Guy in car to cop: Can you help me out with directions?
Cop: Yeah, sure. Where are you going?
Guy in car: Staten Island.
Cop: Yeah, you smell like you're going to Staten Island.
–Shea Stadium Parking Lot
Overheard by: BigVinnyVito
Guy in car to cop: Can you help me out with directions?
Cop: Yeah, sure. Where are you going?
Guy in car: Staten Island.
Cop: Yeah, you smell like you're going to Staten Island.
–Shea Stadium Parking Lot
Overheard by: BigVinnyVito
Girl: There's police over there! It must be a crime scene!
Guy: Gang violence is so boring these days…
–Madison Square
Little girl: Daddy! I'm so excited to see the rats!
–Metro-North Rail
20-something guy to friends: He couldn't drink because he was on antibiotics. He got a rat disease from a lab rat that bit him.
–Lincoln Center
Guy to girlfriend: I step on dead rats all the time!
–Mercer St
Overheard by: Julie
20-something girl on cell: The mouse was fed to the snake the night before, so when I saw it the next morning, I freaked.
–R Train
Cop: We had a guy down here eating a rat. I said, "You're a gentleman in society." He put the rat in his mouth.
–South Ferry Subway
Guy on cell: We get a little crazy wearing real pants. If we go to the store or something, we'll find ourselves bickering because we're wearing real pants.
–Washington Square Park
Traffic cop, motioning people to move quicker to clear the intersection: C'mon, people! They're real cars, they hit real hard!
–Broadway & Houston
Incredulous 30-something to tourist parents, during intermission of The Lion King: Well, I'm just really disappointed. I thought there were going to be real lions.
–Minskoff Theater
Overheard by: Not at the Circus
Lady in glasses on cell: Being naked is being real.
–West Broadway & Thomas St
Overheard by: Alex S.
Collegiate #1: I can't believe that asshole MTA called the cops on us.
Collegiate #2: Seriously, isn't it enough that we risked our lives crossing the subway tracks to get to the other side? Fuck that guy, we wasted $2.00 and then had to take a cab to escape the police.
–Columbia University
Horrified woman to cop: Um, sir? There's a homeless man by the garbage can with his pants down.
Cop, exasperated: Awwww, naked guy!
–Penn Station
Overheard by: Fi
Burly guy in cafe: Mind mapping's not a game. It's a reality.
–Ave A & 11th St
Overheard by: Anna P.
Cop to another: Some people play checkers, some people play chess. You, son, you play checkers.
–New Street & Beaver
Black librarian with dreads: In the game, you gotta give the black girl all your stuff, all your valuable stuff. You give it to her to hold and then you take it from her. That's how you get the trophy.
–Bronx Library
Drunk guy in the cafe car: Listen! Just because I'm white doesn't mean I can't play dominoes!
–Acela Train
Overheard by: Someone who can't play dominoes
Father to little boy: If you keep misbehaving, the police are gonna take you to jail.
Little boy: (giant grin)
–110th & Broadway
Overheard by: Ladle
Suit: Guess what he found. (pause) A stick of butter. (pause) In the soap dish of the bathtub upstairs.
–Cafe Toda, Broadway & John St
Loud teenage boy: They're completely uncivilized. They don't even use tomato sauce.
–Japan Society
Overheard by: Sunny
Student, about dorm room: I walk in and thought there was a pile of shit on my bed. I look a little closer, and it was a fucking wad of dip.
–College, The Bronx
Student to another: Who made you the butter police?
–Union & 7th Ave, Brooklyn
Overheard by: Lauren Razzore
Drunk girl, seeing tree fallen on car after rainstorm: Officer, it was the wind!
Police officer: Good detective work.
Passerby: Case solved.
–3rd St & Ave A