I expect Commonweal staffers to weigh in. Joan Acocella says noand I agree with her. In my occasional visits to New York City I've been struck by the opposite of the reputation, by how friendly people are when, say, helping lost tourists. On the other hand I do remember trying to board a train for Long Island in Penn Station on a Friday afternoon. Grim.

John T. McGreevy is the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost at the University of Notre Dame.

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