I have friends from all over the world, and it always aggravates me when someone says "Oh, I'd never want to go to New York City. Everyone's so MEAN. What if I got lost?"

While I don't live in the city, I've been a New Yorker most of my life, and I have always found -- even in the 1980s (when things were still pretty bad in a lot of areas), that most people were pleasant and eager to help.

This was one of the most beautiful things I've read about NYC in years, and I'm glad to have been able to share it.