Tourists Rules!

I still am not sure why I did it. I guess we needed something to do. Every time I go to Times Square I vow never to return, but yesterday I strapped Thud into his subway friendly stroller and off we went. We had a destination- Toys R Us. We had a mission- toys for the plane ride to Florida. Mission accomplished I guess but it was a difficult mission. I just wanted to shout "Stay to the right" as everyone was walking all over the place as slow as could be. That was when it came to me. It should be mandatory for hotels to give out a sheet of general rules for tourists here in the Big Apple. Well, thanks! I think it is a good idea, too! Since I am Chairperson of the Committee To Set Tourists Straight, I have made up the 1st edition of the rule sheet. Here is my list of

7 Rules For Tourists To Follow in NYC

1) Walk to the right- that's right, just walk like you're driving. That allows people to pass you if needed! All natives need this on a shirt I think.

2) No more than 2 people wide- if you have a large group, that doesn't mean you get to clog the sidewalks. Think deep instead of wide.

3) Act like you know where you are going- this just means that you should walk with purpose. Please, no lolly gagging in the big city.

4) Find interesting things to do- everyone and their mother wants to go to the same places to see the same things. There are other parts of NYC besides mid town. There are other places to eat besides The Olive Garden and Pizzeria Uno's.

5) If you need directions just ask- we don't bite and I bet it will save you a lot of time and headache just to ask someone.

6) Don't videotape- what a waste of time. You are missing all the good stuff going on around you while you videotape the Cup O Noodles sign. Besides, how many times are you really going to watch it?

7) Stay up to date- a lot of the cool places of "old" New York just aren't the same. Sure, you can go to Rainbow Room & Carnegie Hall but they don't have the clout they used to. Get online or read up on what is new and interesting. The city changes all the time.