Having just spent some time in New York, I can report that the new Magnolia Bakery in The Rockefeller Center is breathtaking, the Moon-sized Pizzas at Lombardi’s are still great - and the New York citizens are as rude as ever!
I will be recounting my tales from the city over the next few posts (yes, I’m one of those people who force you to look at my holiday photos and talk in detail about places and people you don’t know anything about – or want to. Some people call it self indulgence - I call it a blog!)
I have to temper my comments on the New York attitude by assuming it’s cultural and what comes over as surly and aggressive to us Brits is actually 'helpful' and 'friendly' to your average New Yorker....
This cultural chasm has definitely deepened since my last visit and - call me a luddite - but I blame technology. In the Uk...
we take telephones and email with our afternoon Earl Grey and scones in quaint cottages by streams...
Yes I’m from the city that never Tweets and I don’t lunge for my laptop every time I pluck an eyebrow, chip a nail or eat a cake (I’d be permanently tweeting that one!) ...but everyone in New York is ipodding Twittering and surfing their hand held igadgets like teenage boys on skateboards! They’re all going so fast they don’t make eye contact anymore – and forget to say please and thank you.
When we needed to check flight departures and asked for use of a computer, the hotel receptionist eyed us with deep suspicion.
“No Iphone?” she drawled, momentarily abandoning her usual indifference for eyebrow twitching incredulousness.
“No, we don’t have an iphone,” I answered right back at her with a stiff upper lip and UK indignance. This was rewarded with more eyebrow activity and an ‘eew’ which would have been a more appropriate if I’d just announced ‘I have just lost control of my bowels!”
As for the yellow cab drivers.... don’t get me started!
I will be recounting my tales from the city over the next few posts (yes, I’m one of those people who force you to look at my holiday photos and talk in detail about places and people you don’t know anything about – or want to. Some people call it self indulgence - I call it a blog!)
I have to temper my comments on the New York attitude by assuming it’s cultural and what comes over as surly and aggressive to us Brits is actually 'helpful' and 'friendly' to your average New Yorker....
This cultural chasm has definitely deepened since my last visit and - call me a luddite - but I blame technology. In the Uk...
we take telephones and email with our afternoon Earl Grey and scones in quaint cottages by streams...
Yes I’m from the city that never Tweets and I don’t lunge for my laptop every time I pluck an eyebrow, chip a nail or eat a cake (I’d be permanently tweeting that one!) ...but everyone in New York is ipodding Twittering and surfing their hand held igadgets like teenage boys on skateboards! They’re all going so fast they don’t make eye contact anymore – and forget to say please and thank you.
When we needed to check flight departures and asked for use of a computer, the hotel receptionist eyed us with deep suspicion.
“No Iphone?” she drawled, momentarily abandoning her usual indifference for eyebrow twitching incredulousness.
“No, we don’t have an iphone,” I answered right back at her with a stiff upper lip and UK indignance. This was rewarded with more eyebrow activity and an ‘eew’ which would have been a more appropriate if I’d just announced ‘I have just lost control of my bowels!”
As for the yellow cab drivers.... don’t get me started!
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