You Know You Are From New York When…

New York, the city that never sleeps. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. There are many sayings about New York but no one knows it better than New Yorkers themselves, from both the city and the beautiful countryside.

New Yorker Lea Monroe tells all on what it means to be from New York.

Sports Are Taken Seriously

“Win or lose, rain or shine, we are always rooting for our home state,” said Monroe. The moment you walk into your closet you know that lying around somewhere is some sort of New York team merchandise.”

Agitation over Location

This scenario is similar to people who are from other well-known states such as California. If you tell someone that you are from California that person then might automatically assume you are from Los Angeles. “Oh, cool are you from LA?” That might be their first response. When you assume something like that to New Yorkers, they get upset in a hurry.

“While we are well-known for the Big Apple, it is simply the size of a crumb when you compare it to all of New York,” said Monroe. “We promise you the rest of our state isn’t filled with empty mountains.”

New Yorkers Love the Land

“While some states may be notorious for being so flat, New York is very far from it, said Monroe. “With three major mountain ranges (Adirondack, Catskill, and Appalachian) across the state, we’re more than willing to get out and hike!”

At one time, many Native Americans lived in what is now New York and toughed out the long, cold winters. While the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse are located upstate, there is also a vast amount of open, rural land to explore, including plenty of lakes, forest, and farmland. And don’t forget that it’s home to Niagara Falls!

Distance Measured by Hours

This is one very particular way to know you are from New York. When someone asks you how far away something is, they will probably tell you it’s a certain distance away measured by miles. Well, for a New Yorker, they handle that situation slightly different. It isn’t that crazy or anything, let’s just say you have some time on your hands.

“When asking a New Yorker how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B, they’ll almost always tell you in the form of hours instead of miles,” said Monroe. That’s like telling someone he or she is the length of Justin Timberlake’s album away.

You Know Someone with a Lake House

“Call it what you want, a cabin, lake house, you know someone that has one, said Monroe. “With the largest state park in the United States, among many other beautiful regions, it gets hard to not know someone with a camp!”

Who doesn’t love escaping to the lake for the weekend? While we don’t pick our friends based on the cool things they have (not entirely at least!) it’s always nice when they can offer up a place to stay. And New Yorkers are all about it. Lake George, Seneca Lake, the Finger Lakes- the options are endless and only a drive away.

Don’t let the Season fool you

The weather in New York is predictable, yet unpredictable at the same time. In the summer it is hot and in the winter it is cold. Unlike places that are just cold all the time or warm year long, New York has a unique advantage of going through the seasons so that means you can never be too prepared with what you wear.

“It’s no strange sight to see a person sporting a warm hoodie in the summer months, said Monroe. “As New Yorkers, we get to experience all four seasons fully and that means we can get some pretty mixed weather.”

What are Snow Days?

What is a snow day? That is what a New Yorker might say when you ask about it. That is only because they get so much snow, they just know how to handle it. Snowy sidewalks and chilly air will not deter these folks from going about their day.

“It’s simple, because it snows here so very often, we are more than prepared for the conditions it may bring, said Monroe. All those inches of snow the weatherman promised you last night will be conveniently cleaned up before you even think about waking up.” However, it sucks for kids who have always wanted a snow day.

The Snow is Welcomed!

Like the sunshine on the west coast, the snow is very much embraced in New York. A fresh coat of powder sets the tone for a white Christmas and continues on to April. The City will see around 12 days of snowfall per year, while upstate can get more than 50 days of snowfall. Even when the subway shuts down and the grocery stores close, New Yorkers maintain a good spirit about the snow.

“A familiar friend to anyone living in our state,” said Monroe. “While your whole town may shut down at even the thought of snow coming (we’re talking to you, North Carolina), we’re all but begging for it!”

Non-New Yorkers Give Themselves Away

Piggybacking off that last slide, a real New Yorker will spot a non-New Yorker based on what type of footwear they have going on. More specifically, if a person is wearing flip flops you can safely assume that person yearns for the heat and is not fully down with the cold of New York.

“The New Yorkers who don’t love the snow are easy to spot,” said Monroe. “Found outside annually in their natural habitat wearing flip flops for the months of October and March, these select few are clinging onto any warm weather they can manage to find.”

If the food ain’t legit, you’ll hear about it

Sure, you can say you have had some pretty amazing pizza in your life. You might have even uttered the words, “This is the greatest pizza I have ever tasted.” But was that pizza from New York? The same goes with bagels. Unless you have tried those foods in New York, you can’t be sure that you’ve had the best.

“Ask anyone born in New York, they’ll have a hard time disputing the fact that they were unknowingly raised to be pizza and bagel snobs,” said Monroe. “To all our out-of-state friends, we apologize for verbally tearing your food to shreds.”

The Staple North Face Jacket

You know you are from New York if you wear a North Face jacket. Warm gear, in general, is a plus, but there’s something about The North Face brand that all New Yorkers turn to. You can count on a New Yorker to have one (or eight) in their closet.

Monroe said, “Could it be that we’re subconsciously addicted to the brand because it’s acknowledging the region of our motherland? We may never find out, but even if we do I’m sure we will all still continue to wear our favorite winter apparel brand.” Whatever it may be, there is nothing wrong with a rocking The North Face.

Lake George

There are many Georges in the world. George Jefferson, George Costanza, and even George Michael but none of them compare to this George. You know you are from New York if you have the decal that looks like a spilled paint on your car of Lake George.

“This decal can be spotted all over the U.S., although it’s most commonly seen throughout New York State,” said Monroe. “That’s right, with over 32 miles to love, Lake George is an ultimate New York State favorite.” If you ever want to pass for a New Yorker just throw one of these bad boys on your ride.

Secret Spots

Even though they love the winter and all the snow that comes with it, once the snow melts, New Yorkers love being by the water. You know you are from New York if you are able to tell someone where all the secret spots for waterfalls and swimming holes are at the drop of a dime.

“After being hidden away all winter long, New Yorkers love to lay out near a good swim spot and soak in all the Vitamin D they’ve been missing out on,” said Monroe. “Make a New York friend and you’ll instantly have a walking Rolodex full of secret waterfalls and spots to swim!”

The Regents Exams

I love the Regents Exams! Said no New Yorker ever. If you grew up in New York then you are well aware of these exams that you take in high school. They are needed so you can get your Regents diploma which is usually only for those students who are college-bound.

Most all states have something similar to this and all students equally hate them but these are specific to the New York teens. Monroe said, “Commonly known as ‘The Regents,’ the preparation that takes place before these exams could be compared to a long, steady trip to your worst nightmare.”

No eye contact

You might have heard of that stereotype that New Yorkers are a bit cold, both figuratively and literally. Cold meaning, quick to get feisty or always-in-a-rush-no-time-to-talk cold. That is partially true. It could be based on who you run into, but you know you’re from New York if you don’t give eye contact.

“While not all of us are unfriendly in New York, there tends to be a common factor all across the board that we aren’t total fans of making eye contact with others,” said Monroe. Just know not to count on exchanging smiles, head nods, or pretty much any acknowledgment from people on the street. More on this in the next slide.

They keep it real!

Okay, so perhaps that stereotype is true that we mentioned from the previous slide. And perhaps it isn’t them being “cold” it is just how they were brought up in the world of New York. People are always on the go out there and do not have time to be lollygagging around with you!

It is the city of dreams so those dreams need to be chased and trying to beat around the bush is only going to slow you down. Monroe stated, “Why waste time sugarcoating your thoughts? We won’t! A characteristic often seen in New Yorkers, we’ll never hold back from letting you know how we really feel!” This theme continues on the next slide.

Impatience is not a virtue

Keeping up with the trend of being cold, impatience hits our list. Just like they’ll tell you that you haven’t had pizza until you’ve had a New York Pizza, you know you are from New York when you don’t care that patience is a virtue. Tell whoever made that up to throw it in the trash!

Monroe outlined as “we want what we want and we want it now! Okay, not to sound like a region of bratty toddlers but most of us in the state tend to move at a very fast pace. This rule applies to all areas, unless you find yourself in the Western zone.”

Ice Cream!

Each state has their own go-to spot for their favorite ice cream. For New York, they have a shop called Stewarts. Stewarts apparently has the best ice cream a New Yorker could get. You know you’re from New York if someone offers you something from Stewarts and you say Rocky Road.

“An Upstate favorite, this chain of convenience stores offers you some of the best ice cream you’ll be able to find in all of New York,” Monroe said. Even when there’s snow on the ground, it’s a good time for ice cream.

Hometown Cooking

This is safe to assume with any state. If a state has a particular product that is exclusive to that state then the inhabitants will be biased towards that product and miss it terribly if they ever move away. Many places have their own alcoholic beverage brewed and the population swears by it. That is just the common practice for anywhere you go just how locals root for their sports team.

Monroe said, “From Saranac beer to Byrne Dairy, we love all the beverages our home state has to offer!” Who doesn’t love their own alcoholic beverage? If you go to a new state, just be cautious to never diss a drink.

The Accent!

You thought we would go this whole list without bringing up the accent New Yorkers carry with them like luggage? Fuhgeddaboudit! This is one of the most iconic things about being from New York. You know you are from New York if you have that accent that another New Yorker can easily spot out.

Monroe beautifully discussed how accents worked. “Growing up in the Capitol Region and being raised by a mother who originated from Brooklyn, meant my dear hamster Huey was constantly being referred to as some guy named ‘Yooey’.” If someone has a hard time with the letter “H”, chances are they are from New York.