I have been to NYC and noticed the same thing.ScooterSissy wrote:We talked a bit, and her husband (who was from NYC) said it's a cultural thing because of a dense population. He said as crowded as they are, and as intrusive as people are of the "3 foot rule" (out of necessity), it just becomes tedious to try to greet everyone, and extended eye-contact is almost considered a challenge.
I have also visited Hong Kong where they must have a "3 inch rule". After a couple of days I was so claustrophobic that I had to leave. I also thought that if you were to use normal Texas manners, such as excuse me or sorry, in Hong Kong, you couldn't walk more than a couple yards in an hour because you bump into so many people just trying to cross a street.