Hey everybody i'm going to New York soon on a trip. Just wondering what I should do to not get robbed / any other bad things. Taking my 13" MBA and my iPhone. Any advice on areas to stay out of? Also, can somebody familiar with gangs write down the colors of popular new york gangs so I know what not to wear. Thank you and any advice will be greatly appreciated.
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Advice for trip. Help Needed!
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It's not like the gang colors are posted in the subway so that the millions of people in New York don't wear them accidently. I mean, there must be lots of gangs, so that would severely limit the choice of clothing for people who aren't in a gang. Just don't go anywhere alone, and stay inside at night.
Where in New York are you going? I was there for 4 days a couple of years back and thought it was really safe. Wandering 'round the Manhattan south of central park I never felt threatened... I walked around by myself and at night.
If you're not used to big cities, just keep your stuff out of sight, act like you know the place and you'll be fine. Keep your iPhone in your pocket (rather than wandering around with it in your hand), keep your wallet in your pocket (I use a travel wallet that's on a chain), keep most of your money/valuables in the hotel safe.
If you're not used to big cities, just keep your stuff out of sight, act like you know the place and you'll be fine. Keep your iPhone in your pocket (rather than wandering around with it in your hand), keep your wallet in your pocket (I use a travel wallet that's on a chain), keep most of your money/valuables in the hotel safe.
Walk down the street with your eyes open.
Don't stare at the skyscrapers and act dumbfounded when you realize you need to change your Polaroid camera film.
Be skeptical if you see the same people following you around.
Don't wear a Metrocard shirt or any touristy outfits.
Stay below 110th street.
Don't trust groups of teenagers talking in broken English or languages besides English.
Don't use your laptop on the train.
If the same people keep on glancing at you, it's not usually a good thing.
Nobody knows what's in your bag until they see it.
Trains are safe.
The streets are safe.
On 28th street and Madison avenue there's a man disguised as a homeless person who on Wednesdays at 4:00-8:30pm sells Saturday Night Specials, i.e. one-time-use handguns. Staying strapped is never a bad idea.
That last one was a joke.
Don't stare at the skyscrapers and act dumbfounded when you realize you need to change your Polaroid camera film.
Be skeptical if you see the same people following you around.
Don't wear a Metrocard shirt or any touristy outfits.
Stay below 110th street.
Don't trust groups of teenagers talking in broken English or languages besides English.
Don't use your laptop on the train.
If the same people keep on glancing at you, it's not usually a good thing.
Nobody knows what's in your bag until they see it.
Trains are safe.
The streets are safe.
On 28th street and Madison avenue there's a man disguised as a homeless person who on Wednesdays at 4:00-8:30pm sells Saturday Night Specials, i.e. one-time-use handguns. Staying strapped is never a bad idea.
That last one was a joke.
Pink, violet are probably safe. Also a good idea to wet your pants before heading out and pushing around a shopping cart full of garbage, this will generally keep you safe.
The main gangs are, I believe, the Jets and the Sharks. There's a documentary available about them from the 50s, that should be very informative. Usually conflicts are resolved via the medium of dance and song, so learning a few moves and tunes would be advisable. Be careful out there.
Some almost funny, but of little value, some worthy of merit.
This is neither of the above. Worthless.
This is neither of the above. Worthless.
There are roughly 10 "main" colors. While I could not find any hard numbers, there are dozens of gangs in New York City. Therefore, it can be assumed that every color is claimed by at least one gang.
So, the obvious answer is, walk around New York naked.
It may be a better approach to wear what the locals wear.
A long time ago, damn near everyone in Manhattan was wearing white shirts and black pants. I was there with some friends from college and we were all in colorful shirts and blue jeans, we stuck out like sore thumbs.
I have no idea what the current "fashion" is these days.
The other hints about * knowing where you are going (or at least acting like it) * not gawking at the skyscrapers * not taking photos of everything are all good.
Watch the locals, emulate the locals.
A long time ago, damn near everyone in Manhattan was wearing white shirts and black pants. I was there with some friends from college and we were all in colorful shirts and blue jeans, we stuck out like sore thumbs.
I have no idea what the current "fashion" is these days.
The other hints about * knowing where you are going (or at least acting like it) * not gawking at the skyscrapers * not taking photos of everything are all good.
Watch the locals, emulate the locals.
You can't begin to imagine how a New Yorker would react to being called a "local".
Total hysteria!
Don't tell me you are from some state like Iowa ;-). I moved to Phoenix from LA, and trust me...we had gangs. Welcome to the big city, enjoy it, and don't act like you're from out of town.
No offense to Iowan friends
Have a safe trip, because I guarantee 99.9% of the time, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. It's not like you're walking through the streets of Camden, New Jersey or something...now that's where you'd want to be careful. New York is akin to any other big city in the world, such as LA, or London.
