Global Geography

American tourist: Where you're from?
European tourist: Berlin.
American tourist: Ah, Berlin–that's sooo lovely!
European tourist: You been there?
American tourist: Well, almost… We've been to, like… Barcelona?

–E 42nd St

Tourist to another, looking at Ellis Island: Look, there is Alcatraz!

–Staten Island Ferry

Little tourist girl to dad: Why are there so many brown people in this city?

–Lexington & 59th St

Tourist: We have made it to the center of the earth!

–Times Square

Overheard by: Lance Torres

Tourist: Wow! Times Square is really busy tonight.

–Times Square

Overheard by: erkala

Teenage tourist: Soooo… It's like a little bus… On rails… That goes in a tunnel?

–42nd & 7th

Dominican girl #1: Yo, when you go to the Dominican republic, everyone is mad nice to you because they think you are rich and can help them out. Everyone there thinks people in the US are all rich.
Dominican girl #2: Yeah, but they don't know we got poor people here, too.
Dominican girl #1: Word, they think the whole country's rich, like Ireland.

–Vanessa's Dumplings, 14th St

Four-year-old: I was going to Queens.
Employee: Oh, Queens?
Four-year-old: Yeah, it wasn't part of the United States, it was part of Long Island.

–McNally Jackson Bookstore

Overheard by: Amyjo

Seven-year old boy to bookseller: Do you have any books on crop circles in this library?

–Barnes & Noble

Overheard by: Amused bookseller a few feet away

Man to another: Don't you know? All those tunnels in Afghanistan run into the pyramids in Gaza! If I was President there would be one less pyramid.

–Soup Kitchen, Midtown

Overheard by: John Gordon

Gentleman on train: You know why they invented daylight savings, don't you? It's because of Halloween, a lot of congressmen wanted kids to have an extra hour to go trick or treating. That's why we have daylight savings.

–Penn Station

Overheard by: Annie

Elderly professor: Fewer chairs, less chalk every week. It's a conspiracy!

–Pratt Institute

Overheard by: Denali

Heavily accented barista: Vat can I get forrr you?
Customer: I'll have a tall, iced, nonfat latte…I like your accent. Are you from Brazil?
Heavily accented barista: No, I'm from Bulgaria.
Customer: Oh. Is that near Brazil?

–Starbucks

Overheard by: *smacks forehead with hand*

Woman, gesturing angrily at new subway map: Did you see this? Look at this color! It looks like Kuwait! When I draw maps that's the color I use for desert wasteland!
Bystander: Well, it is Queens…

–1 Train

Overheard by: Rose Fox

Old British man: I would take New York over any city.
American woman: Even England?

–87th & 2nd

Argumentative tour bus operator #1: Ghana is the best African country, man! The best!
Argumentative tour bus operator #2: Oh, yeah? What's your average life expectancy?

–Times Square

Overheard by: Rose Fox

Tourist girls: Where is Soho?
Ice cream stand guy: This is Soho.
Tourist girls: No, where is Soho?

–Broome & Wooster