New York gets millions of tourists every year. Some of these really stick out like a sore thumb. To get the real New York experience, you'll need to shed that. Here are some tips to do so.

1. How to Avoid
Looking Like
a Tourist in
NYC
By Ari Kellen

2. Walk with
purpose
• New Yorkers walk everywhere
with purpose
• Tourists, on the other hand, wait
on the curb for the “walk” sign
• Most New Yorkers will cross the
street if there aren’t any cars coming

3. Walk with
purpose on
the right side
• The sidewalk is
like a street for
people
• If you need to slow down or
stop, step to the side so as
not to get in anybody’s way
• Keep to the right so as
to not break the flow

4. Avoid “I heart NY”
everything
• New Yorkers hate
everything “I heart
NY” on it
X • Wearing it tells
everybody that
you’re a tourist

5. Be confident
• New Yorkers are
confident about
everything they
do before they
do it
• This all saves time, the one
resource no New Yorker ever
wants to waste

6. Avoid tourist spots
(like Times Square)
• The tourist spots are
about as far away as
possible from the “real”
New York
• Locals avoid Times
Square like the plague

7. Don’t look up
• When walking,
most New Yorkers
look either
straight ahead or
at the ground
• Tourists tend to walk
slow and look up

8. Ask for directions (but do
it right)
• Save directions on your phone
before going out
• If you get lost, don’t ask
somebody on the street for
directions
• Avoid personal NYC maps
• Head to the closest
convenience store and
ask an employee

9. Don’t get star struck
• Celebrity
sightings are
extremely
common in
New York
• If you run into
one, play it
cool and don’t
ask for a
photo or
autograph

10. Don’t stare
• A true New Yorker has
seen it all before
• If you ogle when you
see something weird,
people will know right
away you’re a tourist

11. Don’t complain
about price
• New York may be
expensive, but
don’t complain
about the price
• And always leave a tip
for good service