What, then, would a Briton write about New York, if they were to do so with as little regard for its diversity as “Explaining Londoners” has? We might begin by suggesting that it would be unwise to stage the Olympics in New York for risk of all the gold medals getting stolen. Against the national trend, murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault all increased in New York from 2010-2011 – including a 14 per cent rise in murders.  If you think cereal is expensive here, try getting a cup of coffee and a sandwich in Manhattan, where I’ve paid $20 for both on many occasions. Then there are the endless breakdowns on the subway, the long summers spent crushing cockroaches beneath one’s feet on the bathroom floor, the interminable winters and the heaving, violent traffic that constantly pounds through the city.  The difference between New York and London is how we respond to the universal misery of urban living. As “Explaining Londoners” notes, the British retreat into drink and good manners; the Americans are better at expressing their emotions, which means they don’t dress up how they feel with politeness.  When visiting New York, expect to be shouted at, pushed, pulled, thrown off subway trains if you are deemed to be moving too slowly and brutalised by homeless people who treat begging like it’s a protection racket.  And don’t forget to tip 20 per cent because no matter how bad your service was, it’ll only get worse if an angry waitress feels she’s been short-changed. On my first night in New York, a barman took one look at my crumpled dollar and said: “Have you got a problem with me, buddy?”  It’s always odd to read how other people view one’s own country. Sometimes they do it with a brash lack of self-awareness that blinds them to their own faults. At other times, they seem to see Britain not as it is but as it was and, according to the brochures, ought to be.  Someone needs to inform the New York Times that Downton Abbey is a costume drama, not reality television.
A New York Times pre-Olympic guide to the capital city betrays the classic    American view of Britain as a Dickensian theme park.