What Not To Do in New York City
The first time I went to New York, I confess, I wasn’t much of a fan. Staying in Midtown and walking out into what felt like a never-ending din of construction noise, honking, and hostile locals was too much. It took a few years and visits with friends before I really fell in love with the city, and now I choose to live here among the chaos!
Based on my many visits and three years living in NYC, here’s what I recommend NOT doing when you visit.
Don’t clog up the escalator
For the love of God, stand to the right on escalators. People expect to be able to walk up and down on the left-hand side, and some people will have no problem yelling at you to get out of the way.
Don’t rely just on your credit card
This would never fail to take me by surprise whenever I visited. In every other city in the US, the switch to credit cards has been seamless. Not here!
A lot of worthwhile restaurants, bars, and wellness establishments still operate the old-school way, where cash is king. Some restaurants here only take cash or American Express (I had to run to the ATM when this happened to me). And trust me, you really don’t want to have to use an ATM in NYC last minute.
Some ATM withdrawal fees at bars and restaurants can be as high as $20. Especially if you plan to visit Chinatown, bring cash or know where your bank's ATMs are so you can withdraw money without extra fees.
At the airport, don’t take an unofficial taxi
At the airport, if someone comes up to you offering a taxi service, ignore them! There are a lot of airport scams; I notice them more at JFK than at LaGuardia, but these taxi drivers plan to rip you off and hold you and/or your bags as collateral until you cough up the money.
I usually take the subway from JFK, but I recommend taking a rideshare like Uber or Lyft, or the new Empower service from the airport. You can also get in line for an official yellow taxi, but even then, be careful. I got ripped off by an official yellow cab coming back on a late-night plane from San Francisco.
Trips from the airport are a fixed price (plus tolls and tax), so keep an eye on the meter and, when in doubt, take a picture of the driver’s official taxi license and/or license plate in case you need to complain afterward.
Don’t be afraid of the subway
Despite extensive time living in cities with amazing public transit, the New York subway frightened me before I moved here. Unlike Tokyo or London, signage in the stations is, uh, sparse. In-train announcements are unintelligible.
Now I take the subway on a daily basis, but let’s face it: The New York subway is rundown and lacking compared to other world-class cities. However, it is still the best way to get around the city and incredibly affordable at a mere $3 one way, including a transfer.
A big help for me has been downloading Citymapper. On the Citymapper app, it tells you the best route, which car you should be in, and the best exit to take once you arrive at your destination.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
New Yorkers may seem rude and hostile, and yeah, I can’t really argue with that. But if you need help, they will absolutely have an opinion on what you should do and the best way to go about it.
On my last Airtrain ride back into the city, I heard two guys (good-naturedly) argue for an easy five minutes about whether the A or the E would be better to take after another older gentleman asked one of them how to get to his hotel in Midtown.
If you’re lost or trying to figure something out, people here are absolutely willing to help out. Now, they may lose patience with a lot of follow-up questions or if you argue with their advice, but they will do their best. Don’t be afraid to stop someone and say “Excuse me…”
Chances are they can get you where you need to go and be on their way.