Did you know...?

New York City is loud, weird, chaotic, and totally magical. It’s the kind of place where you can eat the best slice of pizza of your life at 2 a.m., meet someone dressed as a banana on the subway, and hear three different languages on the same street corner — all before breakfast.

Here are 10 (okay, more like 12) quirky, hilarious facts about the city that never sleeps, never slows down, and never stops surprising you.

1. Honk if you love… silence?

So, here’s a fun little lie: it’s technically illegal to honk your car horn in NYC unless it’s an emergency. Yep, that endless chorus of angry drivers? Totally illegal. But hey, it’s New York. Honking is basically its own language at this point. Think of it as emotional Morse code — very loud, very dramatic Morse code.

2. Pizza math is real.

NYC has over 4,000 pizzerias. That’s not a typo. If you tried one slice a day, it’d take you over 11 years to try them all — and your cholesterol would probably file a lawsuit. Also, there’s this thing called the “Pizza Principle” where the cost of a slice usually matches a subway ride. Economists have literally studied this. We love a city where pizza = science.

3. Squirrels and secrets in Central Park.

Central Park’s cute, right? But did you know Grand Central Terminal has a “whispering gallery”? You can stand in one corner, whisper something, and someone across the way can hear it perfectly. Romantic? Creepy? Depends on what you’re whispering. Bonus: The squirrels in the park are bold. Like, New-York bold. They’ll look you in the eye and steal your pretzel.

4. A language party with 8 million guests.

NYC is the most linguistically diverse city in the world, with 800+ languages spoken. So don’t be shy about your Duolingo French — someone out there probably speaks it better than you and drives your Uber. Also, if you ever feel like shouting something in Klingon? Go for it. Statistically, someone will understand.

5. Rats. So many rats.

Let’s address the tail-wagging elephant in the room: New York has around 2 million rats. That’s one rat for every four people. But most of them are pretty chill. They’re not coming for you — they’re going for your half-eaten street hot dog. Think of them as the city’s furriest (and rudest) food critics.

6. Broadway’s real stars? Pigeons.

Sure, Broadway has its legends — but the real divas are the pigeons. They strut, coo, and land right on marquees like they own the place. You haven’t truly done NYC until you’ve been judged by a pigeon mid-song outside the theater.

7. Fashion Week is every day.

Forget the runways. Just walk through SoHo or Williamsburg and you’ll see every possible style known to humanity. From suits and stilettos to rainbow tutus and Doc Martens, NYC fashion is whatever the heck you want it to be. And somehow, it all works. Even that guy dressed like a pirate on the F train.

8. The subway is chaos… in the best way.

It’s loud, it’s smelly, and it’s fast. The NYC subway moves millions daily and guarantees at least one weird moment per ride. Want a mariachi band at 8 a.m.? Done. Debates about the best pizza place? Happens daily. A guy dancing with a traffic cone? Welcome to Tuesday.

9. Statues of... what now?

Lady Liberty’s cool and all, but NYC’s art scene is wild. There’s a giant metal chicken in Flushing Meadows Park. A talking trash can in Battery Park. And a sculpture of a giant nose somewhere in Brooklyn, probably. This city’s motto? “Sure, why not?”

10. New Yorkers are softies in disguise.

Yeah, they might roll their eyes at tourists and mumble curse words when someone walks slowly, but deep down? They’ll help you if you're lost. They’ll hold the door if your hands are full. Just don’t — don’t — ask for your bagel with cream cheese “on the side.” That’s a war crime here.

11. You can legally go topless in NYC.

True story. Equal rights, baby. So if you see someone sunbathing in Central Park sans shirt, don’t freak out — it’s legal. And yes, people actually do it.

12. NYC is basically a giant movie set.

Walk around long enough and you’ll stumble onto a film crew. Or at least someone pretending to vlog their "What I Eat in a Day" video. Either way, act natural. You’re probably in the background of someone’s next viral TikTok.

So yeah, New York is wild.

Loud, unpredictable, and sometimes smells like hot garbage — but once you get it, you get it. Whether you're here for the rats, the pizza, or just the chaos, NYC’s got something for everyone. And probably a pigeon watching you do it.