You thank your cousin for her offer, but decide that you came to New York to achieve the American dream, so you decide to strike out on your own. Well, almost on your own. Your first priority is to find a job and a place to stay. But that can wait while you explore this great city.

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You head a few blocks south to Broadway Street. You recognize having crossed this street earlier, after getting directions from the man on the street. You walk down the crowded sidewalks of Broadway past shops and delicatessens, grocers, and of course the endless line of push cart vendors. Except for the street signs which are in English, you can almost imagine that you are back in Russia. The store fronts are in Hebrew, the language on everyone's lips is Yiddish.

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As you head down Broadway you stop to look at every new thing-- so many new sights in this strange place. The buildings seem to scrape the sky. In New York, people don't live in small houses; they live in tall apartment buildings. You can see in the distance the steel skeletons of new construction to accommodate the never ending flow of humanity that floods into New York City each day.

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This trip to Broadway is a first for you in many ways. It is the first time you have seen modern wonders such as street lights, automobiles, and trains that run on tracks high above the street. It is also the first time that you notice that the police are standing on the corner, and you immediately lower your gaze as you pass trying to make yourself as small as possible. However, no insult about being Jewish is thrown at you; he doesn't follow you or threaten you. You begin to relax as it sinks in that in that the best part of being in America is that you don't have to fear another pogrom.

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As you're lost in your thoughts a Jewish boy about your age approaches.

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"Hey Greenhorn"

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You continue walking, trying to pretend that he wasn't talking to you. You are uneasy about being approached by stranger, especially in a new place. Your hand instinctively feels for the gold coins sewn into your dress. They're still safe.

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"Hey Greenhorn, wait up!" The boy is still following you. You turn around and scrunch your eyebrows together to conjure up the most serious look you can.

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"What do you want", you say in Yiddish.

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"You look new here... I figured you might need a friend to show you around. New York can be a pretty intimidating place, especially to Greenhorns".

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"Why do you keep calling me that?"

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"It don't mean nothin', we were all Greenhorns at one point. It just means that you are new to America.

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The boy is charming and seems harmless. Do you let him take you on a tour or tell him to get lost?