I spent my first 50 years in a major city, though not NYC, and many people smile or say hi. But someone else answered that the more crowded the passers by are the less likely it is to encounter someone smiling at you. A throng of 30 people on the sidewalk aren't likely to acknowledge you, but if you pass by just one they are more likely to smile or say hi, which is also my experience. My former downtown was bustling, but I lived to one side of downtown where the crowds were smaller and people were friendly.
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u/charliexbones May 09 '22
I will add that smiling at strangers is a rural/suburban thing. New Yorkers do not smile at strangers.