Things Locals Wish NYC Tourists Understood

1. The Empire State Building is on 5th Ave between 33rd and 34th street - In short, don't stop loads of people asking for where this is. It can be seen from the Avenues of America (6th Ave) and you can find it if you walk on 5th Avenue around the 30's. It's really hard to miss and asking people where it is during the morning commute, lunch rush or evening commute is probably the worst thing to ever do. I know I purposely will ignore people because I have my headphones in and am focused on my own agenda. 

2. Stealing Taxis Makes People Hate You - You can't hail a taxi properly? I really do feel for you but don't take someone else's taxi just because you can't do it. You're in for a world of getting cursed at and so forth. Seriously, I needed that taxi to go uptown for an important meeting and now you're making me late, fucker. When in doubt, stand near a busy intersection and look for taxis that have their lights on the top of the vehicle and put your hand out, a taxi will come. 

3. The 9/11 Memorial is NOT in Midtown, it's in the World Trade Center - The 9/11 Memorial is definitely a place you should see but know it isn't anywhere near Times Square, it's a train ride down to the Financial District area which is on the west side of Lower Manhattan. If you're taking a taxi, you can tell them Fulton Street at Greenwich Street and you'll be just fine. If you're taking the train, you can take the E train to Chambers Street, the R Train to Cortland Street, or the 1 down to Chambers Street. Note that if you're coming from midtown or Times Square, you're taking the downtown bound trains, not the uptown. 

4. Do NOT stop in the middle of a crowded street and look up! - I can't stress this enough. If you're in the middle of a crowded street that's clearly moving and you just stop, expect to be bumped into and have a few people say some not so nice words at you. Most people are walking fast and moving to their destinations, not looking around the city in awe. If someone looks awesome, move over to the side and stop to take it in. 

5. Some of the best food is found in Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chelsea and the East Village - Seriously, move south of midtown and you'll be introduced to loads of reasonably priced food that tastes amazing and you'll be around more locals than tourists which gives you the actual city feel. I promise you'll thank me later for this. 

6. The Freedom Tower is located on Fulton Street near the 9/11 Memorial - I can't tell you how many people have asked me where this is when I'm moving around midtown. I have to politely say they need to go downtown to the World Trade Center to see it. It's really hard to miss once you're in the area since it's so huge but once again, it's accessible from Midtown taking the R, E and 1 trains downtown! 

7. The Subway isn't Hard - The basics involve knowing if you're going uptown or downtown from where you are. From there, make sure you've invested in a reloadable MetroCard and put at least $20 on it so you aren't worried about how much you have left on it while you're moving around the city. Know that the trains don't all go to the same places in the city which is why there are different lines. If you're planning to go to Central Park or Columbus Circle, you can easily jump on the nearest E headed uptown. If you're headed down into SoHo you're probably going to stick to the R or the 1 headed downtown depending upon where you're going. The easiest thing to do is to type in where you are and where you're going into going into Google and hit the second icon that looks like a train and it will tell you public transportation options. I'd do this in your hotel room before you go anywhere. 

8. There's a Starbucks Every Couple of Blocks - Don't even bother wasting your time asking someone where the nearest Starbucks is because I can guarantee you if you just keep your eyes peeled and walk a couple of blocks you'll run into one. I think every other block there is one, I swear I pass a dozen when I'm running errands and running to interviews.