At the risk of sounding saccharine, one of the things I love most about NYC is its diversity, and the utter ease with which its population of colorful characters interacts with one another.
It's true, I am arguably an outsider looking in, and the native New Yorker might have a different view, but this is most emphatically my view after six months in NY.
I am enjoying the fact that the vast majority of those I approach will engage with me and actually make eye contact. And we don't play chicken on the sidewalk. Everyone is an equal opportunity bumper.
As a lover of the Subcontinent, I am delighted that those with East Indian origins do not try to pretend they have no idea where India is or what language is spoken there. A marked contrast to my experience in California.
And native English speakers do not pretend they cannot understand someone who speaks English clearly but with an accent. Furthermore, if someone speaks unclearly and with an accent, native English speakers are more likely to pretend that they *do* understand when they don't. (I observed this to hilarious effect at my local nail salon.)
Best of all, this NY attitude, or whatever it is, makes it easier for me to pass as a native New Yorker, as long as I leave the sneakers at home.
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