You haven't been to New York if... you haven't given a homeless guy money.

So, I was waiting for Victoria to come to Madison Square Garden, where she would meet up with me before taking the subway to Brooklyn and drop of my bags.

I was really nervous because I really don't like the feeling of being a tourist, and I like it even less when other people look at you as being a tourist. So, evidently with all the stories you hear and all the movies you see about New York City, I was not feeling what you can call: at ease.

Before waiting for Victoria at the corner of 32nd street and 8th ave, I thought it would be safer to just walk around a little, and move from place to place. I walked into this shady black dude who was like:
'Pssst, you interested in tickets for the Nicks game?'
'No' * do I look interested to you?!?*
'Maybe a rangers game?'
'No, I'm nt really a sports kind of guy' *just leave me alone*

Then later I was standing at the top of the steps to go underground to the railway station when this old man came up to me. Super friendly, but still. I had just been texting Victoria that I arrived so he must have seen me with my iPhone, when he came up to me and asked me if he could use my phone for a quick call. So, I remembered putting all my dollar bills in the pocket of my pants, because I figured that if anyone would open my bag with a knife, he would have an envelope waiting for him with up to 300 dollars in there.

So, I told the man: 'I'm sorry this is an international phone, but I can give you a dollar if you want, so you can use a pay phone'. Nervous as I was, not knowing if this man was honest or not, I started looking for money in my pocket, but couldn't JUST take it all out, because it was so much, I pulled out a 5 dollar bill and nervously said: 'Oh here you have five dollars'. I'm so naive.

10 seconds later :

'What the Fuck? Did I just give a complete stranger FIVE DOLLARS?'

By now, I learned to say 'no' when someone asks me for money.

Let's go stand somewhere else.