Posted on 12/14/2001 4:38:00 PM PST by wyopa
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Friday he was quite surprised his city -- whose citizens have been called brave and tough but rarely genteel --would be named as America's most polite place.
"One has to wonder. I won't say, 'What were they smoking?' I will say, 'What were they drinking?" Giuliani said at a news conference in response to an annual survey conducted by an etiquette expert deeming New York and Charleston, South Carolina, as the most U.S. polite cities.
"One has to really wonder, just what are the other cities like?" he added.
Etiquette author Marjabelle Young Stewart, who sorted through tens of thousands of nominations to compile her list, handed the honor Thursday to the Big Apple and Charleston.
New York may have the image of being a rough and gruff place populated by rude people, but Stewart said the city actually is one of the most polished for manners in the United States.
New York's resolve and heartfelt gratitude to the support it received after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center increased the nominations for the city, Stewart added.
"The graciousness the city showed served as a wake-up call to the world that it could go through so much and still show an outpouring of love," Stewart told Reuters.
The etiquette expert did say there were a few bad apples and grumpy people who tarnished the city's image but that "New Yorkers have always been polite and helpful."
Stewart has compiled the list for more than 25 years. Her seal of approval for manners is a hot commodity for any city's chamber of commerce, which may tout the rankings in promotional material.
Trailing New York and Charleston were: Milwaukee; the Quad Cites of Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; Chicago; and Portland, Oregon.
Stewart, who has published about 20 etiquette books, advised cities that training taxi drivers, restaurant workers and shop clerks to be better-mannered is a good way to boost the image of a city as being courteous.
The 'Big Easy' is polite, but it is a cesspool of moral and political corruption, and is filthy to boot. At least, since the recent reform, the local cops are less likely to be hired killers than in the recent past.
I guess I'd have to agree...you know I've even had a few panhandlers offer to escort me to my car on a few occasions. LOL
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