New York City — Everyone I meet out here asks the same question: “What is the biggest difference between Iowa and New York City?”

Well, a few people ask about the Backstreet Boy thing, but thankfully not too many.

The sad thing is, I really don’t have a good answer.

The biggest difference, you could say, is a culmination of several small things.

New Yorkers essentially behave the same way us Iowa folk do, only there are minor variations.

Here are a few I have noticed as week four winds down:

Infamous for driving like Leif Garret on coke, New Yorkers actually have nothing on some of the maniacs you see cruising down Lincoln Way on a weekend.

The difference is in honking.

In New York, honking is NEVER a greeting or an action of endearment.

In fact, one of the best ways to spot a tourist is to see who turns when hearing a honk.

Not looking is still difficult for me.

And honking out of frustration is much more common.

I am at the point where I am starting to believe it is the universal language among cabbies, who very rarely speak a word of English.

The ironic thing is, the more you do it, the less effective it is. Sort of like sending flowers or binge drinking.

New Yorkers, like Iowans, are also pet people. They have cats, dogs, birds and roaches (who can forget the classic MTV skit “Joe’s Apartment?”).

The difference is in urinating.

When my puppy needs to relieve herself, we open the back door and she hits up one of our neighbor’s yards.

But in the city, not even neighbors have yards. So what do they do?

Let me tell you, it is hard not to fall over in laughter the first time you see a dog veer over from the sidewalk, perfectly position itself over a street drain and … you get the point.

And when it comes to No. 2, pooper scoopers are a hot commodity.

Popular opinion considers New Yorkers to be “suits” and not nearly the outdoorsmen we Midwesterners are.

While there is some truth to this, a step into Central Park will transfer any suit into the tightest pair of biking shorts north of the East Village.

The difference is in the level of excitement.

New Yorkers tend to pull a Roberto Benigni at the sight of a grassy field, while the typical Iowan is likely to show much less exuberance.

Tourists can be mocked for going goo-goo ga-ga at the sight of a celebrity, but justifying a similar reaction to grass (not the drug) seems a bit more of a challenge.

Iowans also tend to think of New Yorkers as these artsy, Andy Warhol/Iggy Pop types. But the truth is, Iowans are just as into the arts as the typical New Yorker.

The difference is in motivation.

The only reason New Yorkers are art fans is because they are struggling artists.

Theater fans are struggling actors and so on.

When I mention to locals that I’m working at VH1 and SPIN, the common response is: “Are you in a band?”

That’s when I go back to the Backstreet Boy thing.

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Corey Moss is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.