True or False in NYC: People

This post is the beginning in a semi-regular series I'm calling "True or False in NYC." There are lots of things that people think about NYC, from stories they've heard, to what they've seen in movies or on TV. When I get a moment or think of one of these things, I'll address them here. If you have something that you want to know if is true or false, pass it along, and I'll give you my take.

Today's common assumption: The people in NYC are not very nice. They're not friendly, they only care about themselves, and if something bad happened to you, they would turn the other way and ignore you. They are very self centered and just don't care about anything else.

This one is FALSE.

The people in New York City are some of the kindest people in the world. I am consistently surprised and impressed by them, and I'm actually from somewhere where they people are considered to be quite kind.

Not a day goes by that I don't see at least one person jump up from their seat on the subway to offer it to a family, an elderly person, a woman, someone who looks tired, or basically anyone. It's amazing.

Once, on the subway, my beautiful, fancy water bottle fell out of my backpack and I didn't notice. Losing it would've ruined not just that day, but SEVERAL days. It was a special gift from a dear soul who sacrificed so that I could have the exact water bottle I wanted, and I just love it. Anyway, I had no idea that it had fallen out, but someone else on the subway saw it happen. They came over to me to tell me that my bottle had fallen out of my backpack. I thanked them and picked it up, relieved that it wasn't lost forever. Then, someone else let me know that a pocket on my backpack was unzipped. So kind!

There are often homeless people on the subway who are begging for money. I never carry cash (still not a good New Yorker, sadly), but I never see those people come onto a subway car without seeing several people give them money. And it's not just change. Several dollars, sometimes. It's always incredibly impressive.

The people here aren't necessarily friendly in an outgoing sort of way, but that's largely just because there are so many people here. You can't possibly say hello to everyone you pass on the street--you'd be exhausted! But when you do engage with people, they are largely so kind and warm. People are always looking out for each other. There is no question in my mind that if something bad were to happen to me on my walk to or from school, more than one person would rush to help me.

That's just how New Yorkers are.