New York, New York...so good they tell you to get off their island multiple times in a really snarky voice. The Manhattan tourism industry received a much-needed shot in the arm from professional curmudgeon Fran Lebowitz who, in an interview with Papermag.com, outlined her multiple objections to people not from New York visiting New York.
Among the choice comments were:
- "Tourism as a number-one industry is a terrible, terrible idea for any city, especially New York."
- "I would like to see fewer and fewer tourists and I'm tired of hearing about how much money they bring to the city because the kind of jobs the tourists bring to the city are the worst jobs."
- "I object to Airbnb. I don't want these people to come here; I frankly do not care where they are staying. Stay home."
- "I would like to stand at the border -- I would volunteer -- and say, "You can come here, but you have to live here. If you're coming here for four days, you can't come"
Oh my. Here's someone with a little case of the Moan-days. If she sold flowers professionally, she'd be Florist Grump, amiright? The thing is, Ms Lebowitz, who presumably doesn't travel anywhere for less than four days, or anywhere that has a residential centre, is unwittingly making us want to go to Manhattan more than ever.
Doesn't she realise, half the fun of going to NYC is seeing the most abrasive, pugnacious and outright rude people on earth (outside of Paris, natch) in their natural environment. Every server who overtly belittles me as I very slightly mis-order something from the unnavigable breakfast menu in a diner, I tip with extra gusto just for the typical NYC experience. I figure they get paid to do that by the tourist board, just so we're not disappointed. Going to Manhattan for me is like sneaking back to the haughty mistress who I gladly pay to humiliate me.
I hate to break this to you, Fran, but if you really want us to stop coming to Manhattan, you're going to have to start being much, much nicer...
(photo via cc, Christopher Macsurak)
Among the choice comments were:
- "Tourism as a number-one industry is a terrible, terrible idea for any city, especially New York."
- "I would like to see fewer and fewer tourists and I'm tired of hearing about how much money they bring to the city because the kind of jobs the tourists bring to the city are the worst jobs."
- "I object to Airbnb. I don't want these people to come here; I frankly do not care where they are staying. Stay home."
- "I would like to stand at the border -- I would volunteer -- and say, "You can come here, but you have to live here. If you're coming here for four days, you can't come"
Oh my. Here's someone with a little case of the Moan-days. If she sold flowers professionally, she'd be Florist Grump, amiright? The thing is, Ms Lebowitz, who presumably doesn't travel anywhere for less than four days, or anywhere that has a residential centre, is unwittingly making us want to go to Manhattan more than ever.
Doesn't she realise, half the fun of going to NYC is seeing the most abrasive, pugnacious and outright rude people on earth (outside of Paris, natch) in their natural environment. Every server who overtly belittles me as I very slightly mis-order something from the unnavigable breakfast menu in a diner, I tip with extra gusto just for the typical NYC experience. I figure they get paid to do that by the tourist board, just so we're not disappointed. Going to Manhattan for me is like sneaking back to the haughty mistress who I gladly pay to humiliate me.
I hate to break this to you, Fran, but if you really want us to stop coming to Manhattan, you're going to have to start being much, much nicer...
(photo via cc, Christopher Macsurak)
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