This week we became smitten with Karen, the "little Texan abroad" who stormed through Times Square thoroughly unimpressed with everything but the pigeons. The Tocqueville of her generation had said: "I'm afraid to talk out loud, it's kind of crappy here. I feel like an ant in an ant hill." Well, we're happy to report that there is a new video up, and she's found something about NYC she can actually appreciate: Central Park. more ›

It seems the genius of Karl Pilkington has swept through Texas: in the videos below, a Texan man films his "little Texan abroad" Karen as she gives her undiluted critique of NYC from Times Square. And it's without a doubt that Karen is the Tocqueville of her generation: "I'm afraid to talk out loud, it's kind of crappy here. I feel like an ant in an ant hill. They have a bunch of TVs all over the place, I could be sitting at home in my living room watching TV...It's just a bunch of crap." At least there's one thing she likes: "They got a cute pigeon. I saw a cute pigeon." more ›

After spotting a struggling future tourist on Yelp, who was receiving very bad information on what to do when they visited New York City, we were compelled to help. After all, those tourist dollars are precious to our economy. So, we reached out to some of our favorite locals—like, ones with Verified Twitter accounts—for their more knowledgeable recommendations. Behold, future tourists, your new tour guides: more ›

Recently a Yelper asked, "I am going to NYC for the first time and don't know what to do up there. There seems to be a lot. What is your favorite things in New York City?" So far, the suggestions he's getting are a bit lacking, and coming mostly from other tourists. For example, the first commenter suggests mostly spots found in the movie Serendipity: "Serendipity (the original! We sat next to the table Kate Beckinsale & John Cusack sat in, in the movie!!), Waldorf hotel (where movie Serendipity was shot—elevator scene!!)," etc. more ›

The NYPD are not known for giving out frivolous tickets or making frivolous arrests, unless you happen to be reading the bible in a playground after dark or eating doughnuts in a playground unaccompanied by a child. So it may shock you to hear of another case in which the NYPD aggressively arrested a suspect who, it turned out, had committed absolutely no crime: “I was under the impression that it was very illegal to walk up the hill,” said tourist Aaron Vansintjan about his frustrating experience. more ›

Pot-loving Euro-trippers, start checking Priceline if you want one final hurrah in Dutch "coffeeshops"—the Netherlands are poised to start banning tourists from cannabis-selling cafes with the goal of "combating drug tourism and the accompanying public nuisance." What will Woody Harrelson do?! more ›

This summer Brooklyn artist Leon Reid IV launched a Kickstarter to support his project: dressing up the George Washington statue in Union Square as a tourist. At the time, the Parks Department said they didn't allow dressing up public statues... yet today word comes in that it's all happening this weekend. That's right, this Saturday George will be donning an "I ♥ NY" hat, a subway map, and local shopping bags... but like all tourists he's only here temporarily, leaving around 8 p.m. that night. more ›

Tourist Theresa Shaver was taking a carriage horse ride in Central Park on Sunday afternoon when the horse fell to the ground... and she caught it all on video (you're going to want to turn your volume down!): more ›

Bryan Devendorf (drummer for The National, and soon-to-be dad) has once again documented a part of his life on the road for us (read his previous entries from 2007 and 2005). This time around, the Brooklyn-based band was back on tour with Arcade Fire—below is Devendorf's first dispatch from The Road, and we'll have more in the coming days. (Click through for photos and video that accompany the text.) more ›

Are people really worried about getting attacked in the Empire State Building or something? We ask because for the second time this month police have arrested a man for entering the iconic building with a firearm. more ›

It's probably fair to assume that Yoko Ono isn't a fan of strangers sneaking in to The Dakota to pay her a little surprise visit, no matter how well-meaning they may be. Yet, on the afternoon of January 12th, one brave tourist decided to sneak in to the building—which is where Yoko lives, and her husband was fatally shot. more ›

The Lonely Planet folk are pitting San Francisco against New York City... and we're getting our collective ass kicked right now in their poll. Turns things around! They've taken 15 locations in each city, and want you to pick favorites (the view from the Brooklyn Bridge or Twin Peaks, that sort of thing). They also note that you can get street cred in NYC by not pointing or squealing at the rats (so basically, this guy wins). more ›

Yesterday, rapper Diddy and a crew of savvy PR folk took over a few subway stations with signs and conductors to promote his new album, Last Train to Paris. Because what could make you want to buy an album more than people in costumes yelling at you during your morning commute? The MTA took down the magnetic signs yesterday morning, but one new rider was mildly concerned! One tourist said, "It could definitely mess me up. It's my first time in the subway. Paris could be a part of the city." And there could be only one train left. more ›

The Spanish tourist who was run over by a livery cab while crossing Third Avenue with her husband Sunday night is fighting for her life at Bellevue Hospital. Maria Hermosin Jimenez sustained severe head trauma after being struck by Dave St. Bernard, who's been previously arrested for drug possession upstate. Jimenez was in the crosswalk when she was hit by the Lincoln Town Car as it was making a left into the intersection. "It hit her from behind and threw her up in the air," her husband, who was uninjured, tells the Post. St. Bernard, who also admitted to the Post in 2009 that he likes to text while driving, was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. more ›

A Spanish tourist is in critical condition with serious head trauma after getting run over by a livery cab as she crossed Third Avenue at 42nd Street last night around 10:30. Maria Hermosin Jimenez, 58, was crossing the avenue at the crosswalk with her husband when she has hit by the car; she sustained serious head trauma and is currently at Bellevue Hospital. Her husband was not injured. The Daily News reports that the driver, Dave St. Bernard, 53, of Brooklyn, was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. You may remember St. Bernard from an article in the Post last year, in which he told the tabloid about his penchant for texting and driving. more ›

You want to know why New York is the greatest city in the world? It's because a tourist can get hit by a cop car and still want to come back. Johannes Glaumann, a tourist on his second visit to the city from Stockholm, was struck by an NYPD patrol car while crossing West Street at Clarkson Street yesterday morning. But from his bed at Bellevue Hospital, he told the Daily News, "I don't blame New York. I want to come back." Why not, when the city is full of gritty, real experiences like that? Hell, the NYPD should start charging for this kind of "only in New York" thrill! more ›

New Yorkers have never shown a shortage of opinions on either tourists or cyclists, which is why an attack near Central Park on Thursday night has us confused as to whose side we're on. In the red corner we have Tamara Farra, a 45-year-old tourist from Los Angeles who was meandering down East 74th Street with her friend from New Jersey. In the blue corner, we have Carl Goodman, the 25-year-old cyclist with a "long rap sheet" who began circling Farra, spitting at her and grabbing at her throat. While Goodman sounds completely nuts, Farra did have the audacity to be from Los Angeles. Surprisingly, the good guy seems to be the one motorist in the story. more ›

Is the tourist sidewalk line that suddenly showed up earlier this week actually a work of Banksy? A tipster pointed us to Banksy's book Wall and Piece, which has several examples of his text work, which bear some resemblance to the sidewalk lane (you can see some of those examples above). Banksy pieces have been popping up all over the city during the past week since his arrival in NY, and the sidewalk line has simultaneously become the "talk of the internet." more ›

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg finally weighed in on "the talk of the Internet"—the line chalked onto a Fifth Avenue sidewalk that tries to keep tourists out of the way of busy, important New Yorkers as they go about their big shot, world-turning business. The mayor's sunshine-and-daffodils spin on the tourist lane would have made Pollyanna roll her eyes: more ›

The line painted onto a Fifth Avenue sidewalk dividing pedestrian traffic into "Tourists" and "New Yorkers" was "the talk of the Internet" yesterday, reports the New York Post, which paid a professional journalist and photographer to go do actual reporting from the scene of the prank. (They even edited together a video segment.) The Daily News dispatched journalists, too! Both tabloids report divided opinions on the dividing line. more ›

Everyone complains about waddling gangs of tourists blocking the sidewalks of this fair city, but nobody ever does anything about it (beyond unleashing the occasional barnyard noise or cane swipe). Until NOW. As you can see from this photo, taken at 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue, some disgruntled local pedestrian has taken bold action to separate those of us taking care of business in this town from those who just come to marvel, slack-jawed and staggering, at our panicked, bug-eyed dynamism. Now we just need a lane for strollers and people who text while walking, and we'll be all set. [Via The Awl] more ›

A recent Cornell University study [PDF] filed through Flickr pictures and determined photogs' favorite places and things. It found that New York City is the most frequently photographed location on Earth, with London and San Francisco following. The Empire State Building is the 7th most-photographed landmark. Twenty-eighth on the list? The glass-encased Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. more ›

Anthony Daly was visiting NYC from Boston at the end of December when a violent encounter with the NYPD left his leg broken in three places. Cops were called to the Hotel Chandler on December 27th after getting a report that Daly had assaulted the bartender in the hotel bar. Daly denies assaulting anyone but admits he got drunk and insulted some Englishmen who were singing English football songs. "I put my hands on their backs and just said, 'Sing it up boys, sing it up. That's all that's left of your little empire, soccer,'" Daly tells NY1. more ›

Last week we told you about NY's filthiest hotel, Times Square's New York Inn. Based on user-reviews from TripAdvisor.com, it was ranked sixth skeeziest guest house in the nation and our city’s very worst. The Post took us on a tour of the rickety old building, some highlights—which you can see after the break—include “stained sheets, a mysterious blood stain, a dangerous looking radiator, holes in the bedspread, a shower curtain suspended by twine and a general appalling level of filth in the bathroom.” more ›

Costumed characters from Sesame Street and other children's shows have become a regular fixture in Midtown, where they can make about $80 per day posing for photos with tourists, according to the Post. The tabloid spoke with the men behind the masks, and learned that there's a science to figuring out the rates. "I charge one dollar for some people, and more for others," said José Montier, 40, who dresses as Cookie Monster. "It depends on if they're a big group, if they look like they're rich." more ›

The Bronx street where police fired 41 shots at an unarmed black man in 1999 has become an unlikely tourist attraction, according to the Daily News. more ›