New York the Most Courteous City?

That’s what Reader’s Digest is saying after conducting, an admittedly unscientific but a practical, test of politeness in 35 cities around the world. Basically a couple of reporters checked whether (1) people would hold the door for you, (2) clerks would say thank you and (3) people would help pick up papers dropped from a folder.

What was the result you ask? New York came out on top with a rating of 80% followed by Zurich at 77% and Toronto at 70%. You can see the whole list at the Reader’s Digest web site.

Does that surprise me? No, not really. People in the Northeast in general and New York in particular are a fairly polite bunch but, and here’s the big but, they don’t suffer fools gladly either. If you do something out of line, they’ll let you know about it. That perhaps accounts for the “in your face” reputation of New Yorkers. More often than not they will let you have it if you do something stupid or inconsiderate. So be on your best behavior in the Big Apple. After all, it’s the most courteous city in the world.