You know you're a New Yorker when you can walk home after dark and think nothing of it. My mom has said that the very idea of me walking home by myself after dark gives her gray hair. I'm not walking alone, I say to her. There are always throngs of people with me. Even on the residential blocks, there's always a ton of people. And it's not like I'm walking at 3 am or anything. We're talking 7pm. Sheesh.
You know you're a New Yorker when you use the "walk/don't walk" signs as guidelines. There are some intersections where it is a very very bad idea to jaywalk, and one or two where you'd better give it a second even on the walk signal. But otherwise? I'm not waitin'.
You know you're a New Yorker when, on the rare occasions you do drive, you understand those signs and lane lines are guidelines. Here's one area that E and I make horrible NYers. We won't block the box, we signal when we change lanes, we don't cut people off, and we don't speed (the city limit on all roads in the city is 30).
You know you're a New Yorker when you know what "curb your dog" means. I guess it sounds better than pick up that poop.
You know you're a New Yorker when you can squeeze onto a packed subway car and keep your footing without holding onto a bar. I don't LIKE to squeeze in, and prefer to wait for the next subway train if it's packed (or walk), but if I HAVE to, sure, I can cram myself in and steady my feet so I don't cause a domino effect by falling.
Hmm. I fall on the subway even while holding on to something.
ReplyDeleteThere's a trick to it- my husband still doesn't always remember to do it right and ends up flailing. The trick is to get your feet as shoulder width apart as possible, keep both feet planted, and allow your knees to flex (bend ever so slightly) with the motion of the train. I've never been surfing or snowboarding, but I imagine it's the same basic idea.
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