Nightdreamer’s Guide to New York City: Miscellaneous

AT LAST, this guide is coming to a close. This section is where I put general advices that I did not give anywhere else. Some of these may make you say “wow, Nightdreamer must think I’m really stupid!” but honestly, I don’t. It’s just that sometimes we need to be constantly reminded of what we should or shouldn’t be doing, and the last thing I want is to see or hear you going through trying times on what should’ve been a marvelous vacation (or whatever purposes you’ve come to NYC for). So if you want to make your vacation great, keep the following in mind:

• Unless necessary, stay away from the crowded areas. This should be obvious, but a lot of people still go to Times Square anyway and then they’d gripe about being harassed by obnoxious tourists.
• New Yorkers are predominantly liberal.
• Sometimes when you’re on a subway train, people will approach you and beg for money or food. They come in two types; the first would say that they’re homeless/jobless and would be grateful if anyone could give them money or something to eat, the second would sing/play a musical instrument either for themselves or for their causes (it’s hard to tell if they’re legit). I don’t think that all these people are tricking you into giving them something by playing on your sympathies; some does look genuinely in need of help. So it’s up to you if you want to give them anything, but for goodness sake, if it’s the second type of mendicant people, don’t give them anything unless they’re making good music. I once encountered a guy who tried to beg by playing Merry Has A Little Lamb on harmonica. Nobody gave him any money, and everybody got annoyed with him. Who wouldn’t? I could play Merry Has A Little Lamb with my telephone!
• Oftentimes you’ll see New Yorkers take their dogs out for a walk. While it’s true that some of them have dogs just to impress women, it’s not a good idea to touch their dogs without their permission. If I’m not mistaken, I think it’s against the law. Same goes for babies.
• Don’t be afraid to venture outside of Manhattan. The Bronx has a zoo and a botanical garden. Brooklyn’s foods may be better than Manhattan. Queens… well, okay, you can skip Queens.
• On a similar note, step out of your comfort zone. One of the biggest reasons for traveling is so that you can have experiences that you can’t have at home, or experiences that are off the beaten path of the average tourists for an adventure entirely unique to you. Too many people come to Manhattan to take the tourist bus, and then go to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and Times Square. Don’t you find that really boring and unrewarding? Also, eat in places that do not have a branch in your own country. That means no McDonald’s, no Starbucks (seriously there millions of better coffee in Little Italy), no Burger King, no Wendy’s, etc. For a more thrilling adventure, watch the less commercial and sometimes avant-garde off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway plays.
• Food vendors are everywhere, and while the quality of food varies, I don’t recommend buying their beverages (except for homemade lemonade) since you can get them cheaper in grocery stores or in drugstores like Duane Reade. However, when you’re inside a Broadway theater and the show is on intermission and you’re thirsty, get out of the theater (but do keep your ticket so you can get in again) and buy from any nearby vendor. The beverages in theaters are even more overpriced.
• It really pains me that I have to mention this, but for your own sake, please cross the road only when the pedestrian signal light is green. This is truer for those of you Pinoys who have a heinous habit of crossing the road at whim. You don’t want to have to use your travel insurance, do you?
• Bike rental isn’t a very bad idea if you’re brave enough.
• Don’t even consider renting a car unless you plan to get out of New York. It’s an extremely bad idea because parking in New York City is a major pain in the ass, and costs a lot too.
• When you’re done eating in a fastfood or a cafeteria, clean up your own mess.
• New York City is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, so it’s not surprising if you find a group of people that you don’t see where you come from. If you can’t stop having discriminating thoughts against them, please keep those to yourself. Having an open-mind will do you more good than harm.
• So this may sound like I’m stretching the limits of how much I’m allowed to treat potential readers as naïve without coming off as patronizing, but this bears mentioning: do not ever call African-Americans the “n-word”. I’m saying this because I’ve encountered many Asians who have heard the word but do not know that it’s a racially offensive term. One of my Pinay friends once said it, and when I told her not to ever say it she told me that her teacher said it was okay. Ignorant college sophomores I can forgive, but what kind of irresponsible teachers instruct their students that it’s okay to say the n-word?!
• When you go to a store’s counter, the clerk will give you a “how are you” greeting. It may be awkward to us Asians because we don’t get clerks who’d ask us about our current being. Just give a brief and friendly response, like saying “I’m good. How are you?” One thing you should not do is to dump your own drama to them; don’t tell them that your dog just died and you’re really sad because you don’t have a financial support and your kid is dragging you to watch G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra despite trying times etcetera etcetera. They may be friendly, but they also have to serve the people standing next in line. If you’re finding a kindred spirit, strike a conversation with someone in the subway or in a bar.