How I Met Your Mother Ponders What Makes a Real New Yorker
When a friend downtown texts with a Woody Allen sighting, the gang decides that a "true New Yorker" wouldn't care. This spawns a discussion about which public transportation system is fastest and inspires an episode-long race through Manhattan.
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The gang decides that you're not a real New Yorker until you have:
- Seen Woody Allen
- Stolen a cab from someone who needs it more than you
- Cried on the Subway and not given a damn what anyone thinks
- Killed a cockroach with your bare hand
The discussion ends up moving toward a fight about which mode of transportation is the fastest... and it's ON! Ted takes the bus, Lily takes the subway, Robin takes a cab, Marshall attempts to walk almost seven miles downtown, and the always unconventional Barney takes an ambulance ride. Throughout the episode, we're treated to a map of where all of our friends are around the city that looked something like this:
Marshall's decision to walk from the Upper West Side down to the village was a bad one—but at least he got a song! Listen to Jason Segel's vocals below:
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Towards the end of the race, Lily runs into Robin—who had just been crying on the subway. She's ready to give up on New York.
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In the end, it came down to Barney, Ted, and Robin. Barney "accidentally tripped" and brought Ted down with him at the end and let Robin win. While the episode didn't provide answers to much, it did get us thinking about our fair city (and the terrible modes of public transportation.) To the locals—did you think the episode did a good job defining New York? And for the rest—do you think this episode means that HIMYM is back on track?