TOURISM: Who You Callin' Rude, Bud?

New Yorkers take a perverse pride in their legendary brusqueness. But local leaders are beginning to be worried that the city's surly citizens are hurting tourism, a major industry. Herb Rickman, president of New York Pride, a nonprofit promoter of civic activism, says surveys show that visitors increasingly cite such enduring city icons as crabby cabbies and snarling salesclerks as serious arguments against a return visit. Rickman's response: the Civility Campaign, an effort to make New Yorkers a little more pleasant.

The campaign will begin with a series of ads featuring such slogans as "C'mon New York, Ease Up" and "We're All in It Together." While Manhattan is the capital of curtness, Rickman has received inquiries from around the world asking how to start similar undertakings in urban etiquette.