I think part of what makes New York hard for newcomers to navigate is the question of give and take (which, if you're not attuned to the subtle machinations of angry mobs, feels mostly like take and take and take).

For instance, when you're on a super crowded subway car and you have to get off at the next stop, this seems like an obvious "take" scenario. You climb over that baby carriage, lean your hip into that elderly woman with the cane, and get yourself positioned by the door so -- God forbid -- you don't end up trapped in your seat as the train pulls away, whisking you off to Far Rockaway.

But, really, this is a rookie mistake.

This is a "give" scenario. And not just because shoving old ladies and leaping over baby carriages is frowned upon in polite society.

Because chances are it's rush hour and the train is crowded because you just passed Times Square and you're hurtling towards Columbus Circle where you absolutely must get off to make it to the office in time and this, combined with the distance to the next stop (125th street, aka way out of your way and 60 blocks from the office), makes you nervous and inclined to shove your way to the door. But odds are that 90% of the people on your train are in exactly the same situation because 90% of people on that train work in Midtown, not at 125th street. So your odds are 9 to 1 (and that's pessimistic) that you'll get off the train, bouyed by the shoving and jostling of the crowd.

I would say that this knowledge (predicated as it is on an understanding of the rush-hour popularity of one's subway stop, as well as the stops immediately before and after) would eliminate the vast majority of dirty looks given to hapless tourists by elderly women with canes and young mothers with baby carriages.