What makes a person (or family) look like they are from New York? Twice in the last three months I have been challenged by complete strangers on "where I am from". One day in October when Cameron was home from college for fall break we were on the #1 train. The train stalled in the tunnel. A young Asian woman sitting down (Jeff, Cameron and I were standing) looked up and asked me, "Do you want my seat?" I declined. She then followed with, "Where are you guys from?" I replied, 'The Upper West Side." She raised her eyebrows and said, "You don't look like you are from New York." I asked her where she from and she responded, "I'm from Philly, but I'm studying psychology at NYU." Philly! She's from Philly and she is questioning my New York City status!
How can you identify a New Yorker? We often ride the train and try to guess where obvious tourist are from. The key factors in identifying "out-of-towners" are obvious things like language, openly looking at maps, wearing New York City signage on your clothing, carrying daypacks, and generally smiling but it's the less subtle things that are fun to observe. Nice shoes. Living in New York City is very hard on shoes, so a group of people who all have on clean sneakers is a clear give away. Another easy clue is when families are all together. Most of the time a father being with the family is proof that "dad" is on vacation (I may get gender flack on that one, but it's true). When Cameron reflects back on her first days in 8th grade here she said the most startling observation for her was coming from a sea of blonde in Evergreen to a see of dark hair here. I don't really notice that, but when Elizabeth was here this summer she commented on it as well.
Over the Christmas holiday we were at a hipster restaurant near Union Square. The waitress was a tall thin girl who looked like she might be an aspiring sportswear model (and now I'm stereotyping). As she took our order we were chatting with her and she began to engage in the usual "So where are you all from..." conversation. We told her that we live on the Upper West Side. I could see the puzzled look in her eyes. In turn we asked her where she is from and she said Jersey. When she brought our check over she just couldn't let it rest. She said, "I know you live in New York, but where are you all originally from?" We told her Colorado and her face reflected a strange sense of relief, as if she knew that she wasn't crazy.
So what is it about our family that makes complete strangers question our residency? I have friends from Brooklyn and Status Island who have serious New York accents, but most of my friends who live in Manhattan don't have any accents, so I wouldn't guess that it's the way that we speak that gives us away. Our shoes are well worn, we don't carry day packs, and my family forbids me from even looking at subway maps. I might admit to the smile factor, but that's all I'll give you.
