7 Most Overrated Things About New York (PHOTOS)

I spend a lot of time in New York. I even rent a loft in Queens, and as I write this, I'm currently back in New York. As you can probably guess, I love the place. So when the New York office of Penguin Books, which published my book "OverRated: The 50 Most Overhyped Things in History," asked me to tweet my choices for New York's most overrated things, I knew that this was no time for personal gripes. There is no shortage of hype in NYC - so here, in more than 140 characters, are 7 things about New York that seriously get more hype than they deserve. As followers of #markjuddery already know, these are 7 Overrated Things about New York...

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1. The Tony Awards

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They are meant to be part of the Big Four of entertainment awards: the Oscars, the Grammies, the Emmies and the Tonies. This might seem to make sense. The Tony Awards, after all, are America's biggest theatre awards. Yet the others all have some international flavor. The Emmy Awards focus on US television, but they also hand out International Emmies. The Oscars mainly go to Hollywood films, but they also cater not just to the U.S. indie market, but the rest of the world as well. The Grammies? Whatever you think about them, they are certainly circulated worldwide. The Tony Awards, of course, don't include the world. They don't even include most of America. In fact, they don't even include most of New York. They focus on one street in Manhattan. Sure, it's a big street, but even the Drama Desk Awards cover a wider berth (namely, the rest of New York). The Big Four? Until a major theater award includes productions staged west of the Hudson, we'll just have to enjoy the Big Three.

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They are meant to be part of the Big Four of entertainment awards: the Oscars, the Grammies, the Emmies and the Tonies. This might seem to make sense. The Tony Awards, after all, are America's biggest theatre awards. Yet the others all have some international flavor. The Emmy Awards focus on US television, but they also hand out International Emmies. The Oscars mainly go to Hollywood films, but they also cater not just to the U.S. indie market, but the rest of the world as well. The Grammies? Whatever you think about them, they are certainly circulated worldwide.

The Tony Awards, of course, don't include the world. They don't even include most of America. In fact, they don't even include most of New York. They focus on one street in Manhattan. Sure, it's a big street, but even the Drama Desk Awards cover a wider berth (namely, the rest of New York). The Big Four? Until a major theater award includes productions staged west of the Hudson, we'll just have to enjoy the Big Three.

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This Overrated Thing

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Not overrated at all Totally overrated!

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Comments

[Ingar]

01:57 AM on 06/08/2011

I'm not a New Yorker, but even I've got to say you've got this all wrong. I mean, New York NEVER was dangerous? People were genuinely afraid to walk down the street on the UPPER EAST SIDE in the 70's, forget the LES. And just about every other thing you're saying is just misguided. But on top of that, super boring.

[Hope Richardson]

03:01 PM on 06/05/2011

I like how in #6 he apologizes for making ONE personal gripe. The whole thing is just one man's rant about what he hates in New York. They're all "gripes". Every. Single. One.

[sonofsarek]

12:44 PM on 06/05/2011

The 2 most overrated things about NY are the food and the general living conditions. Both are just way too expensive.

[badgerdan]

10:54 AM on 06/05/2011

Statue of Liberty not an icon? Wrong. I think we can say that liberty is religious in its ferver and the devotion it has engendered in millions of people. Your interpretation is way too literal. Whether America falls short of the ideal, the statue is an icon of the nation.

[Pumpsie]

06:25 PM on 06/02/2011

If you experience rudeness in NYC, it's probably either from a tourist or someone from New Jersey. As a rule, New Yorkers are the most helpful and open people I've ever experienced in any U.S. city. In part, this is because it's part of the culture to be proud of the fact that you know the best routes and ways to get anywhere. Giving good and accurate directions is a trait learned by anyone who has lived there long enough.

Next time you do an article about NYC, assign it to someone who actually KNOWS something about the city.

[Yaply]

08:13 AM on 06/03/2011

In that case I only met horrible people from out of town when I was there. None of those top-notch real friendly NY humans.

[Mr Muckle]

08:02 PM on 06/03/2011

Just your luck, I guess.

[jonesrow]

02:30 PM on 06/02/2011

Best pizza in the world? Antonio's in Amherst, Mass., and yes, I've eaten pizza in Italy.

[captainindustry]

12:24 PM on 06/06/2011

Italian pizza just isn't all that good. Potatoes? on a pizza? Best food in the world, but American pizza is best. IMHO

[quindy]

12:48 AM on 06/02/2011

I don't know about the rudeness you are talking about. People are very nice and helpful and most of all they are tolerant. Yes, we can be abrupt when tourists spread five in a raw across the sidewalk, but we also expect the visitors to adjust a bit. There is just so much space to share. I cannot recall a single incident when someone was so rude I would remember, but I can give you thousands of examples of kindness that I experience every day.

[JacksonHts]

09:04 PM on 06/01/2011

generic pizza in NYC is definitely mediocre

[Welshish]

03:56 PM on 06/01/2011

I think the best thing about New York is the New Yorkers! They will give you detailed directions even if they have no idea where it is! They will jump into a conversation with a stranger! They can see someone in an alien costume at 7AM and not bat an eye! They are full of great opinions! They speak to you when they see you on the street! They laugh right-out-loud! They are boisterous! They are smart! They are savvy!

[Ms NYC]

03:36 PM on 06/02/2011

Thanks. Fanned.

[Mr Muckle]

08:03 PM on 06/03/2011

Or we'll just ask someone else for you.

[mmkay]

10:47 AM on 06/01/2011

New Youk has bialys, man. That's a must try.

[chiara0]

10:07 AM on 06/01/2011

Unless you are absurdly rich, you have to be a romantic or sentimentalist to like living in NYC. It's all in your head - you have to live in survival mode - never mind the grit and soot.

[Trilby]

12:50 PM on 06/01/2011

Spoken like a true non-NYer.

[McHale Ann Haiman]

03:41 AM on 06/01/2011

My sister told me during the last World Series that someone on the radio said they weren't going to bother to watch since the Yankees weren't in it and they are supposed to be because it is tradition. HA. Nothing like having a tradition about buying titles. That is what I hate about NY. The Yankees.

[Knothare1230]

10:25 PM on 05/31/2011

First, the word icon like legend is over used EVERYWHERE in America. Secondly, The Tony Awards are just lame. IF you are not a true Broadway fan then it is not for you. That is like me hating on the CMAs when i don't listen to country music The World Series being called the World series has nothing to do w/NY. A great cup coffee is easy to find in NY I don't great that at all I don't know about latte and all the rest of garbage, But coffee easy enough as a matter of fact only New Orleans tops New York in Coffee.

[edayres]

08:25 PM on 05/31/2011

The writer is correct about the pizza and coffee, that's for sure. Many of the food categories have declined because the oriiginal ethnic groups that made them great moved on or up. The foods were often taken over by different ethnic groups that have no cultural connection with it, or they start adding all kinds of weird spices to things that may remind them of home, but ruin a good thing. Worse, the new owners try to cater to the tastes of the millions upon millions of tourists or people from other parts of the country, who grew up eating pineapple on their pizza. Here, that would have gotten you whacked, when I was kid. The Statue of Liberty has always been over rated, in my opinion, besides it's French.

[BaHa]

05:48 PM on 05/31/2011

Chicago doesn't have pizza; it has a sloppy casserole in a crust. Foul.

[48thGuy]

09:19 PM on 05/31/2011

BaHa, Chicago reigns supreme in food and that includes pizza. A casserole? You obviously never leave home!

[quindy]

12:52 AM on 06/02/2011

It's a pie, not pizza.