15 Unspoken Rules REAL New Yorkers Never Break

What are the Most Common NYC Tourist Mistakes you need to Avoid in 2024?

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"More About Here Be Barr"
I'm Jon Barr, an ex-sportscaster turned travel vlogger. If you're looking for waste no-time ,incredibly informative videos loaded with useful travel tips, you've come to the right place! My vlogs are made for the savvy traveler. Subscribe to learn all of my travel tips, tricks, and secrets that have helped me visit 33 countries. Based out of NYC but always on the go.

[tiffanyi]

Tipping is frustrating even to us locals! lol the other day I accidentally under tipped because the server used one of those portable machines that automatically calculates tip but the MINIMUM was 20%! And then she’s standing there not giving me the privacy of calculating what I think is a fair tip, and I couldn’t figure out how to “customize” my tip on that stupid machine. So she got zero tip on the machine and just a $10 cash tip left at the table! 🤷🏽‍♀️ and I don’t feel bad at all, restaurants should use less aggressive tactics to try and squeeze exorbitant tips out of us. It’s time to stop this ridiculous tip culture; we pay enough money for our meals to allow owners to start properly paying servers themselves!

[jfbl]

I am chuckling because all of this is just normal every day etiquette, anywhere in the world. But, this video is needed because people no longer think about others. Thank you,

[cindee]

Not just in NYC. It's amazing how many people will stop in the middle of a sidewalk or an aisle to look at their phone or whatever, when other people are trying to walk through that space. Also elevators and airport trams with people getting on who are blocking the path of the people getting off. Common sense and common courtesy do not exist in our society anymore.

[jcnlaw]

Native New Yorker here. NY is a great pedestrian city with so much to offer! Always have “situational awareness”. Don’t flash expensive jewelry or a ton of cash. Just try to fit in. Walk with purpose. Use common sense. I agree with many of the tips in this video. Have fun and enjoy!

[thomasdemoor]

Barr: "I've almost been hit 2-3 times by a bike."

Amsterdam residents/tourists: "Those are rookie numbers."

[muscleman]

A note on tipping: Don't tip workers from take out spots. If you go to a take out spot and order a slice of pizza or a bagel to go, don't feel obligated to tip them. Those types of staff make full wages, and the tipping is purely predatory with those stupid ipad screens. Tip where you normally would, sit down-full service restatraunts, delivery drivers, taxi/ubers, etc.... Those are all service jobs where the workers actually deserve it for the service they provide you. Handing you a chicken sandwich over a counter isn't tip-worthy. The only way to stop the tipping exploitation of America is to stop tipping where it's inappropriate. Don't worry about offending anyone in this city by choosing no tip. You will never see that person again and you will feel good knowing you didn't bend over to peer pressure.

[zonacrocone]

Living in NYC for 26 years I can agree with all of this. The most important message to tourists is what used to be a commercial in the 1990s: "In New York City 'wait' is a four-letter-word." In America, a four letter word usually means it is something bad. And that is the #1 rule in our fast paced city: never make a New Yorker wait by standing in the way, walking too slowly etc. Also in the 1990s someone once suggested that we should have separate lanes on a sidewalk for tourists and locals. The suggestion got a lot of support here :)

[myk]

I used to live in NYC and you are correct. People walking at a snails pace really bothered me as well as lack of subway etiquette. Tourists also think they can get away with bad behavior. I caught some throwing an empty bottle in the street, smashing it. I would love to fine these people.

[brently]

Your advice is bang on across the board.
Regarding the walking, absolutely do that as much as you can. Wandering NY streets is half the fun. So much to see and places to pop in to on your way if you have the time. Just don’t stare up all the time or block the sidewalk…

[adrianwebster]

The subways cover manhattan so well that when it is delayed, you can often walk to an alternate line or stop and still save time. As far as blocking subway doors, if you do that, dont be surprised when people knock you over trying to get off the train. Many wont hesitate th simply shove you out of the way so it is also a safety thing not just etiquette.

[fidequem]

Living near São Paulo in Brazil, a lot of those unspoken rules are a no brainer for people who lives on metro areas, but maybe not for someone from smaller cities that life goes more slowly... but common sense and been aware of your surround is something that anyone can do

[rodprops]

As a man who's almost 50, who's born, raised, and currently resides in NYC, all of these are spot on!

Here's one unwritten rule you didn't mention:
Never have your smartphone nor wallet, in your back pocket. Easy target for pickpockets!

[djenning]

I live in San Francisco and all these tips resonate with me as being relevant here, too. I think it would be wise to apply most of this advice universally when visiting any city.

[lizhoward]

I will never, ever understand why anyone would go to a chain for food in Manhattan. If I had my way, chain restaurants would be banned in Manhattan 😊. NYC has incredible food because the competition among restaurants are ridiculously stiff so you might as well take advantage of it and enjoy the great food

[ashofaphoenix]

I live here and I got hit by one of those electric bird style scooters in bike lane. I got lucky and the injury wasn't serious, but it took 3 months to heal. Had I been a smaller person it could have been really bad. One thing that I want to emphasize is that in Manhattan specifically bikes are the number one way food/gorcery delivery happens. If your ordering Uber Eats, its probably a cyclist that will deliver it. This creates a bike culture where bikers will do whatever they can to reach their destination as fast as possible including ignoring traffic signs, entering pedestrian sidewalks when it is convenient. Its not enough to be aware of bike lane, but you should always check if anyone is coming on bike line even if there is a walk sign. This is especially true if the road is not particularly busy.

[acampbell]

The weather being volatile is no joke. I was there juet a few days ago. During the weekend the weather was at almost the 60°s, to Tuesday’s snowstorm and the near freezing cold days aftermath 😂

[s.macintosh-jcrf]

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the great video, mainly about manners and common sense. I think that we all can use a refresher that will make our lives easier.
Really appreciate your channel.
Best Wishes,
Peter

[RebuttalRecords]

I'm sick and tired of mandatory tipping. If a mandatory tip is required then damn well build it into the price and let ME decide if the service is worth a tip on top of what I already paid.

[Ice_Karma]

Blocking passengers trying to get out of subway etc. cars is a worldwide thing. 😿

[lgmarquez]

As a local I appreciate the work you have done to educate future tourists 🙌🏽😂