Learning the rules

There are many lessons that a New Yorker must learn when tackling the city for the first time. Luckily Alex and I had the privilege of touring the city with a native city slicker, our real-estate agent, Joe, and we got the rundown as to the proper mannerisms of NYC.

We experienced a very rainy day during one of our apartment hunting trips which taught us lesson number one- you must have a durable, wind-proof, rain-proof, fire-proof and any other proof umbrella if you want to maximize its efficiency in the city. When Joe met us with his large and in charge golfing umbrella, we knew that cheapo one we bought at the local CVS wasn’t going to cut it. As we both huddled under this umbrella while maintaining a mix of grace and speed down the street, we soon experienced the tourist faux pas of a faulty umbrella. The wind was unforgiving and our umbrella flipped inside out multiple times leaving us wet, but educated. We will invest in some strong umbrellas upon our arrival for good.

The second lesson we learned was taxi-hailing etiquette. As Joe stood on the street watching taxi after taxi pass without lifting his arm to stop one, Alex and I inquired as to why he wasn’t asking one to stop. It turns out, taxis let you know when they are full, off-duty, or available by the lights on the top. No, those aren’t simply to make them seem more cliché, but they in fact do serve a purpose. If both outside lights are on, it means the cab is off duty. So unless your stop happens to be on their way home, you have no chance of getting them to stop. If all the lights are off, the cab already has passengers and this guy too will not stop at your frantically waiving hand. Now, if the center light is on, ding-ding-ding, that is the only instance in which the cab will stop to pick you up. So to make you seem more like a New Yorker, do not wave at every passing cab.

Lesson number three- you must learn every borough, neighborhood and landmark in the city if you want to get around. You’ll notice in the subway system that the signs don’t simply point you North, South, East or West but rather toward specific areas around the city. For example, you need to know if you need to hop on the subway going toward Brighton Beach or the Bronx. So, you better grab a map or memorize the city in order to successfully reach your destination.

There is lots to know if you want to be a pro in NYC.