NYC Local Etiquette: 10 Common Mistakes First-Time Visitors Make

A Quartz article outlines ten common mistakes first-time visitors to New York City make, contrasting them with local behavior. The mistakes include standing on the wrong side of subway escalators and stairs, blocking subway doors, overpacking itineraries, assuming cabs are faster than the subway, eating in Times Square, misunderstanding tipping norms, wearing tourist gear that attracts pickpockets, only exploring Manhattan, walking slowly on busy sidewalks, and misjudging safety across neighborhoods. For each mistake, the article explains why visitors make it and what locals do instead. For instance, locals keep left clear on escalators and stairs, stand to the side of subway doors, recommend focusing on two or three neighborhoods per day, default to the subway for most trips, avoid restaurants near Times Square, research current tipping percentages, dress to avoid signaling tourist status, allocate time to boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens, step aside before stopping on sidewalks, and maintain calibrated situational awareness. The article emphasizes that these norms are absorbed through daily use and are not obvious to outsiders, but adopting them can significantly improve a visit.