I lived in NYC for two years and agree with this assessment. Too many tourists stopping in the middle of the street, not knowing how lines works, and generally being oblivious were what set people off the most.<p>I did find natives to actually be very nice if you weren't being stupid. In fact it is probably the nicest city in the country. People are more then willing to talk to you, point you in the right direction, offer suggestions, invite you along for drinks with their friends.
I've lived and worked on both costs and in the midwest and New Yorkers are some of the nicest folks I've come across.<p>I think it's more then just tourist getting yelled at that confuses the outsiders but also the tendency of new yorkers to chew the fat and joke around with one another, or be straight forward. Something which would be fairly alien to most people from the west coast.