I remember NYC very well, I went there as a naive ‘street-dumb’ kid of 18 in 1973. Before I left to go to my first permanent duty station in Seattle I had learned the following things.
1. If you go out into the ‘city’ you go in groups of at least three. Safety in number y’all...
2. Your wallet goes in your FRONT pocket. It’s much harder to pick-pocket it there.
3. You learn to look straight-ahead and ignore EVERYONE else. Do not smile do not frown, become as faceless as the millions of others walking the streets or using the subways.
4. With Hollywood pushing the ‘racist’ movies along the themes of The Warriors and Assault on Precinct 13, the radio stations and the General lawlessness condoned by the Mayor and the city council, I felt that we were only hours from a full blown race war.
I know many people love NYC and the 24 hour lifestyle that goes with it. But I personally was so damn grateful to get out of that place alive.
That's a New York face, and it's what every New Yorker learns to do from an early age. It remains with me even though I left there as a young adult. It drives my family nuts that I still tend to not look people straight in the eyes.
COBOL2Java, born and raised in Brooklyn