How to Blend in… in New York City

Nearly 49 million tourists visited New York City in 2010, and if walking the bustling streets of Manhattan is any indication, that number may be even higher this year. As a Big Apple native, I pride myself on spotting tourists faster than Lady Gaga changes her wardrobe. Here are some tips on how to blend into the city that never sleeps.

Avoid Times Square at all costs. It’s crawling with tourists 24/7/365. But if you absolutely can’t control yourself and must go, limit yourself to two photos and don’t gawk at the billboards.
Take a trip or two to the outer boroughs, otherwise known as Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. (OK, maybe not Staten Island). But if you’re pressed for time, a visit to upper Manhattan (above 96th Street) will suffice.
Never, ever dine at a chain restaurant. Being spotted at the Olive Garden or Outback Steak House will result in a one-way ticket out of town. Instead, venture to Manhattan’s Lower East Side for a taste of the new New York.
Read Time Out New York religiously. You’ll seem hip, smart and in the know. Hey, it even works for me most of the time. When you’re not reading the magazine, roll it up, place it in your back pocket and voila; you’ve reached the next level of cool.
Learn how to correctly pronounce street names. The swank, artsy neighborhood of SoHo stands for “South of Houston Street.” The surest way to make a New Yorker cringe is by pronouncing “H-O-U-S-T-O-N” like that hot, sprawling city in Texas. If you pronounce the first syllable so it rhymes with those furry little rodents that love cheese, you’ll have a much better shot at blending in.
Even lifelong New Yorkers get lost on the subway occasionally and need to sneak a peek at a map while underground. But if you have any chance of fooling people into thinking you actually live here, don’t pull out a physical map — download an app. Unfolding a monstrously large subway map and spreading it across four seats usually means you arrived in New York City for the first time a few hours ago.
Check out a quirky museum. New Yorkers and tourists alike enjoy the splendor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. But it’s a safe bet that you’ll be surrounded by lots of native New Yorkers if you trek to Hollis Famous Burgers in Queens, which believe it or not, doubles as the Hollis Hip Hop Museum. Chow down on a burger and fries while you enjoy memorabilia from such local rap legends as DMC, Ja Rule and LL Cool J.*
* Word on the street is that Hollis Famous Burgers has temporarily shuttered its doors due to a tax dispute but is scheduled to re-open soon. But if you’re looking for another quirky museum to visit in the meantime, head to Coney Island. Where else besides the Coney Island Museum can you see vintage funhouse mirrors and bumper cars?