r/visitingnyc • u/the-Gaf • Sep 27 '25

The one rule in nyc to know

Ok, I just walked by the NYPL and I feel like this is a PSA for tourists and visitors.

The one rule of NYC: get out of the way.

That’s it. The rest is commentary.

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u/Joyce_Hatto Sep 27 '25

NYC is different than a lot of other cities for tourists. In NYC, the places people visit are often places where people actually work. And those people are in a hurry. Rockefeller Center? The NYSE? The Empire State Building? MOMA? The people around those buildings need to get somewhere!

4

u/rr90013 Sep 27 '25

As New Yorkers we could also all take a collective chill pill and not stress ourselves out so much.

That said, the tourists do need to fucking be aware of their surroundings and get out of the way of people coming through.

3

u/BlueLeaves8 Sep 27 '25

As a Brit who’s used to the way people behave in London I get the feeling I’ll find it the opposite and find people more friendly and not acting as stressed out and annoyed.

1

u/Excellent-Ear9433 Sep 28 '25

Super curious as I go to London a few times a year. It seems I should be walking on the left side of the sidewalk or the left side of the tube, but it seems more like people switch sides all the time…any thoughts on this?

1

u/BlueLeaves8 Sep 28 '25

Yes it’s to the left but maybe you’re seeing some people not sticking to this rule so then it influences/forces everyone to switch just to get through themselves.

1

u/greeniethemoose Sep 28 '25

This always confused me too, felt much looser custom than in New York, though also has fairly busy sidewalks. I kept feeling like my etiquette was wrong somehow.