(no subject)
So, I decide to update LJ for the first time in like 87 years, and what important news do I have to share? Er, well, nothing. I saw this NY thing in Liralen's and Prettyannamoon's LJs and here I am. Come on, you know I can't resist anything about NY. So here it is. See y'all again in 87 years!
I'm going to be weird and just italicize my comments, because I can. :)
You Know You're From New York City When...
You say "the city" and expect everyone to know that this means Manhattan. Of course. The funny thing is that even the people who live in the outer boroughs do this, even though they live in the city, too.
You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Mostly true. I went to the Statue of Liberty once in grammar school as part of a field trip. And I've gone to the ESB when my sister worked there and to the observatory twice with out-of-town guests (but it took 30 years for that to happen).
You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park at 3:30 on the Friday before a long weekend, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map. I do get into arguments about the best way to get here or there in the city, and I am sort of clueless about other states, but I do know where Wisconsin is (I think). I have a friend from Wisconsin.
Hookers and the homeless are invisible. We see them - we just don't stop and stare. But we do the same thing with celebrities.
The subway makes sense. 'Course it does. It's the best system out there.
You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual. I don't really swear, but I am abnormal that way. However, judging by all the people I grew up with, this is very true. Though many of them really can speak more than one language.
You've considered stabbing someone just for saying "The Big Apple". Never really thought about it. It bothers me more when people refer to the WTC as "Ground Zero".
The most frequently used part of your car is the horn. Maybe not my car, but cabs....yeah!
You call an 8' x 10' plot of patchy grass a yard. It is a yard, no matter what my boyfriend says!
You consider Westchester "upstate". That's because it is upstate.
You think Central Park is "nature." It is nature. It's green, isn't it?
You see nothing odd about the speed of an auctioneer's speaking. I've heard quicker. ^_~
You're paying $1,200 for a studio the size of a walk-in closet and you think it’s a "steal." Actually, I'm paying more, and it is a steal. :P
You've been to New Jersey twice and got hopelessly lost both times. Been there more than that, but I tend to avoid it. The one time I went to Newark Airport, we ended up driving through all five boroughs to get home. Who knew?
You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the U.S. pay in rent. I don't, but many of my friends do.
You haven't seen more than twelve stars in the night sky since you went away to camp as a kid. I saw stars during the blackout! It was so cool! I was walking around staring up...kept on bumping into things (granted, it was really dark on the streets,too - I needed a flashlight)
You go to dinner at 9 and head out to the clubs when most Americans are heading to bed. Yep, although I'm getting too old for clubbing now.
Your closet is filled with black clothes. True. I didn't realize how bad I was until I got this really bright top that sort of stands out. Everyone notices when I wear it; it's like they're shocked to see me in color!
You haven't heard the sound of true absolute silence since the 80s,and when you did, it terrified you. I don't know what was so silent about the 80s, but when I go to the country (aka, anyplace but NY), I do get freaked out. Suburbs especially are scary. Really.
You pay $5 without blinking for a beer that cost the bar 28 cents. Actually, I've paid more. Sigh.
You take fashion seriously. I do hear about sample sales and such. And I like to buy new clothes. I don't read Vogue or anything, though.
Being truly alone makes you nervous. Dude, of course! Ever notice how alien abductions only happen in the middle of nowhere? Let them take me with 8 million witnesses...I dare them! (uh, I didn't mean that. please don't take me)
You have 27 different menus next to your telephone. They aren't necessarily by my phone, but yes.
Going to Brooklyn is considered a "road trip." Yep. Remember our trip out there for CoS?
America west of the Hudson is still theoretical to you. For the most part. I just went to CA for the first time a couple of weeks ago!
You've gotten jaywalking down to an art form. I think NYers are born knowing how.
You take a taxi to get to your health club to exercise. Nope. I walk.
Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes. On the subway, yes. In a bar, yes. In my office, no.
$50 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag. I just did that the other day! I don't even know what I bought. Cereal and stuff.
You have a minimum of five "worst cab ride ever" stories. Nah, cab rides from hell aren't stories. They're too common. They only count as stories within a couple of days of the event.
You don't notice sirens anymore. I never used to, but now I am paranoid. I'd like to see you not notice when you've got machine guns and bomb-sniffing dogs guarding your building. :(
You live in a building with a larger population than most American towns. My building's not that big, but a lot of them are.
Your doorman is Russian, your grocer is Korean your deli man is Israeli, your building super is Italian, your laundry guy is Chinese, your favorite bartender is Irish, your favorite diner owner is Greek, the watchseller on your corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was Pakistani, your newsstand guy is Indian and your favorite falafel guy is Egyptian. Everyone is from somewhere else. That's why it's NY.(For more on that, read The Island at the Center of the World. It is brilliant.
You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you. As well I should be.
You secretly envy cabbies for their driving skills. Nah, I can drive just as well.
You think $7.00 to cross a bridge is a fair price. Sounds reasonable to me. Then again, I rarely leave Manhattan.
Your door has more than three locks. I just had to replace my locks because my key got stuck in it! Do you know how expensive locks are??
Your favorite movie has DeNiro in it. Nope. But I do love NY movies. Did you know that Spiderman is a NY movie?
You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression. It is. Only people who are weird or want to hurt you make eye contact with people they don't know. Or tourists.
You run when you see a flashing "Do Not Walk" sign at the intersection. Flashing means "Quick! You don't have much time!"
You're 35 years old and don't have a driver's license. Well, I'm not that old yet, but everyone I know from NY has one. We just don't necessarily use it. And NY driving tests are harder than some other states from what I've heard. They're actually in the streets and you have to parallel park in a real spot, not between orange cones.
You ride in a subway car with no air conditioning just because there are seats available. Only if I'm going to be on for more than a few stops.
You're willing to take in strange people as roommates simply to help pay the rent. Nope, I've never had a roommate (except for when Meg stayed with me for a month). You see more roommates with non-NY natives. Lots of NYC kids will stay with their parents until they can afford something decent.
There is no North and South. It's uptown or downtown. True, yet there is East and West.
When you're away from home, you miss "real" pizza and "real" bagels. Bagels, for sure, and the bread part of pizza. I can't eat cheese anymore. And no one else makes it right.
You know the differences between all the different Ray's Pizzas. I used to. But I don't eat pizza anymore.
You're not in the least bit interested in going to Times Square on New Year's Eve. Actually I am, just because I've never done it before. But no one I know in NY wants to do it with me. :( (Come on, what's more fun that making fun of the tourists? And I can walk home!)
Your internal clock is permanently set to know when Alternate Side of the Street parking regulations are in effect. I don't keep a car in the city. But I know people who have the schedules memorized.
You know what a bodega is. Duh...it's where we went to get beer late at night when we were still in high school. :)
You know how to fold the New York Times in half, vertically, so that you can read it on the subway or bus without knocking off other passenger's hats. Yeah, I can. But I prefer to read books on the subway, although I usually can only read a couple of pages before it's time to get off.
Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet..... Yep.
You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in Texas. That's a sure way to recognize a non-native.
Film crews on your block annoy you, not excite you. Yes.
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from NYC. I probably won't pass them on. But then again....
Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here
More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings
I'm going to be weird and just italicize my comments, because I can. :)
You Know You're From New York City When...
You say "the city" and expect everyone to know that this means Manhattan. Of course. The funny thing is that even the people who live in the outer boroughs do this, even though they live in the city, too.
You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Mostly true. I went to the Statue of Liberty once in grammar school as part of a field trip. And I've gone to the ESB when my sister worked there and to the observatory twice with out-of-town guests (but it took 30 years for that to happen).
You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park at 3:30 on the Friday before a long weekend, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map. I do get into arguments about the best way to get here or there in the city, and I am sort of clueless about other states, but I do know where Wisconsin is (I think). I have a friend from Wisconsin.
Hookers and the homeless are invisible. We see them - we just don't stop and stare. But we do the same thing with celebrities.
The subway makes sense. 'Course it does. It's the best system out there.
You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual. I don't really swear, but I am abnormal that way. However, judging by all the people I grew up with, this is very true. Though many of them really can speak more than one language.
You've considered stabbing someone just for saying "The Big Apple". Never really thought about it. It bothers me more when people refer to the WTC as "Ground Zero".
The most frequently used part of your car is the horn. Maybe not my car, but cabs....yeah!
You call an 8' x 10' plot of patchy grass a yard. It is a yard, no matter what my boyfriend says!
You consider Westchester "upstate". That's because it is upstate.
You think Central Park is "nature." It is nature. It's green, isn't it?
You see nothing odd about the speed of an auctioneer's speaking. I've heard quicker. ^_~
You're paying $1,200 for a studio the size of a walk-in closet and you think it’s a "steal." Actually, I'm paying more, and it is a steal. :P
You've been to New Jersey twice and got hopelessly lost both times. Been there more than that, but I tend to avoid it. The one time I went to Newark Airport, we ended up driving through all five boroughs to get home. Who knew?
You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the U.S. pay in rent. I don't, but many of my friends do.
You haven't seen more than twelve stars in the night sky since you went away to camp as a kid. I saw stars during the blackout! It was so cool! I was walking around staring up...kept on bumping into things (granted, it was really dark on the streets,too - I needed a flashlight)
You go to dinner at 9 and head out to the clubs when most Americans are heading to bed. Yep, although I'm getting too old for clubbing now.
Your closet is filled with black clothes. True. I didn't realize how bad I was until I got this really bright top that sort of stands out. Everyone notices when I wear it; it's like they're shocked to see me in color!
You haven't heard the sound of true absolute silence since the 80s,and when you did, it terrified you. I don't know what was so silent about the 80s, but when I go to the country (aka, anyplace but NY), I do get freaked out. Suburbs especially are scary. Really.
You pay $5 without blinking for a beer that cost the bar 28 cents. Actually, I've paid more. Sigh.
You take fashion seriously. I do hear about sample sales and such. And I like to buy new clothes. I don't read Vogue or anything, though.
Being truly alone makes you nervous. Dude, of course! Ever notice how alien abductions only happen in the middle of nowhere? Let them take me with 8 million witnesses...I dare them! (uh, I didn't mean that. please don't take me)
You have 27 different menus next to your telephone. They aren't necessarily by my phone, but yes.
Going to Brooklyn is considered a "road trip." Yep. Remember our trip out there for CoS?
America west of the Hudson is still theoretical to you. For the most part. I just went to CA for the first time a couple of weeks ago!
You've gotten jaywalking down to an art form. I think NYers are born knowing how.
You take a taxi to get to your health club to exercise. Nope. I walk.
Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes. On the subway, yes. In a bar, yes. In my office, no.
$50 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag. I just did that the other day! I don't even know what I bought. Cereal and stuff.
You have a minimum of five "worst cab ride ever" stories. Nah, cab rides from hell aren't stories. They're too common. They only count as stories within a couple of days of the event.
You don't notice sirens anymore. I never used to, but now I am paranoid. I'd like to see you not notice when you've got machine guns and bomb-sniffing dogs guarding your building. :(
You live in a building with a larger population than most American towns. My building's not that big, but a lot of them are.
Your doorman is Russian, your grocer is Korean your deli man is Israeli, your building super is Italian, your laundry guy is Chinese, your favorite bartender is Irish, your favorite diner owner is Greek, the watchseller on your corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was Pakistani, your newsstand guy is Indian and your favorite falafel guy is Egyptian. Everyone is from somewhere else. That's why it's NY.(For more on that, read The Island at the Center of the World. It is brilliant.
You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you. As well I should be.
You secretly envy cabbies for their driving skills. Nah, I can drive just as well.
You think $7.00 to cross a bridge is a fair price. Sounds reasonable to me. Then again, I rarely leave Manhattan.
Your door has more than three locks. I just had to replace my locks because my key got stuck in it! Do you know how expensive locks are??
Your favorite movie has DeNiro in it. Nope. But I do love NY movies. Did you know that Spiderman is a NY movie?
You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression. It is. Only people who are weird or want to hurt you make eye contact with people they don't know. Or tourists.
You run when you see a flashing "Do Not Walk" sign at the intersection. Flashing means "Quick! You don't have much time!"
You're 35 years old and don't have a driver's license. Well, I'm not that old yet, but everyone I know from NY has one. We just don't necessarily use it. And NY driving tests are harder than some other states from what I've heard. They're actually in the streets and you have to parallel park in a real spot, not between orange cones.
You ride in a subway car with no air conditioning just because there are seats available. Only if I'm going to be on for more than a few stops.
You're willing to take in strange people as roommates simply to help pay the rent. Nope, I've never had a roommate (except for when Meg stayed with me for a month). You see more roommates with non-NY natives. Lots of NYC kids will stay with their parents until they can afford something decent.
There is no North and South. It's uptown or downtown. True, yet there is East and West.
When you're away from home, you miss "real" pizza and "real" bagels. Bagels, for sure, and the bread part of pizza. I can't eat cheese anymore. And no one else makes it right.
You know the differences between all the different Ray's Pizzas. I used to. But I don't eat pizza anymore.
You're not in the least bit interested in going to Times Square on New Year's Eve. Actually I am, just because I've never done it before. But no one I know in NY wants to do it with me. :( (Come on, what's more fun that making fun of the tourists? And I can walk home!)
Your internal clock is permanently set to know when Alternate Side of the Street parking regulations are in effect. I don't keep a car in the city. But I know people who have the schedules memorized.
You know what a bodega is. Duh...it's where we went to get beer late at night when we were still in high school. :)
You know how to fold the New York Times in half, vertically, so that you can read it on the subway or bus without knocking off other passenger's hats. Yeah, I can. But I prefer to read books on the subway, although I usually can only read a couple of pages before it's time to get off.
Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet..... Yep.
You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in Texas. That's a sure way to recognize a non-native.
Film crews on your block annoy you, not excite you. Yes.
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from NYC. I probably won't pass them on. But then again....
Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here
More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings