As a New York City local, there are 5 things I wish tourists would stop doing when they visit
It drives New Yorkers nuts when tourists block the sidewalk. New York City's sidewalks function much like highways — keep common pace, stay right if you're moving slow, and for the love of all things holy, do not stop in the middle of the sidewalk.Suddenly stopping in a crowded area like Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza, or Penn Station is like slamming on your brakes in traffic.Similarly, don't walk with four or more people across the sidewalk. This creates unnecessary congestion for everyone. Instead, stick with groups of two or less to allow for better sidewalk flow for others.New Yorkers aren't trying to be rude when they pass you, we're trying to get places. Respectfully, keep it moving for all our sakes.
NYC's biggest unspoken rule? You mind your business, and I'll mind mine. So, don't stare at strangers during your trip.Doing so can provoke unwanted interactions or feel like a privacy breach.In many ways, having a sense of privacy while still in public is a huge part of our local culture. The city is so dense with residents and visitors that a New Yorker's personal bubble is their safe haven.Many New Yorkers can recall a time they cried in public or had an emotional breakdown on the subway without any bystander blinking an eye. It's because we respect and give each other that sweet "public privacy."Think of it this way — staring at someone in NYC is kind of like knocking on a stranger's front door uninvited. Weird, right?
I can't believe this still needs to be said, but I've seen too many tourists doing this not to bring it up.Streets and bike lanes are high-traffic areas, and it's reckless to stand idly or pose just to get that perfect shot. It's inconvenient for those of us trying to get somewhere and it's unsafe for you and the countless commuters and workers who are biking and driving.No one wants you to end your trip to NYC early because of an unexpected injury. For that perfect shot, stick to the sidewalk or crosswalk (while the light is in your favor).
The classic New York bodega comes with its own nuances.I often see tourists who are unsure of how to navigate these hole-in-the-wall NYC establishments that usually sell groceries, breakfast sandwiches, and a slew of essentials.Bodega culture is fast-paced, so it's helpful to know your order before you get to the front of the line — no dilly-dallying here.Not sure how the line works or what to order? Just ask the person in front of you! New Yorkers may be famously curt, but many of us don't mind answering direct questions.And, by the way, it's pronounced "bacon-egg-and-cheese," all one word.
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I turned my two-car garage into an Airbnb to afford living in my dream town. I've made $35,000 a year and get to share the area I love.
Briee Della Rocca wanted to live in Williamstown, Massachusetts, but worried she couldn't afford it. When a home came on the market, she decided to get creative to get some income out of it. Now her garage makes her five figures a year, and she gets to show off her dream town. This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Briee Della Rocca, an Airbnb host in Williamstown, Massachusetts, about 40 miles from Albany, New York. She converted her two-car garage into an Airbnb to help afford to live in her preferred town. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity. My husband and I are both New Yorkers, but we moved up to southern Vermont in 2002 or 2003. Having grown up as a renter my whole life, it was wild to see that you could — at the time, anyway — purchase a house in Bennington, Vermont, for less than $100,000. We weren't purchasing when we moved up there, but even the rents were so much more affordable. We were early in our twenties, just out of college, and trying to figure out where we would make a life. And a huge factor in that — and what's remained consistent throughout our choice of where we place ourselves — is whether or not it makes sense and you can afford to live there. We had a duplex property in Bennington a year into moving there because it was so cheap. That was literally how we, at 22 years old, afforded a house. One side paid the mortgage, and we lived on the other side for free. We knew it wasn't a long-term house, and that it was a necessity for the mortgage. We eventually bought this great house in Shaftsbury, Vermont, for about $250,000, situated on a hill surrounded by mountain views, and we thought we would live there forever. It was a simple ranch, but gorgeous and we loved it. However, the public schools were not ideal for our family and kids. We tried them for a couple of years, and they weren't good at all. 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Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
4 days ago
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I turned my two-car garage into an Airbnb to afford living in my dream town. I've made $35,000 a year and get to share the area I love.
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We had a duplex property in Bennington a year into moving there because it was so cheap. That was literally how we, at 22 years old, afforded a house. One side paid the mortgage, and we lived on the other side for free. We knew it wasn't a long-term house, and that it was a necessity for the mortgage. We eventually bought this great house in Shaftsbury, Vermont, for about $250,000, situated on a hill surrounded by mountain views, and we thought we would live there forever. It was a simple ranch, but gorgeous and we loved it. However, the public schools were not ideal for our family and kids. We tried them for a couple of years, and they weren't good at all. So, we started to enroll our kids in private schools, and we realized we're big public school advocates. We wanted the kids to have a bigger school experience. So we started to look at places where public school systems were known to be good. 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17-06-2025
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With airports in Israel closed, Jewish New Yorkers are desperate to find ways in
Despite a current US State Department advisory against travel to Israel 'due to armed conflict, terrorism and civil unrest' and closed airspace, some determined New Yorkers want to be in the Holy Land to show their solidarity with and support for the Jewish state. 'I feel guilty that I'm not there with my brothers and sisters being subjected to these missiles,' said Todd Richman, a Long Islander whose flight to Israel was canceled last Thursday as news broke of Israel's preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear sites. 'I feel guilty. It's hard to explain.' Since airports are shuttered, the 55-year-old, who works in finance, said he's looked into alternate means to get into the Jewish state, including a ship, to no avail. The minute flights open up, Richman declared, 'I'm there.' 4 Amidst Israel's conflict with Iran, some New Yorkers say they would like to be in the Holy Land showing solidarity with Israelis. ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The married dad-of-three added, 'It's hard to explain how you can want to be in a war zone right now, but there's something you feel in your heart.' With friends and family running into bomb shelters every night amidst a barrage of ballistic missiles launched from Iran, there's a sense of powerlessness. 'I'm watching it through their eyes and I wish I was there with them,' he said. 'There's something unique about the Jewish ruach (spirit) about being together during such a situation.' With 24 Israelis killed and hundreds injured in the days-long Iranian missile barrage, people are determined to stay resilient and strong in the face of evil. 'They're having bar mitzvahs in the shelters, singing in the shelters, celebrating life in the shelters,' Richman said, adding, 'I still feel safe there. In some ways you feel safer being in Israel with ballistic missiles landing than you do in most other parts of the world.' Chava Blivaiss, a 36-year-old trauma surgeon, feels similarly. 'People think I'm crazy, [but] I just feel the need to be there,' she told The Post. 4 'I feel guilty that I'm not there with my brothers and sisters being subjected to these missiles,' said Todd Richman.' Courtesy of Todd Richman The Long Islander is on standby with a fully packed bag, passport and medical IDs sitting by the door. 'I'm always ready to run into the fire — and if I could be there right now, I would,' she said. 'Even if I wasn't a trauma surgeon, I'd want to be there just as much. I'd go shopping there and help the economy, buying falafels.' While she's had no shortage of rockets and close calls before in Israel over the past year — sometimes having a mere 30 seconds to run to the bomb shelter in places like Ashkelon — Blivaiss asserted, 'it still feels safer there than it does here … you get used to the rockets and the running and the sirens.' Yocheved 'Kim' Ruttenberg, the American founder of Sword of Iron – Israel Volunteer Corp, a grassroots initiative that began as a modest Facebook group after October 7, said she's been inundated with messages from would-be volunteers from all over the world trying to reach Israel now. 4 'People think I'm crazy, [but] I just feel the need to be there,' said trauma surgeon Chava Blivaiss. Courtesy of Dr. Chava Blivaiss 'It doesn't make logical sense. It's something you can't explain, you just feel it,' Ruttenberg, 24, told The Post. It's a sentiment that David Harris, former longtime CEO of the American Jewish Committee, understands. The 75-year-old longtime Jewish activist, who lives in Manhattan, told The Post that he is planning to go to Israel as soon as he can. He's gone against the grain before. During the first Gulf War, when missiles started flying from Iraq to Israel, he said he was on the 'first plane to Israel.' He got a flight with legendary comedian Jackie Mason, with virtually no one else on board. 'We wanted to show solidarity and sit in the sealed rooms simply because there was nowhere else we wanted to be,' he said. 4 Yocheved 'Kim' Ruttenberg said her organization has been inundated with requests from people wanting to volunteer in Israel. Courtesy of Yocheved "Kim" Ruttenberg During the 2006 Lebanon War, he never thought twice about running to the Holy Land to 'sit in bomb shelters and tell Israelis they're not alone,' he said. 'And to tell myself that I wouldn't simply be a bystander rooting from far … There's no way to simply say that's their war and my place is here. My place is there.' Richman noted that people feeling this way is unique to Israel and the Jewish people. He said, 'Tell me what other country that's at war that has people scrambling to get back into the country.'
