This is what happens when you slip and fall in NYC

[mdmc]

Old New York City is a friendly old town,
From Washington Heights to Harlem on down.
There's a-mighty many people all millin' all around,
They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down.
It's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
Bob Dylan's Hard Times in New York Town
------------------------------------------------------------------

My parents went to see a Broadway show last week. While walking, my mom slipped and fell on some snow or ice. My dad couldn't get her up; she was stuck. Within two minutes several people (A UPS Driver, a clerk at a boutique, and a women in a Benz) stopped to help. Within another minute my mom was up and standing. Several more people came to her aid with paper towels and coffee. Another lady saw the fall from the other side of the street. She eventually made it over to my parents and offered my mom her shawl (to cover up my mom's ruined clothing). My mom refused the shawl several times, and the lady eventually sneaked away without her shawl (which made it impossible for my mom to return / refuse the shawl). My mom was able to wear the shawl over her clothing and feel comfortable while watching the show..

So thank you NY'ers if you happened to help an old lady get out of the snow last week. It was much appreciated.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. New York City!

I love New York :loveya:

[SpiralHawk]

9. Doo wah diddy

for New York City

[Speck Tater]

2. For every rotten egg there seem to be a handful of real saints.

Too bad the news only tells us about the rotten eggs.

[TheMadMonk]

11. Nah. Just that they stink to high heaven, so we notice them more.

Basic human decency is normal enough to be forgotten quickly. But we got one helluva memory for those that done us wrong.

[Graybeard]

3. It's a heck of a town.

Lived here all my life and it's always been like that. Just look at the stories of NYers jumping into subway tracks to save people!

[Smarmie Doofus]

55. Not to mention stories of NYers jumping on subway tracks

.... to... well... jump on subway tracks.

[DainBramaged]

4. She probably would have been robbed in most other big cities.....

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0305.pdf


Low crime compared to so many other large cities

[pezDispenser]

36. huh?

nice leap

[DainBramaged]

87. Read the figures, I'd rather be in NYC than Newark NJ or Los Angeles

[skygazer]

5. I love New York

A friend and I drove to NYC during a huge blizzard (look up Blizzard of 96 - we drove from Vermont to NYC in it. Idiots but it was fun) for a conference. The city was socked in with snow - it was crazy. On a side street, we got bogged down - as soon as the tires started spinning, several men ran out of businesses and a parking garage to push us out. They got us going and stood there waving happily as we drove off.

Another time, we got a flat tire in the middle of the city, discovered the spare was flat but sat there stuck for only about five minutes before a tow truck driver stopped, asked us if we needed help and brought us to a garage - at no charge - so we could get a tire.

Glad your mom is okay.

[mdmc]

6. happy new year!

peace and low stress..

[Veruca Salt]

15. I went to NYC during that same blizzard!

Only we took the train from MA and it was for a comic book convention. That was one heckova storm.

[MuseRider]

7. I have only been there once

but found it to be a wonderful place. We were warned incessantly by all of our friends here in the good old heartland to be careful (those people had never been there) and those who had been there told us just to have fun, no warning except to not stop in the street gawking at the tall buildings ;-). Now my youngest son lives there and we hope to go many more times. It is a lovely place. I am sure there are places that are less lovely in NYC or less safe than where we were but it is like that here in small town USA as well.

It did help, of course, to have our wonderful Thomcat to take us around for a whole day and an evening. **Big kisses and hugs to you Thom if you see this!!!

New York is like any other large city in the world, busy and bustling full of all kinds of people. Most of them are good people. Hooray for the lady that left her shawl.

[uberblonde]

63. I had a similar experience about 15 years ago.

I was in NYC during Christmas season, I slipped on ice crossing a street off Times Square and it was as if I were completely surrounded by angels. Some people held back the traffic while others helped me to my feet. It was as if they did it all the time, it was no big deal. They were so nice, and I've never forgotten it.

[flvegan]

8. Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten

From the Battery to the top of Manhattan
Asian, Middle-Eastern and Latin
Black, White, New York you make it happen

[Gormy Cuss]

10. The notion that no one in a city will help out is stranger is really out of proportion to reality.

In most situations some people will reach out to help others in need.

[Hissyspit]

67. I've found that to be true. Been going to NYC on trips since '86.

[ThomCat]

12. There really are a lot of nice people here.

I've had my electric wheelchair die several times in the middle of inconvenient places and once in a dangerous place, (in bad weather, suddenly, the electrical system shuts down and won't restart). Strangers have always immediately shown up to push me to a safe dry place until I can get my chair working again.

I now never go out in bad weather because strangers are more dependable than my chair. But it is great that strangers have always been so dependable.

[Zanzobar]

Hello?!? Broadway?!?! All tourists!

Not a Newyawker in the bunch unless they were hawking trinkets on the sidewalk.

Those folks from Idaho and Nebraska are real nice!

[Donnachaidh]

19. And you know all those people were from out of town HOW?

Typical reaction. Got news for you -- if there was an emergency situation I'd RATHER be in NYC. We've been through earthquakes and other storms in other supposedly *friendly* areas in the US, and those *friendly* people would step over you and continue on, even if you were in a puddle of your own blood.

New Yorkers get a bad rap because they sound brusque to people who don't live there. They may not *seem* polite to some, but they DO help each other. AND they help strangers in need.

And yes, I'm a Native Noo Yawker. Got a problem with that? :sarcasm:

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Alameda]

31. what you said!

What a jerk! I lived in NYC most of my life, great people there.

[Renew Deal]

27. You're wrong

of course.

[Zanzobar]

37. But, of course!

Newyawkers have no sense of humor.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

46. Yes, those out-of-state UPS drivers and boutique owners.

:rofl:

[bettyellen]

59. ha, TSq is full of NYers, at all hours. but you're probably too much of a scaredy cat to ever find

that out!
and you know what? we prefer it that way. it;s no place for wussy people.

[Beacool]

68. You are obviously not from this part of the country.

That part of the city is always teeming with people. Many are tourists, but the majority are locals going about their business. I go through Times Square all the time, the Port Authority Terminal is a block away. It's a misconception that New Yorkers are not friendly. Ditto for those from New Jersey.

;-)

[tpsbmam]

72. Born and bred New Yorker here. Finally moved when I was 30. You have

no idea what you're talking about. New York is a wonderful melting pot, and that includes both people who will walk on by when you need help and more people who will stop and help. In all the years I lived in NYC, I rarely encountered incredibly unpleasant people. I've encountered just as many elsewhere.

[annabanana]

100. This MUST be from someone who's never been here.

The tourists are a drop in the bucket of the street.

[Zanzobar]

13. Dupe

[edhopper]

14. The story of Kitty Genovese

which is far more complex than the urban myth about "people standing around watching", has done damage to the City's image.
I have found New Yorkers always helpful. We are abrupt and sometimes impolite, but we all know we have to work together to keep things going.
9/11 was a great example.

[badtoworse]

16. Yes, that was a black eye, but it happened in 1964

If you go back far enough, everyplace has things they are not proud of. I was born in Brooklyn and have lived and worked in the New York area my whole life. New Yorkers are almost always willing to help people and I'm very proud of the city. There are few other places in the country where I'd consider living.

[EFerrari]

41. That story was so big, even I remember it and I was only 8.

On the other hand, the people in the Silicon Valley suburb I grew up in would have done the same thing and turned their stereos up.

[Raine]

44. Lots of stuff on the internet about that

more myth and exaggeration than reality, very interesting.

[SidDithers]

17. That's been my experience too...

was in New York last November for the marathon, and while walking around somewhere near Union Square, we saw a lady stumble in the street and fall flat onto her face. She was cut up pretty bad, and there was quite a bit of blood. New Yorkers jumped in right away, getting her mostly off the street, directing traffic around her, and assisting her until police and an ambulance arrived.

Sid

[immoderate]

18. New Yorkers seem cold because they respect your space, but they will help...

If someone needs it. Good folks.

--imm

[NoGOPZone]

23. +1

they're also pretty perceptive when it comes to realizing what a person's boundaries are.

[defendandprotect]

20. Happy news she wasn't hurt --- !!

[slackmaster]

21. Another public employee union-bashing thread

...A UPS Driver, a clerk at a boutique, and a women in a Benz... ...Several more people... ...Another lady...

Not one of whom was a city employee.

[edhopper]

28. Are you being sarcastic?

There are very few, if any, public employees in Time's Square at night. Some cops (who i am sure would have helped) but they are not on every street.

UPS is a good Union shop BTW.

[slackmaster]

33. Yes. Recent threads that were critical of NYC workers got automatically tarred as "union-bashing".

Like the ones showing a video of NYC workers destroying multiple vehicles.

[Speed8098]

82. Another public employee union-bashing thread??????

:wtf:

I am a sales director for a union commercial overhead door installation company and I don't see how you associate this to a union bashing thread.

We use Local 580 Iron workers for private and public projects alike and I'm the guy that sold all of the overhead doors for the New Meadowlands stadium, almost all of the garages for the DOS, MTA, NYCTA, DASNY, SCA, LIRR, Metro North.......and I also sold the overhead fire doors for the most high profile project in the world located in lower Manhattan that I cannot name due to legalities of a confidentially agreement.

That being said, New Yorkers, Union employees or not are very nice people and most would put themselves in a dangerous situation to help out a complete stranger.

So please, tell me what point you are trying to make because if you ask me your post is way off topic.

[slackmaster]

89. Please refer to reply #33 in this thread

;-)

[Speed8098]

98. What's your point?

Your response is nonsensical.

[slackmaster]

108. I think you are having an inappropriate emotional reaction to a non-existent perceived slight

My point was that anything that doesn't post unions in an unconditional positive light automatically gets labeled as anti-union by a few members. Failing to mention union members coming to the rescue is only slightly off the scale of what actually does get criticized as union-bashing. It's called reductio ad absurdum.

[leftynyc]

22. Stuff like this happens all the time

I have no idea how we got the rep for rudeness. We're not rude - we're just always in a rush. So ask your questions, just be quick about it. When it involves an injury, help will come from everywhere.

[hedgehog]

39. WIth so many people around, no one could function if there was

a constant high level of interaction. It's be exhausting. But as you said - people are watching for each other.

BTW - can't find the source right now, but people in Buffalo talk and walk faster than anyone else in the country. I suspect it's from that wind in the winter - stand around with your mouth hanging pen too long, and you'll freeze in place!

Caveat: Buffalo has great weather 9 months of the year, and something to take your mind off the Bills and Sabres the other 3 months!

[dflprincess]

66. Hey! Maybe that's why I seem to walk faster than the average Minnesotan

I lived near Buffalo when I was a kid.

I always thought I developed the speed when I was at the University of Minnesota and had 15 minutes to cross the Mississippi on the Washington Ave Bridge to get from one class to another. (And you don't know cold until you've taken that walk in January - even if you're in the covered walkway).

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. nice!

[Renew Deal]

26. One of the many reasons NYC is the greatest city

in the known universe (and I'm not kidding). :D

[nyc 4 Biden]

29. great story.

hope your mom wasn't hurt.

i believe that there is the same percentage of decent people in every city, at any point in time.

[stuntcat]

30. love NY, I lived there a few years

I lived next to Tompkins Square park, it was real safe, our neighbors were nice and I love going back.

That is SO good, the lady helping with the shawl, everyone ought to be like that more!!!

[Beacool]

69. Ahhh, the East Village.

Ever went by Theater for he New City on 10th St. & 1st Ave.? Used to perform there frequently during my acting days. I love the area.

:-)

[stuntcat]

81. East Village, woooot!

I never went to that theatre though! I bet I passed it like a hundred times.
When I lived in NY it was my bar-hopping/careless-youngster days. Apart from the stereotypical "southerner's big-city adventure" the best things I did there was work at Sotheby's on the upper East side, & make friends with some real nice homeless people in my neighborhood :)

[Beacool]

109. You worked at Sotheby's?

Cool!!! That must have been an interesting place to work.

I remember the homeless that lived in Tompkins Square park. I wonder if they are still there?

:hi:

[blaze]

99. Tompkins Square Park!!!

Back in the late 70s, I lived kitty-corner from that park on the SE corner. It was an old railroad apartment that was being converted to condos.

I love NYC!!!!

[bobburgster]

32. Thanks for sharing!

It is nice to read about the good things that occur.

[timo]

34. nice to hear

good to see people still doing the right thing, good she didnt fall at wal mart in long island cuz they will step on you till you die!!

[Speed8098]

84. good she didnt fall at wal mart in long island cuz they will step on you till you die!!

Man, what is wrong with people today? While I work in the city I live on Long Island, exit 60 off the Long Island Expressway and your statement couldn't be any further from the truth.

People here on the island are quick to lend a helping hand to someone in need. I know this from many personal experiences as well as stories I've heard from friends about strangers helping with a flat tire, someone who has fallen on the ice, or just about any other situation you can name. Either you don't live here or you walk around with blinders on. In either case you should not speak of that which you know nothing about. :grr:

If you had a bad experience here I'm sorry for you but that broad brush you paint with I find to be offensive. You don't condemn the actions of the many based on the offenses of the few. :spank:

[timo]

88. uhhh here read this and be offended

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nydailynews.com%2Fny_local%2F2008%2F11%2F28%2F2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html&ei=C3QoTYmiIcGp8Aa_l735AQ&usg=AFQjCNGvHHvJ6F8j5jS_D_SvE5UozlE2lw

I am sure the employee who got trampled to death wasnt "offended" at all!!

[Speed8098]

101. I'm not going to be mean but don't forget Cincinnati

You are equating a mob frenzy with actual individuals who help others in need.

Remember the Who concert where 11 people were trampled to death in Cincinnati? I do, I lived there at the time.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091202/ENT03/912030307/Memories-of-Who-concert-tragedy-linger

Once again, don't try to tar 1.4 million people (Nassau County population) due to a mob frenzy. You answer was a non sequiter. New Yorkers helping complete strangers has nothing to do with mob frenzies regardless of geographical location.

[timo]

104. hahahaah

help a stranger but crush their own!!

[Speed8098]

102. You need to be informed

before you open your mouth about things you know nothing about. If you actually want to discuss FACTS then we can do that but you should learn not to bring a knife to a gunfight.

Not a threat, just a reminder to you not to try to act intelligent about a subject you are ignorant of. You'll lose the argument every time, as you did here today. Do you even live anywhere near NY? You don't say in your profile. See mine, I do live here.

[Name removed]

103. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Speed8098]

106. what are you gonna do track me down?

Your reading comprehension skills are severely lacking. knife to a gun fight??

If you read my entire post and you have ANY understanding of how to comprehend a sentence then you would have re-posted the part where I said it was not a threat, it's an analogy. Just so I can make myself clear about that analogy, it means you should not try to argue with someone who is informed while you are not. Do you understand now?

Do yourself a favor and don't bother to respond. I really don't care to correspond with some ignorant keyboard cowboy who has nothing but negative input. This is a progressive website, I'm a progressive, you on the other hand seem to nothing more than an immature troll who has no clue what he/she is talking about. It's no wonder you keep your profile secret.

As far as kissing your ass, please, mark the spot because you are all ass.

When you resort to the kind of reply the way you did mine, you proved that fact. Have a nice life and Happy New Year to you.

There are many smarter people here that I would rather talk to that actually think before they speak, a lesson you should learn.

Buh Bye my young friend :nuke:


(on edit: fixed typo)

[Name removed]

107. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demodonkey]

35. That's NYC for ya'!

:-)

[LibDemAlways]

38. In my small Southern California suburb if someone fell and

couldn't get up, that person would more than likely be passed by a bunch of people who would pretend they hadn't noticed. Sad, but true.

I'm not sure your mom's experience is typical of NYC, but I'm glad so many kind hearted souls were nearby when she needed help!:)

[EFerrari]

40. Especially at night. I was on a run to the store one night

and there was someone down in the street that I would have to run over before making a right turn up Lincoln in San Francisco. So I parked the car, got him out of the gutter and got on my cell phone. The other drives trying to make that right turn were mostly pissed because they were slowed down. The man had a head injury.

[LibDemAlways]

52. I believe it. I've lived in Calif. for 50 years and have to say

overall Californians are a cold bunch. Very little interest in or concern with anyone but themselves. And extremely impatient.

I once saw a teenage girl sitting in the middle of a busy street just staring blankly ahead. Drivers were swerving and yelling at her to get out of their way. I pulled over as did one other man at about the same time. He hoisted her up and got her onto the sidewalk while drivers were honking and yelling at him. I called 911 and we both waited until help arrived. What's really pathetic is that if that had been a dog lying in the road, drivers would have been stopping left and right to help. I would certainly have stopped for the dog too, but it's just shameful the way many think nothing of ignoring a fellow human being.

[angstlessk]

42. I remember my first visit..I had bought a bunch of postcards to send to friends

and while waiting to cross a very busy street (near Port Authority) to get to the mailbox some citizen offered to mail them, since he had to cross the street anyway...and indeed he did mail them...I was very impressed that he noticed I was a visitor, that I seemed anxious to get across the street to the mailbox...and that he cared enough to offer to mail them himself... My first memory of New York City

[Demoiselle]

43. I've spent a lot of time in New York City.

This story absolutely rings true with me. I have found New Yorkers to be friendly, helpful, smart and human. Plus they have a sense of humor. Plus they have a sense of the world...like the residents of all truly cosmopolitan cities. And another point...I believe that visitors to New York very often reflect the same qualities I just listed.
It's the Big Apple, after all, and many many people have loved the idea of being there, whether they're just visiting or trying to "make it." . It couldl be a kind of herd hypnosis (maybe a bit like the San Francisco conviction that the City by the Bay is Heaven on Earth) but whatever it is...I like it. And my impression of San Francisco was that it IS, in fact, heaven on earth.

I live in Philadelphia, by the way. A beautiful city with a rich history that suffers from a terrible inferiority complex for which it has only itself to blame.

I wish we all loved all of our cities more.

[awoke_in_2003]

73. "a terrible inferiority complex"...

they shouldn't- it is one of the most important cities in our history.

[Demoiselle]

97. I agree.

Tremendously important history ...and not just revolutionary history and constitutional history. The Underground Railway made lots of stops here...and the city was a tremendous center of heavy industry from the 19th Century through the first half of the 20th. Many of those titans of Industry gave a lot back to the city too...great museums, and the biggest, most spectacular park system within city llimits in the world. PLUS we have great neighborhoods and ...ok, I'll stop lecturing.
It's hard to be stuck in between New York and Washington, I guess. We are getting over it, but it takes a while.

[awoke_in_2003]

105. Very true...

my hometown (Cleveland) gets a bad rap, too.

[jumptheshadow]

90. NYC makes most of its visitors New Yorkers

Ask any out-of-towner, of any demographic, about their experience in New York. You will find that most of them still have a little bit of the city in them. It has changed their lives.

I work in a place that gets students from all over the world. They return to Spain, Italy, Korea, France, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Croatia, Sweden, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Peru, Russia and China thinking of New York as their second home town.

My nephew, a Marine who grew up in a small town in Arizona, visited us and is now part of the "I Love New York" club. I truly believe that his time with us gave him an expanded perspective on different cultures and made him a better Marine.

[bergie321]

45. Those people who helped

Were probably all from "real America"...

:sarcasm:

[malaise]

47. I love New York

It's a great big city that cares.

[Dokkie]

48. oh my

and here I was thinking it only happened in small town USA :)

[grahampuba]

49. Society

When you have to ride the subways, share the sidewalks, pretty much give up a lot of personal space on the regular, you get a little more sensitive to others.
New Yorkers, while less likely to suffer fools, have always been really gracious, aside from the 8 times my car got broken into.
Im going to say that out of towners' necks craned skyward in awe probably did not even factor into that equation.

[timtom]

50. New York City ROCKS!!!

Fine people, those.

[MrScorpio]

51. Some of my best buds in the Service were from NY

They are super cool

[Rabrrrrrr]

53. We New Yorkers keep up a gruff image to keep the unworthy out, but we're really quite helpful

and kind to one another.

Oh, sure, we'll tear to pieces someone who's being an asshole - but we are not assholes to the undeserving.

[tavalon]

54. Even though we hear more about the lousy people,

I have heard that New Yorkers can be just like you described them. Yay, Big Apple people!

[rbnyc]

56. Yup.

That's quite characteristic.

[rosesaylavee]

57. I love New Yorkers and this doesn't surprise me at all...

If any town has gotten a bad rap, it's NYC.

I heart them all.

[jakeXT]

58. You are saved by garbage?

Police said a 26-year-old man, apparently trying to commit suicide, jumped from a 9th floor window Sunday afternoon at 325 W. 45th Street. However, he landed on a pile of uncollected garbage bags, which padded his plummet and eventual fall.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/02/garbage-pile-up-stops-mans-apparent-suicide-attempt/

[Pryderi]

60. Well...in Darby Town the streets are made of glass, and every time you

try to walk you fall right on you inky dinky diddly dink now what do you think of that?

[randr]

61. Glad your mom is ok and a big thanks to all the posters

lauding my favorite city.
Learned on the same streets Dylan alludes to. Been back several times since 9/11. People changed for the better, look you in the eye when you walk by.
Greatest City in the Universe!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. their are some pretty nice peeps in Newburgh too

[mdmc]

86. sho'nough ElsewheresDaughter

peace and low stress my friend..
Happy New Year!

[dflprincess]

64. I love New York City and the minute my plane home is airborne

I start longing to go back.

And I have always had wonderful interactions with New Yorkers. They do get a bad rap.

[undeterred]

65. When I was visiting NYC an older lady fell on the sidewalk

near to where I was walking. There was a crack in the sidewalk. Several people, including myself, stopped to see if she was all right and if there was anything we could do for her.

Somebody asked if she would like for us to call her doctor.

"My doctor? What's he gonna do? I think its time to call my lawyer!" :rofl:

[Iwillnevergiveup]

70. Whatta story

Glad your Mom was OK and could see the show - the show and your Mom must go on!

There is truly something for everyone in NYC, and it is still the most exciting, stimulating place in the world.

[snappyturtle]

71. Some of my fondest memories are in NYC! The people were

great...in a rush...but great! Loved the food, the pace, Central Park, the horns honking, everything! FUN! Now when I watch movies filmed in NYC I have a 'feel' for them....everyone should go to NYC at least once...lots more if you're lucky.

[Safetykitten]

74. New Yorkers are far friendlier than anyone else in the country.

[earcandle]

75. I love NYC!

[denbot]

76. Good on ya' NYC!

That's hard to say for a native Angelino!

[Mojeoux]

77. Thank you so much for the good news!

Very Happy for your Mom.

[Enthusiast]

78. Progressive minded people

are kind hearted and charitable.

[Mimosa]

79. K&R for Human beings acting like human beings!

MDMC, I'm glad your mother is alright.

UPS drivers are often knights to the rescue. Something similar had happened to me way back.

[delightfulstar]

80. I Love New York. :)

I've spent lots of time there, and have always found everyone to be respectful of other people (and their privacy, as was noted earlier), but friendly. I've never encountered one of those stereotypically rude New Yorkers you hear people complain about. In fact, it's always been just the opposite. Your mom's story just solidifies my beliefs that much more.

[Swampguana]

83. Thats great everyone in America should be that way regardless of where you live.

[connecticut yankee]

85. Maybe it's a more recent phenomenon

In 1981, my 71-year-old father passed out on 37th Street, near Broadway, at about 1 pm. He was about one block from his office.

He was a respectable well-dressed gentleman, but he lay there for about twenty minutes, with people stepping around him. Finally, someone recognized him and called 9-1-1.

He had had a heart attack.

So don't tell me how kind-hearted New Yorkers are. I have always found them to be rude and pushy. Even today.

[prodigals0n]

91. I know I'm a season late but here's one in praise of New York City!

A city I truly love in all seasons, but especially in Autumn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVQKeB-Qsx0

[DiverDave]

92. A true story

I took a bunch of dr.s and nurses diving at Molokini one time got them to take a picture of me with my sunglasses on regulator out and a fish happened to swim right by my head.
I sold the film to them (Love that cash money) and sent them to a place I used to get them developed.
Turns out that shot was a good one and the photo place put it in their window with "Maui Christmas" on it.
I asked them if I could get a couple of prints, just to send to my family and friends, no, I offered to PAY for the neg, no.
I offered the money back, they could keep the prints, NO...christ I was seething by now and just let it drop.
They called and left a message the last night they were there, would I want to come over and have dinner and get the neg?
I just deleted that message.
Right, New York folks, the nicest...sheesh

[glinda]

93. I found NY to have better behavior than MN. nice (which is not).

From a Minnesotan who has lived in NYC.

[Populist_Prole]

94. I learned a lesson early in life there

Going to Junior college in Queens, I commuted every day from my leafy laid back small town northern exurbs of NYC. Many older natives there distrusted ( were scared of ) "the city", though I never had the phobia and my friends and I would often take the train down to Manhattan party hearty.

Anyway, my route to/from school would take me mostly through what was generally not known to be the best parts of the Bronx. This was the early 80s. In fact the whole time driving through there I always had this slight sense of uneasiness within NYC limits that lifted once I crossed back into Westchester county. I was driving north through the south Bronx in my somewhat rough ( but reliable ) late 60's musclecar ( I/am was a gearhead ) when I suddenly smelled a strong anti-freeze smell accompanied by steam. Major Deagan expressway ( I 87 ) was not the place for this, and I got off the 1st exit I could, and right into what this relative country bumpkin thought was the setting for the movie 'Fort Apache, the Bronx' and pulled over the nearest place I could. Thankfully, I always carry some tools in the trunk. The area was not exactly prosperous looking. I lifted the hood and saw my lower radiator hose burst. My first thought was to try to just cut it off the end and damaged area and re-clamp, but where the burst was made this impossible. I was aware of some local black and hispanic denizens there hanging out nearby and was really getting nervous, and downright fearful at the prospect of both leaving my car unattended and searching the neighborhood for an auto parts place or gas station. They came up and were were curious what was up. I told them the situation, and that even if I could mend the hose here I lost too much coolant to continue. One of them told me where a part place might be but it was too far for me. One told me of a gas station/repair garage and pointed the way and then came along, telling the others to watch my car. The hispanic worker/owner have a new hose but I asked if they had an old one they discarded. I would cut off the a section, slit it lengthwise, and make a jacket of sorts to cover the burst area and tape it up with electrical tape...enough to get me home. I asked where I might buy some tape, and the guy handed my a used roll and just said take it. I get back to my car and one ( or more ) of the others already had a bucket of water for me. I go to get under the car, resigning myself to laying in a puddle getting my T-shirt and jeans all fouled up more than they were, and they're like, no no no, wait. Guy comes up with a big piece of flattened cardboard box for me to lay on. I get all done and thank them profusely, and they were just kind of shrugging it off as just common courtesy. They're like, yeah sure man, no problem, I know you would do the same". I shook their hands and left, got back on the highway, feeling very relieved...but then suddenly had a huge pang of guilt for me expecting hostility from them but receiving selfless help and good will. I was so ashamed of myself for thinking that form the get-go I was going to get mugged, rolled, waylayed and my car stripped. I thought, what a snobby assuming asshole I was. shaped my thinking forever.

[DiverDave]

95. great story

maybe just the new york tourons are a-holes

[Tom Rinaldo]

96. I'm glad your Mom is OK, and NYers are really good people...

Living in a town where crowds are frequently sharing a sidewalk with you, NYers learn to zen out and keep moving under normal circumstances. It is IMPOSSIBLE to make eye contact and smile or nod at everyone who approaches you there. But at the first indication that some one is lost or needs help, NYers tend to be right there for you - checking to see if you need help with anything even when you don't.

Sadly that doesn't always extend to the homeless, but it's overwhelming to most to even think about trying to intervene in someone's life who has reached that stage. But if a NYer thinks there is something practical they can do to help someone out of a temporary fix, most are quick to respond. Good people.