News came out this past week that the company I work for will be moving all of its New York offices to Times Square, where we already have a flashy facility. It will be a big to-do with renovation and creating an office of the future and I’m sure the office will live up to… Read more »
Last week I found myself having to go to Times Square and I actually looked forward to doing so. It was for work—I work in public relations and there was a conference I needed to attend. I hustled through half the workday to get enough done since I’d be away from the office. Times Square… Read more »
New York is a very walkable city. We have horrible traffic that makes driving regularly in the more densely populated parts of the city nearly impossible and a grossly imperfect but extensive mass transit system that makes owning a car in the city unnecessary. Walking the streets of Gotham is mostly a joy. But there… Read more »
Topless women in Times Square have their bodies painted to retain a bit of modesty and offer to let tourists take their photos with them for money. That can cause a lot of problems as the opportunity to see a topless woman for free is quite alluring (strip clubs are quite costly and a Dad… Read more »
Summer is a time to burn with hate. The heat brings out the worst in us. The discomfort makes us loose our tempers, see the worst in everything. The constant sweat and stench of the summer boils our rage quickly. In New York City, hate levels are at a natural high given the crowded nature… Read more »
Out of town visitors often remark on how lean and fit everyone in New York appears. Look waist down at most local residents and you will find a pair of legs that have been conditioned by sidewalk pounding, taxi chasing, Citibike borrowing and the lugging of groceries up and laundry bags down flights of apartment… Read more »
Tourists: No other form of life on the New York sidewalks and subways is more simultaneously loved and despised. We love that they are here spending their money and enjoying the wonderment of our city while we hate how they slow us down with their clueless wanderings and slow gait unfamiliar with the pace of… Read more »
For every tourist who pukes on my bus (Almost Carrie, 1.27.12), there is another who is a true delight. After seven years of tours and 55 people per bus, the faces blur, but I do maintain a small collection of favorites. And despite the obvious frivolity of my job, there are still moments when I… Read more »
There is a cartoon quality to the relationship between New Yorkers and tourists, a Road Runner and Wylie Coyote tug-of-war that causes steam to pour from locals’ ears and visitors to run screeching over cliffs. It is an exaggerated, farcical, co-dependent relationship, and one that was flamed this week by Travel & Leisure magazine’s annual “America’s Favorite… Read more »
When you’re a tour guide and you work in a city like New York, you meet people from all over the world. Each day, as I speak with individuals from far-flung nations about the unique aspects of their lives—their travels, their careers, their families, their homelands—I can’t help but notice: All those clichéd and slightly… Read more »
