

mbh said:


> In the Bronx we called it “off the point”



Why do we say "the Bronx" and not just Bronx


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller (Oct 21, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Why do we say "the Bronx" and not just Bronx


cuz it's da Bronx

[I am a grad of a Jesuit HS in da Bronx.]
The Bronx stub of the 3rd Ave El was still operating then


----------



## mbh (Oct 21, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Why do we say "the Bronx" and not just Bronx


Because the first settler of The Bronx was Jonas Bronck and people said lets visit the Bronck's.


----------



## Kozman (Oct 21, 2021)




----------



## Conan (Oct 21, 2021)

New York City Food -- Acme Smoked Fish NYC


----------



## CPNY (Oct 21, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Who remembers stoops
> 
> View attachment 41245
> 
> ...


I still sit on mine and talk to neighbors, Manhattan isn’t as “big” as people think.


----------



## Patri (Oct 22, 2021)

I am glad to see all these nice tributes. To us outsiders, NYC seems like a huge, sterile place. But it is a definite community, and home with fond memories to so many.


----------



## heathpack (Oct 22, 2021)

I grew up on Long Island, although I dropped the accent like a hot potato when I left home.  My brother lived for many years at Lincoln Center.  I love NY.

My biggest ”NYer” carryover is that I place a huge high value on time.  If you waste my time, that’s the biggest sin, the absolute rudest thing, in my mind.  I am pretty much always a little early to everything, so as not to waste the other guy‘s time.  Whereas LA people are pretty much always late on account of traffic- they don’t want to waste their own time leaving early in case traffic is bad.  But traffic is so frequently bad that they just wind up being late.  Whereas I left early, taking traffic into account, so I’m twice as annoyed by it!

I think also in NY you’re raised to understand that the other guy might not be telling you the truth, could be trying to manipulate you- so I think NYers are naturally skeptical.  I once commented in jest to my husband that maybe I’m ugly, I had no “me too” moment.  He told me it’s because I exude a “don’t *bleep* with me“ attitude.  I do?  I think that’s the NYer in me.

I also don’t intrude too much in peoples lives, or even think too much about them, which feels like an invasion of privacy to me a little.  But I’m pretty much willing to help folks out when they’re in need.  I think that’s a NYer trait too- you stay out of peoples business unless it’s obvious they need help, but if they need help for sure you give it.

My brother who had the condo at Lincoln Center died at a young age of a brain tumor.  He owned a trading company on the American Stock exchange.  He defied every stereotype, was not greedy, was super nice to everyone, mentored newbies in his field, went to church every Sunday.  When he got sick and was no longer working, if he ever fell or otherwise needed assistance, multiple people would help him immediately.  People in NY are just as nice as anywhere else, underneath the ”don’t waste my time/don’t *bleep* with me” veneer.

Its a great city.


----------



## Luanne (Oct 22, 2021)

We are currently in New York City.  Just finishing up a two week stay.  Love it here.  Have been coming in October for a few years now.


----------



## Bunk (Oct 22, 2021)

Luanne said:


> We are currently in New York City.  Just finishing up a two week stay.  Love it here.  Have been coming in October for a few years now.



Do you remember this movie about Autumn in New York


----------



## Luanne (Oct 22, 2021)

Bunk said:


> Do you remember this movie about Autumn in New York


Sadly no.


----------



## topmom101 (Jan 10, 2022)

Love everything about this thread. Raised in the Bronx, moved to Long Island when I got married and raised my 3 children there.  We are all scattered around now; SC, NC, AL, but, no matter where we travel and someone asks us where we are from, we automatically say New York.  As they say, once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker. Luckily, I have a daughter who still lives on LI, married with children, and that gives me opportunity to visit my home state several times a year.


----------



## chapjim (Jan 10, 2022)

New Yorkers don't realize that 98% of the US is west of the Hudson River.


----------



## Bunk (Jan 10, 2022)

chapjim said:


> New Yorkers don't realize that 98% of the US is west of the Hudson River.









View of the World from 9th Avenue is a classic map/illustration showing how New Yorkers see the rest of the world. Designed by Saul Steinberg, it was first published as the cover for the March 29, 1976, edition of The New Yorker.



The map shows how New Yorkers might see the rest of the world if they faced west on 9th Avenue. Thus, 10th Avenue and the Hudson river are clearly shown, but beyond that it’s just a bit of a blur. Canada and Mexico both make it onto the map, sandwiching a very rectangular United States.


----------



## chapjim (Jan 10, 2022)

Bunk said:


> View attachment 45022
> 
> 
> View of the World from 9th Avenue is a classic map/illustration showing how New Yorkers see the rest of the world. Designed by Saul Steinberg, it was first published as the cover for the March 29, 1976, edition of The New Yorker.
> ...



I remember seeing that cover!


----------

