The Street Hustle

I ventured down to New York City today from upstate today. This is a typical fall trip and first off, it was amazing being free from the vices of covid while in the city. Last time I went we had to show proof of vaccination to get in anywhere and a year later it was like covid never existed.

My thoughts quickly turned from covid to the merchandise hustlers as we traversed the streets and park. I don’t know if “hustler” is the right term, but I’m not sure how else to refer to these multitude of people that independently offer jewelry, compact discs of their latest recordings, prayer cards, and a host of other DIY merchandise to unsuspecting tourists. I say “offer” because they aren’t “selling” this merchandise, per-say. They are sticking merchandise into your stomach as you pass by, leaving you little choice but to grab it, then forcing you to pay for it, the whole time smiling and pretending you are friends.

I have found this practice to be quite common no matter where I seem to be in the world. In Costa Rica it was jewelry and massages. (Yes, they come up to you while you are relaxing on the beach and try to get you to come under the shade of a tree beyond the sands to have a massage). In Greece it was flowers. In Italy it was homemade jewelry that looked to have a one-week shelf life. In Paris you have to deal with the gypsies. In New Orleans I was actually blocked from moving as one of these people knelt down in front of me and shined my five-year old pair of sneakers for thirty seconds while I stood helpless to move. Then after when I placed five dollars in his outstretched hand, he cursed at me, and I honestly thought he was going to attack me as he demanded more money.

On another occasion my wife and I answered the call to have our children sketched by a street artist in NYC. Why not? The sign said $15. Not a bad deal. So we had the kids sit and waited while he sketched a beautiful portrait, then subsequently demanded $75. Of course, my wife fought him off and ultimately gave him half that amount, but it was yet another lesson learned.

The issue I have found isn’t necessarily that there are hustlers trying to make jewelry, shine shoes, sketch portraits, or sell their basement-made cd’s (Yes, cd’s still exist). The issue more often is that they offer a product or service with no price tag, but then often turn menacing if you don’t meet some unknown payment quota.

At the end of the day, the smartest move for a tourist to make when traveling the streets of any city is try not to look like a tourist, keep your hands in your pockets, look straight ahead as you explore, and if someone approaches you don’t indulge them. Don’t look them in the eyes, don’t smile, don’t talk to them, and keep it moving. They’ll move on to the next target soon after. Oh, and keep your wallet and phone in your front pockets, not your back pockets.

Finally, if someone blocks your path and starts shining your shoes, if those shoes are five years old, it’s probably best to slip out of them during the shine and run as fast as you can barefooted to get away.