I took the bus to New York City yesterday. The weather being fine, I decided to walk a mile or so up Eighth Avenue. It is not exactly the same as walking up Northampton Street in Easton:

1. You can always pick out the tourists. They are the chubby folk (native New Yorkers are slender from all the walking) who actually wait for the pedestrian flashers to change before bolting across the street.

2. What is with that "chirping bird" sound effect when it is safe to cross? Ornithologically-inclined tourists tend to stop and look for what is making that noise and risk being run over my native New Yorkers.

3. Tourists should be advised that they don't have to stop dead in their tracks and take a photo of every tall building along the way. You've seen one, you've seen them all.

4. Is there a NYC bar that is not featuring all the World Cup games live on TV?

5. Where else can you find Mexican, Mongolian, and Ethiopian restaurants on the same block?

6. If the person walking ahead of you is talking to himself and gesticulating wildly, look for a Bluetooth headset. If the headset is there, you can safely walk past. If not, the person is likely deranged and you may want to cross the street. The split between Bluetooth talkers and deranged folk is about 50:50.

7. New York City must be a gold mine for podiatrists. There are so many women walking a considerable distance in high, high heels. That 70s trend of carrying your heels in a bag and walking to work in running shoes has gone the way of the disco.