March 28, 2011
-
My New York Moment
I had a quintessential New York moment today.
I was crossing the street on the way to work (on the crosswalk, for once!) when the walk light started blinking. At that same moment, a cabbie cut me off and stopped abruptly in the middle of the crosswalk. He was so close to me, he almost ran over my foot! (Which is still broken from when I fell down the stairs last month, hold the applause.)
WARNING: PROFANITY BELOW!!
Anyway I’m constantly tired now b/c of waking up with my kid so before I could think twice, I heard the following words come barking out of my mouth: ”Hey asshole, I’m crossing the fucking street over here!!!”
The best part is that the cab driver just let loose right back at me, even though he had almost run me over. His reply wasn’t witty, but it was awesome.
“Fuck you, you fucking fuck, fuck youuuuuuuuuu!!!!!” <– The youuuuuuu trailed off as he drove off.
It was such a New York moment… that as it was happening, I started cracking up. He caught my eye and he started laughing too.
I’ve lived in New York City for 13 years now. Sometimes I feel like I’d lived here forever, and other times I feel like a newbie that just moved here. But in that moment, I felt an old school New Yorker. Profanity aside, there’s an excitement and energy that comes from living in New York that I can’t get enough of.
I know it’s an acquired taste though. How do you feel about New York City?
Comments (23)
Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the US that’s for sure.
I love NYC. That’s why I keep on visiting like I did this past weekend! I’ll admit though I haven’t had a moment like that just yet.
The best NY moments are profanity-laden tirades!
hahahah funny
I’ve never been. You probably feel the way about NY as I feel about the bayou. It’s home and always will be, and it will always be something about it that you can’t quite define that sets it apart from everywhere else (actually it’s probably the size of the mosquitoes, or the permanent odor of fried food in the air). I have “nawlins” moments on an almost daily basis, though lol.
ps. New episode of “swamp people” coming to the History channel. check your local listings!
Sometimes, I think I want to visit New York.
Mostly, I just want to figure out how to make Detroit over in its image.
NYC was too much for me. The crowds, the traffic, the constant noise… I prefer a rural life.
Love it like a good steak
i saw someone get clipped by a taxi cab once near houston st.
the dude totally bounced right back up…..and then fell down again. he was ok though.
I thought your experience was horrifying until you said you cracked up, you caught his eye, and he cracked up too. That’s hilarious.
I lived in Jersey and worked in the city for one summer, and it was a little too much for me. It really became apparent when I went back home to Boston and got on the T (subway): I entered the car, put my elbows out and started shoving people out of the way. People that really weren’t in my way to begin with. I was just so used to having to push my way into the car to get in. I realized that commuting in NYC made me a meaner person to strangers. It was then that I decided I shouldn’t live in NYC… unless, of course, that transporter thing from Star Trek ever becomes a reality. Then maybe.
It has a unique charm.
only in new york
I loved New York City, but also (Cancun in Mexico)
I remember when I was a kid, my family and I were on vacation in New York and we were waiting outside Macy’s for it to open. This guy walks up to my father and says…”Do you know when the store opens?” My dad replied…”Sorry, I don’t speak english very well.” The guy replied…”I didn’t ask you if you spoke english or not, I simply wanted to know what time the store opens!” By the way, the rude gentlemen had an accent. He was hispanic as well.
Could it be part of the New York philosophy ? Stick it to you when the opportunity arises ? Inquiring minds want to know.
I love the NYC crazies! If you can’t laugh at it sometimes, you shouldn’t be here. Great story! Have you seen some of the great f@*!ing t-shirts too? Soooo New York! Don’t think I’ve been on a subway when I didn’t hear the word at least once. And who doesn’t love a good fight over a parking space?
hahaha your moment was awesome lol and it ended in laughter and not a hurt foot >.> so that’s always good =P haha! eh i don’t like NY too much :/ there’s a certain hustle & bustle but … eh. I’m originally from Boston, the arch nemesis lol, and even that had its own hustle you know? i dunno maybe i just want peace and quiet! LOL
[i guess i'm boring! haha] nice post!
Haha! I love NYC and all my experiences with cabbies (even the profanity-laden ones). Coming from a pedestrian who has actually been hit by a car (not in NYC though) I am very vocal about pedestrian right of way. I have always loved the energy of NYC and find it surprising when people don’t like it here, but I guess it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Though I do think there is something for everyone if you look hard enough.
This Love/Hate Relationship is All Mixed Up in My Heart –
I hate this fucking shit hole! & I can’t wait to leave, whenever I go on vacation, I NEVER miss it and I cry when I return (seriously) – I also hate the phrase ‘only in New York’, who came up with that crap in the 1st place anyway!!!! Like insane things ONLY happen in NYC. It sounds like some kind of lame claim to being a “bad-ass.” HELLOOOOO PEOPLE, we are not the “coolest”, or “baddest” city in the world!
Other than that, the people are hot and the food is good (when it doesn’t make your bowels explode!). I LOVE Central Park in the summer, but the uppity snot nose fuckers that live there, get the finger EVERY TIME!! (if you are not uppity, have a snot nose nor a fucker, get off my junk, I’m not talking about you!) I love how you can travel from borough to borough for only $2.25, I love the crazies in the train, especially the ones that think they can get away with cursing at anyone!! I love the music, poetry lounges, bars (not so much the clubs) however, Times Square can fall into an abyss and I would never notice. I can never understand why every damn tourist flock there, even with the redeveloped Times Squ…you know what screw it, I live for the Naked Cowboy, that is all, moving onward!!
Yes I speak what is on my mind without giving two hoots what anyone thinks, like every true New Yorker should!
I love New York City, oi vey!
NYC rocks.
best part of your story is that you could share a mutual laugh with the cabbie almost immediately after the near-miss. i think the joy of those NYC moments are inherent in that these near-misses happen so often, with actual casualties few and far between. i remember crossing the street as a 7th grader on my way to school, and an S62 bus ran the red light as i was crossing the double yellow line (because us “cool kids” didn’t use crosswalks). the bus practically brushed my nose, a la Neo in the subway scene from the Matrix.
the driver didn’t even slow down, as he probably confirmed in his side mirror that he didn’t run me over and it was all good…and it was. i managed to run and still get my bagel in time before hopping on the S57 to school.
it’s the best city in the world
I really enjoy NYC – warts and all.
I’ve driven a tractor trailer up there for years. I used to deliver out on the island or in Brooklyn or Queens and then cut through Manhattan to the Lincoln Tunnel to dodge the 60 buck toll on the Verrazzano Bridge. I absolutely love it as a place to visit. I’d probably enjoy living up there, too, but I only have one life and I’ve made this one in the country (or at least on the edge of a country town) I think that though they are infuriating, the people up there are some of the best people to work with, because (at least stereotypically and in my experience) the expectations are clear and you will know if you’ve upheld (at least what they think is)your end of the deal. When you haven’t, they let fly the insults, deal with it, and everything gets back to normal.
It can be a bit like that in the UK too.