New rules for old New York

I waited too long to go back to New York City.

The last occasion I had to spend any time there was 11 years ago, when New Yorkers seemed determined to confirm their reputation as brash, uncivil, narrowly focussed individuals in too much of a hurray to even concern themselves with the most ordinary of courtesies toward their fellow humans. It was "get out of my way or get run over".

Then came 9/11 and I really didn't have the desire to return. Perhaps it was the very same trauma that kept me away that should have led me back years ago.

This past weekend, I again found myself walking the streets of Manhattan and it was as if I had landed in a completely different city. People on the street were taking the time to stop and chat, saying "excuse me" while jostling through crowds and asking "how's it going?" to complete strangers.

We got caught in a thunderstorm in Times Square one evening. Each time the showers let up, whole groups of complete strangers would make the dash from one protective awning or doorway to the next, and the attitude quickly became festive as we shared laughter,  umbrellas and advice. There developed a sense of community like none I had ever witnessed in the Big Apple and, to my surprise, I suddenly found myself feeling at home.

A stranger took the time to tell us about her arrival in the city as a Salvadorian refugee some decades earlier. She wanted to know if we were enjoying our trip, what landmarks we had visited, what we still hoped to see and experience, and offered all sorts of advice on what shouldn't be missed.

And she wasn't the exception--she was the new rule. Transit workers cheerfully explained how to negotiate the subway system. Store clerks took the time to converse about fashion, food and family. My traveling companion struck up a conversation with Tom from Hartford, who wanted to tell us about all the fantastic rock concerts he had attended over four decades. Even taxi drivers, despite their well-deserved reputation as the gruffest of New Yorkers, wanted to talk, seemingly desiring to make as many human connections as they could during each shift.

It is this new lightness that will stay with me as New York's most lasting impression, and I--like millions of others who are drawn to the art, architecture and culture of this  centre of western society--will savour the memories of the friendliness of its people for many years to come.

And it won't be another decade before I return.