8
votes
Polite vs Helpful
I've noticed an interesting cultural difference between New Yorkers and Californians.
Lets say I am a bumbling tourist, inconsiderately impeding foot traffic, yet clearly lost and in need of help.
New Yorkers, in my limited experience, will bluntly say "hey moron, get outa the way," but then there is always one willing to help me out if I ask.
Californians, in general, will be very polite, but typically get a little nervous if a complete stranger asks for help.
Disclaimer: I've lived in California, but have only visited New York, so my observations are a little biased.
In Chicago, when most people came up to ask me things, it was for directions.
In CA, it seems like most people want to sell me something or they are incoherent.
I Chicago it was socially acceptable to ask for directions though, I'm not sure why CA isn't like that. I'd guess it's because Chicago is a big downtown grid (and therefore it's reasonable for me to know where you're going, and be able to tell you how to get there in a way anybody can understand) whereas directions are less useful in the urban sprawl of LA and SD.
SF has it's own issues with the drug problem, which can make me a bit more wary of strangers. Unfortunate how that is.
I don't think these are mutually exclusive tbh, you can give directions to a stranger while still being a little nervous from them, I know I always am. I don't think this kind of thing varies with places, but instead tends to look different based on your own experiences. In your case, since you lived in California, you probably didn't pay very much attention to how tourists were asking for help because you weren't a tourist yourself, and when you went to NY, you were now in that position.
I've never lived in NY, but I have lived in both Boston and around LA, among other places, and I never observed much of a difference in how people from either place give directions to tourists in general. It really changes much more on an individual level and for that particular person's personality.
I think you nailed NYC, and much of NY's populated areas (Maybe less "you moron" and more "irritated glares")...
California is a big-ass state. There's as much cultural differences between Northern Californians and Southern Californians as there are between people on the west side of Los Angeles and east side of Los Angeles.
That said, as someone from the Los Angeles area, I've found most people to be amicable, if not friendly.
Don't LA folks typically say "lets do lunch" - which is not an actual lunch invite, but more of a polite way of saying goodbye?
I have no idea. I've never said that, don't think I've ever heard it... and I'm pretty sure I'd never hang out with anyone who'd say that.
"later" or "bye" ..the occasional "see ya"..is the general way of saying "goodbye" among most people I've come across.