lagilman | If you're tired of living in New York...you need to move out so someone can come in.

Tried to go to the $6 morning movie -- realized halfway there I'd forgotten my wallet. Went back, grabbed wallet, did some shopping instead (new wine glasses! New wall sconce!) and then met up with

marinarusalka and Her Boy for lunch at Kefi, which is as pleasant as advertised, and I need to get back there sometime for dinner. Then I came home and found wine waiting for me (ah, our international world -- Australian wine sent to the US via The Netherlands!) and word that my betas really liked my story revisions (I guess I didn't break it after all,

mizkit, or I broke it Just Enough). And a July deadline has been extended to 1 October, and while there was some disappointing news, it was news I was expecting, and there was potential good news coming hard on its heels, so...

All in all, I'd call this day a win.

Meanwhile, also worked on my "agency from the viewpoint of the author" blog, so look for that sometimes this week, and started compiling a list of "How to Write a Real New Yorker" list, for the benefit of out-of-towners (where "New Yorker" = resident of NYC, not NYS) p[yes, this is being compiled tongue-in-cheek. That doesn't mean it's not true]

1. New Yorkers will step off the curb while they wait for the light to change. There are a number of reasons why we do this, but we all (okay 80%) do, and we will get annoyed if you stand there and yab after the light changes, blocking our way.

2. Not all New Yorkers Live in Manhattan. There are five boroughs, and all of them contain a multitude of neighborhoods. What part of what borough you live in is very important, and can identify you to others rather quickly. It takes a long time to get from one borough to another via mass transit
2a. Brooklyn is huge. Seriously.
2b. Staten Island is a borough. We just like to pretend it's not.
2c. Manhattan is an island. So is Staten Island. Queens and Brooklyn are (on) an island (that just happens to be the same island as Long Island, no relation to NYC. It gets confusing. See

scarletina's comment.). Only the Bronx is part of the mainland.

3. Central Park is massive. Not everyone goes there -- it just seems that way on the first warm weekend of Spring, and all summer.
3a. There are many other parks in NYC, many of them quite beautiful.

4. Yes, New Yorkers walk fast. Get the hell out of our way.

5. The ethnic diversity in NYC is more than many rural/suburban Americans can even imagine. We like it that way. Especially when they bring a new cuisine to town.
5b. New Yorkers think nothing of grabbing something to eat from a grease truck -- which may have some of the best food in the neighborhood. (I spent an entire winter eating lunch every work-day from the local souvlaki truck). And every second corner in Manhattan has its own bagel cart, and the locals are loyal to it.

6. New Yorkers aren't ignoring you, they're being polite. If we make eye-contact, we've infiltrated your personal space. Looking away allows you privacy even when we're elbow-to-rib on the subway.

7. If you need immediate [non-crime-related] help, go to the nearest fire department, not the NYPD. Firefighters have less paperwork, and can get you help faster [plus, they often have paramedics]. But make sure it's important before you bother them.

8. If you need information, ask a doorman. Any kind of information. They know Everything.

9. Driving in NYC isn't scary, so long as you know the rules.
9a. Except in Queens, where it's terrifying.

... anyone else got something to add? Or start up a list for your own city/locale in your LJ, and link it back here!