Woman: Foreigners are killing this city.
Man: Those people seemed like Americans.
Woman: But they’re foreign to New York.
–MoMA
Woman: Foreigners are killing this city.
Man: Those people seemed like Americans.
Woman: But they’re foreign to New York.
–MoMA
Tourist #1: Can you take our picture?
Young man: Sure.
Tourists put on “Chinese” hats and make their eyes slanty by pulling at the corners.
Tourists: Ching, chow, chey, high-ya!
Young man: I’m not sure you should do that.
Tourist #1: Do you think they know we’re making fun of them?
Young man: Nooo…I bet they think it’s just what crazy Europeans do when taking pictures.
Young man hands back camera and walks away quickly.
Young man to friend: That was so offensive I think it was funny.
–Chinatown
Overheard by: chapster
Hispanic woman: I love you Chinese people. You don’t gain weight like us Americans. It must be some secret Chinese roots you eat.
Young Asian girl: [Stares quizzically]Hispanic woman: You people even have all fried food and the sauce, but you stay so skinny. I love Chinese food, but it make me fat. Why it doesn’t make you people fat? It is a Chinese secret; tell me it.
Young Asian girl: I’m actually of Japanese descent, and my family has lived in Jersey since the 1920’s.
Hispanic woman: But you still skinny.
–7 train, 5th Ave/Bryant Park
Overheard by: SandmanEsq
Spanish girl: Why are there so many Mexicans in Minnesota? Isn’t that really far north?
Spanish boy: I don’t know…
Spanish girl: I mean, how’d they swim that far?
–23rd & Lex
A bunch of Asian people get on the train.
Black teen boy #1: Whoa, shit! Half of China up in here!
Black teen boy #2: No shit, man. We better represent!
Black teen girl: I’ma get out my phone, be like, “Where my nigga Shaneequa at?”
–3 train, 116th St/Lenox Ave
Overheard by: quiubomona
Older man, screaming at Middle Eastern booth operator: You playa hata! You uptight and ignorant! This is bullshit! Go back to Leban!
–59th St subway station
Overheard by: Marissa
Frat boy: You need to go south of the Mason Dickinson line. That’s where you find the really hot girls.
–14th & 2nd
Thug: I don’t understand the Middle East shit. How can you be in the east and still be in the middle?!
–F train
Overheard by: Braincurve
Lady: I heard it was going to be a big thunderstorm out on Long Island. You know, just the Hamptons, Montauk and Connecticut.
–NYSC, Cobble Hill
Southern woman: Yeah, come meet us! We’re on Long Island!
–Battery Park
Overheard by: Caty
Mexican girl: Most European countries make you join the army at 18. Colombia, Peru…
–28th & Park
Overhead by: Lindsay
Teen tourist: If I was in America, I would send this back.
–Thai restaurant, 34th St & 30th Ave, Astoria
Overheard by: Jamie M
Bus driver: I gotta get out of this country. It’s too damn hot. I’m going to Alaska.
–M4 bus
Overheard by: Gwenn
Guy: Hey! Where’s my Sudanese pussy from Chinatown?
–14th & University
Guy on cell: I’ll meet you at the corner by the store with Chinese writing…Hey, wait a minute. All the fucking signs around here have Chinese writing.
–Walker & Lafayette
Overheard by: Wolf
Guy on cell: So, if this is true, then Dracula’s native language would be Hungarian rather than Romanian. And I think that is important for my research.
–Anthology Film Archives, 2nd St & 2nd Ave
Overheard by: nosy cinephile
Teen girl: This bag is mad Aztec.
–13th & University
Co-Worker: So, did she mention anything about Mexicans?
–Office, W 36th St
Overheard by: Evan
Well-Traveled girl: Mexico is not a Third-World country. JFK is.
–Tea Lounge, Park Slope
Small child: Mommy, look! You can tell he’s Mexican by his eyes!
–Bodies exhibit, South Street Seaport
White girl, to Asian girl: So wait, is he just not Japanese or not interested?
–Walgreens, Union Square
Overheard by: Goldie
Businesswoman: Well you can’t kill a Vietnamese man because that would just cost too much.
–I Trulli restaurant, E 27th St
Hobo: You’re not Polish; you just think you’re Polish!
–Tompkins Square Park
Voice over intercom: Will the foreign exchange student please come to the cashier.
–Century 21
Sassy chick: I can’t believe she’s moving to fucking Cambodia to live with a fucking cricket-hunter she’s only known for two months!
–TGI Friday’s, 52nd & 7th
Overheard by: Shaina
Texan mom: It says here that the French gave this statue as a gift.
Texan dad: Ain’t no way France coulda sent that. They ain’t got no boat big enough.
Texan mom: But it says here…
Texan dad: Ain’t possible means ain’t possible. Gittit?
–Liberty Island
Overheard by: Colman
Girl: Isn’t your dad Swiss?
Guy: No, he’s Swedish.
Girl: Oh, that’s right: people are Swedish, things are Swiss. Well, actually, they’re interchangeable.
–Sprint Store, 8th St & 6th Ave
Overheard by: Thunder
Girl: They were all over each other, practically disrobing.
Guy: Hey, I might have liked to have seen that.
Girl: No you wouldn’t have. They were Australian.
–Penn Station
Overheard by: Wic
