Though a philandering womanizer, an architect searching for love, a hockey loving late night news anchor, and a married couple of an offbeat kindergarten teacher and a corporate lawyer doesn’t sound like a community, “How I Met Your Mother” preserves much of New York culture. Non-New Yorkers may not understand the characters’ references to specific parts of the Museum of Natural History, their disdain for New Jersey, their passionate debate over how to best get across Manhattan, or why seeing a celebrity isn’t a big deal, but these are all recognizable traits and conversations to the residents of New York city. New York city culture is a clear influence on the show, and the show wouldn’t be as funny without it.
One particular episode which stands out in my mind as preserving New York culture is “Subway Wars”. In this episode, the group of friends the show focuses on- Barney, Ted, Robin, Lilly, and Marshall- races from McClaren’s, their usual hangout, to a restaurant downtown. Robin chooses to take a cab, Lilly the subway, Ted the bus, Marshall chooses to run, and Barney feigns illness in order to be taken downtown in an ambulance. This debate is familiar to New Yorkers, and is somewhat unique to New York because very few other cities have so many options. Though choosing- or not choosing- a cab often has more to do with money and comfort than efficiency, I’m sure almost all New Yorkers have argued about what is the best way to get around town. With my friends we may argue bus vs. train or about which bus or train. Others may want to forgo public transportation and just walk, “Why bother taking the train five (or three, or six) blocks?” is often asked. People usually come to a consensus rather than racing, but each individual tends to still think the way he or she first suggested is the best.
Though they each are met with unusual complications along their journey, much of the travel experience is recognizable to a New Yorker. Lilly’s experiences were the most relatable to mine. Lilly just misses a train, and after catching the next one learns that it is running on a different line than usual- both of which are experiences most New Yorkers have had.
In this episode the characters also discuss what it means to be a “real New Yorker”. Robin, being from Canada, is excited about the prospect of seeing Woody Allen. Her friends are unimpressed because they’ve seen him before, he is a common figure in New York. Robin, in an attempt to sound as hip as her friends, brags about seeing Maury Povich, but they have all seen Maury multiple times. This leads to the challenge of Robin’s status as a “real New Yorker”. The rest of the group decides that being a real New Yorker entails stealing someone’s cab ride, crying on the subway and not caring who hears, and killing a cockroach with your bare hands. Though none of these things sound particularly appealing, they are likely familiar to New Yorkers as they are a big part of New York culture. In the beginning of the episode, Robin has done none of these, but by the end does all of them. She has officially experienced the aspects of New York culture which make her a true New Yorker.
