(The Above photo: courtesy of Mainzer Postcards, inc.)

Dear Eric,

I just wanted to write a short letter expressing my love for the city and people of New York. I am a New Zealander who has just finished a trip to New York.

New York is electric, its everything you dream of - big skyline and lots of people. Its easy to lose yourself in all that atmosphere.

Eye contact and smiling is a normal part of culture in New Zealand so it was a shock to not encounter it on the trains - but looking past all the tired faces, I empathise with the locals. New York is a tough place to live and when things get tough, the survival instinct kicks in.

But even when faced with survival, its great to know people don't forget they're still people.

It wasn't even fifteen minutes after leaving JFK that some locals helped me find my way out of the airport and onto the train, they travelled past their train stop to make sure I got off at the correct station, and then provided me with maps so I was sure to make it to my accommodation.

My travel bag got stuck in the turnstile and a random passerby helped me get untangled and then the train staff went that extra mile to make sure I was where I needed to be.

Another set of people walked me to my accomodation to make sure I arrived safely.

Shop owners and locals told me where the best places to eat, where the best places to shop and whether something was a hustle.

They were always more than helpful in finding my way around the trains and streets.

I thought I had a good idea of people here but I wanted to know whether my assumptions about New Yorkers were correct so I played the dumb tourist.

I counted my money on my train openly, I then dropped my cellphone and passport and sure enough - locals clamboured over each other to return my belongings, even advising me to make sure I close the zipper to my bag and not open my wallet in public.

Though I wouldn't recommend this course of action, even if you're in my neck of the woods, it gives me confidence that even if the survival instinct kicks in, human decency is alive and well in the big apple.

God I love New York!!!


Bryan,

Like I say to my own countrymen who visit the city of my birth, when they tell me, "Hey, you've got a great city here." I tell them, "It is YOUR CITY, too."

Thanks for the kind words, buddy! See you down-under!

Eric K. Williams, Executive Director
International Access Networks