We live in a city known for being big, bad, and tough. And though we’re surely tough, you’ll soon realize NYers are some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet—there’s just some rules you’ll need to follow on how to survive in NYC first. We asked you guys what rules you must know, and boy did you all deliver.
So whether your a newbie or born and bred, here are some of the top rules you guys told us must be known:
1. “Be nice to Service Workers. The Receptionist. The Doorman. The Deli Counter Person. The Janitor. The Handyman.”
2. “Never slow walk on a busy sidewalk.”
3. “If a bodega DOESN’T have a cat….don’t eat from there. It ain’t sanitary. Walk 1/2 a block to one with a cat.” 🐱
4. “The walk signal is a suggestion”
5. “It’s pronounced ‘baconeggcheezz’”
6. “Never get into an empty subway car”
7. “MYOB…Mind yer own business.”
8. “It’s not pronounced Houston St it’s HOW-ston St”
9. “Do the speed limit when walking… and the speed limit is dictated by everyone else walking.” 🚶♀️
10. “KEEP IT MOVING”
11. “Let me off the train before trying getting on…”
12. “If you mess with one of us , you mess with ALL of Us. ”
13. “Jay walking is your birthright”
14. “Black is the new black & it goes with everything” 🖤
15. “If you’re in a group, don’t walk side by side and take up the whole sidewalk”
16. “Know multiple ways to get home and to work. Be prepared to walk if necessary”
17. “Go to the bathroom before you head out”
18. “Don’t make eye contact” 👀
19. “If you see a celebrity, you did not see that celebrity. Have some chill.”
20. “Always ask the price first.”
21. “Stay out of the bike lanes. They do not care!”
22. “Get an exterminator”
23. “The bodega cat is the manager. Don’t question why he is sleeping on bread. That’s his store”
24. “Act like you belong.”
25. “Be good to ppl. The city is big and simultaneously very very small circles of ppl who are connected to other ppl and so and on. You need community here!”
26. “Wear ear buds” 🎧
27. “It’s okay to cry openly on the subway—or anywhere in public for that matter”
28. “Stay on the right side of escalators”
29. “Know how to do more than one thing at a time”
30. “If the light’s not on, the cab’s not available”
31. “Look like you know what you’re doing and where you’re going, even if you don’t.”
32. “Learn the location of every publicly accessible bathroom. Hotel lobbies, stores, etc.” 🚽
33. “Don’t fall for the characters at Time Square”
34. “Stand by the wall waiting on the train”
35. “Walk on the RIGHT side of the sidewalk……Unless you want to get shoulder bumped”
36. “Know what you’re gonna order in any take-out place…MOVE OVER if you don’t know WTF you want.”
37. “Look both ways a lot before crossing the street”
38. “Do NOT stop at the subway turnstile to fumble for your phone/pass; have it ready to go!”
