Every time parental units visit, they remark on how "disciplined" NYC is without anyone really "enforcing" that discipline, right down to the walking etiquette. Cos they walk the city a lot. We always talk about it when they visit, so here's a 🧵 on #NYC Walking Etiquette.
NYC walks a lot. According to some research, more than the next twenty US cities combined. But NYC also has the most paved roads per mile AND the narrowest sidewalks.
The basic logic of NYC walking is, walk our sidewalks like you would drive on a crowded highway.
And we aren't talking divided freeways. Walk our narrow pavements like you would drive on an undivided local highway during rush hour traffic. The lack of pavement width plus the huge walking population necessitates some basic Etiquette & rules for it to function smoothly.
Rule #1: Walk as much to the right as you can. Especially if you're walking slow. A myth is that New Yorkers hate slow walkers admiring the views. No, we know our city is that gorgeous. We just request you not hold up pedestrian traffic and move to the right or out of the way.
Rule #2: Do NOT hold hands and walk, unless with children or seniors. At least not on a crowded sidewalk. Couples that doggedly hold hands and walk on narrow sidewalks or groups of friends walking 3-4 side by side will not be popular among New Yorkers. Know your surroundings.
Rule #3: No looking at your phone when walking your dog. Cos you'll be on one end of the sidewalk looking at your phone. Your curious dog, not at fault, might wander to the other side. And an oncoming pedestrian now has a hurdle to navigate on an already narrow path.
Rule #4: Don't smoke and walk. This should be universal etiquette. Don't smoke and walk when there are people behind you.
Rule #5: Give way to parents with kids and to seniors moving slowly. Sure, you are in a hurry to see more of the city but we have some priorities here.
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Disinformation Commissioner straight up making up shit. Partition was nowhere on the radar in those discussions. These are just straight up lies. Alternative history concocted to sell more lies.
1942 wasn't some ancient unverifiable era. Letters and speeches and news reports from those days still exist. This is just completely a lie.
Precisely. The actual history is so different than what they are selling online now just to cover the country in polyester flags to raise money for electoral bonds.
Parents flew back through AMS & on the way, a stewardess and mom chatted for a while
Her: You live in NYC?
Mom: No, our son lives there. We live near Mumbai
Her: Lucky family. Both great cities. I love the Mumbai route. Delhi route I am not a big fan of.
(Common story eh?)
Parents loved Schipol and found it easy to navigate during the layover. Once Europe layover was unavoidable, I picked it ahead of Paris, Frankfurt, London for 2 main reasons
- Friendlier people & staff
- Relatively small terminals & not too much walking/shuttling
- Solid WiFi
What that KLM stewardess said to mom, was also said to Rupal & I by a United stewardess once. She was more direct about the reasons why.
"On Delhi routes, there's always a few men who make us all feel like meat while binge drinking 😑. Men on Mumbai flights are better behaved."
A recent phenomenon as a result of this continuous stanning of Zionism is that many new Desi arrivals who are sanghis start talking politics with American Jewish colleagues or classmates assuming they also hate Muslims. And are shocked if they get liberal pushback in both senses
For decades, well before WhatsApp, this sanghi worship of militaristic Zionism has been spread as propaganda. More Indians probably gush over the Entebbe raid than Israelis themselves.
The worst thing is, they think THIS is Jewish-Hindu solidarity. Hating Muslims together.
A big thing causing seismic waves in the Indian American community since Modism is that today, cities and universities are the biggest power centers of fascism in India. But cities and universities in the US, where Modi stans typically land, are deep blue. Even in red states.
Parents had a long chat with our building super - D. He is originally from DR and has been our building super for 33 years! It was such a cute cross cultural interaction between people who don't know too much about each other's worlds. And they all had so many TIL moments. 🧵
D asked them how many kids they had other than me. When told just one, he was surprised. Parents, in turn was surprised when D said he had 5 "direct" siblings, and 7 half siblings. He listed the different branches of his family. Including his own kids.
D asked if they lived in Delhi. They said Pune.
"Big city?"
"No, small town"
Hehe, Pune is like half of DR's population but okay, small town.
Mom: Your tithi birthday is coming up (birthday according to the Hindu lunar calendar)
Me: Yup
Mom: Always easy to remember. Your tithi bday is Rakshabandhan
Me: Nope. Narali Pournima.
Mom: Same
Me: Not to me. Narali Pournima is a science based real thing.
Here's a 🧵
From childhood, everyone in the family knew, Gaurav's tithi birthday is on Rakhi. So every year, it would be a double celebration. My sister and cousins doing my arti, tying me Rakhi. And then my birthday also!
Mom always made coconut barfi. Cos it's also Narali Pournima.
For years, the day was Rakhi first, and the coconut thing was just a random regional holiday.
But then two things happened.
About 20 years ago, my sister & I stopped celebrating Rakhi after we realized we both found it regressive. Sis is "woke" like me. So we just gave up.