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people can tell in paris that you are not a local if you smile!

This sounds like the "smile at a tourist" campaign in Paris...

I have relatives from Germany visiting the U.S. for the first time.

They are loving New York. They particularly enjoyed visiting me in Brooklyn (Park Slope) and seeing a 'real' neighborhood.

I did feel the need to teach them our tipping practices because in Europe, the custom is to just 'round up' and can pose a big problem in restaurants.

Today they're visiting the Cloisters and later on we will meet up for a picnic at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Nancy

After traveling outside of the US this summer I now go out of my way to help tourists. I'll help anyone, especially in regards to the subway. I'll try my own pathetic best to find a common language. Before my trip I helped happily but now it's become a down right mission.

One thing that some tourists may take as rude it I will give directions and suggestions, but I don't always stay to chat, even if we're riding to the same place. I do have places I have to be and things on my mind.

I still do get irked when tourists (especially from other parts of the US) yell on the subway and allow kids to twirl around the poles and generally make everyone's commute more difficult. Can NYC also put a campaign out asking the tourists to please be respectful?

if the tips include asking for cross streets in locations, why did julianne moore's address for chelsea market not include the cross street on 9th ave?

where is this list? can i find it online? the one for college kids?

Hey, I found the Webpage where the Mayor announced the “Just ask the locals” service, but it doesn’t link to the service page. What gives?

Our visitors need advice in the spirit of the late Chicago author, Nelson Algren. In "A Walk on the Wild Side", he wrote:
"Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own."

first off, don't take one of those bus tours. Put on your walking shoes, and simply take off and walk. This is the greatest city in the world for walking- and be sure to get over to the Hudson River and check out the vibrant waterfront.

And be sure to walk thru Hell's Kitchen- we've got some of really interesting architecture.

Also, check out 53rd street by the Ed Sullivan theater- David Letterman is usually doing something interesting in the street

I will be friendly and helpful to those who are polite and respectful tourists. And I don't feel any qualms being rude to (or at least ignoring and laughing at the mistakes of) someone from Idaho who is letting her kids swing around the bar on the subway while screaming about how New York is "nice to visit...but I'd hate to live here"

i am a volunteer for both moma & big apple greeter and meet many visitors both in my volunteer work and in my daily life. almost w/o exception visitors feel that new yorkers are amazingly friendly. i always approach people who have a map in hand & look confused. sometimes there's a competition among helpful new yorkers or the people will say, pointing at a guy walking away, "that man just told me how to get on the [brooklyn] bridge." on the subway, there will often be a native forum trying to help the visitor find the best way to their destination. it's a kick.

I hate tourists! I've lived in NYC all my life and the only thing the tourist did for me was to price my wife and myself out of the market to have an evening out on the town!!!

I always offer to help tourists. If asked for suggestions, I mention the often overlooked gems in Brooklyn: the Brooklyn Museum; Prospect Park, Green Wood Cemetery, Coney Island etc. I've lived in other places, am native to Brooklyn, and have never met friendlier people than Nyers.

In addition to providing a guide for New Yorkers, perhaps the city should provide an etiquette guide for tourists and students. I always try to help and find that many tourists are very nice. But I also find that tourists don't understand things such as: walk left/stand right on escalators, standing at the top or bottom of stairwells or in front of turnstiles, and letting people off the train first. These things would help EVERYONE, tourists and residents alike.

I used to have an attitude about tourists. Then came Sept 11.

After Sept 11 there were NO tourists in this town. Remember, people? Remember??!!

After Sept 11 I, a fifth-generation New Yorker, vowed that I would never, ever again have an attitude toward tourists.

- Ramona in East Harlem

i love to help tourists as well brian! I am a transplanted midwesterner, and always ask people if they need help. my boyfriend who is a native new yorker gets so embarassed, but after 10 years here i know that people really appreciate it (i did!)

tourist also need kinder gentler taxi drivers and in general kinder gentler drivers

I ALWAYS help tourists. When I'm away I always get help and let me say contrary to common belief, I found the French to be very helpful and polite. But wherever I've gone in the world I've not encountered anything but helpful people.

I can't help but hear a big "ka-ching!" when I found out about this initiative. Being polite and courteous should be obvious, and I've never found New Yorkers to be any more rude than residents of metropolitan areas everywhere. In fact, I agree with the other commenters that I've known many (bodega owners!) to be quite nice. I'd rather the mayor put more effort into making the city comfortable for its full-time residents--for example, making bike lanes safe for commuters and having MTA communicate delays and breakdowns more effectively.

Advice for tourists: TIP YOUR BARTENDER!

I have lived in and around NYC all of my 37 years and the one thing I have noticed is that New Yorkers love to complain about tourists slowing down the pace traffic and love to help tourists with directions and information. This includes me.

when i first moved to ny, i found people to be extremely helpful. i was driving around with a map and someone pulled up next to me and asked me where i wanted to go.

the issue is more about how ny-ers treat other ny-ers. that's really a rude awakening. . . we have the tendancy to treat each other quite poorly. it's every one for themselves if you are a resident.

I have been a regular visitor to NYC for the past 3 years. I was pleasantly surprised to discover, shortly after I started walking around Manhattan with my map in hand, how many folks would step out of the crowd and ask if I needed directions. You never will see that in Boston. Yes, Manhattanites are really quite friendly.

Who is Tiki Barber?

Yes, NYers are already friendly and helpful. I've lived here all my 61 years and object and always have objected to the "NYers are rude" nonsense. NYers are always in a rush and sometimes they bump up against you and knock you accidently and just keep going but more often yell back, "Sorry!" So whatever this guy is up to, I don't know. Maybe he's rude.

Let call this for what it is, a ploy to bring more tourists to NYC generating more revenue. New Yorkers are already very friendly and helpful. As a New Yorker who lives in Little Italy I see & partake in this everyday.