But they won't chat you up like in NY, and they won't ever surprise you with anything.

I lived in New York for five years, and I think the closest I ever got to being chatted up by a random passerby was something along the lines of "HEY, FUCK YOU!" except with more swearing. Unless they mean chatted up like someone trying to pick up on me, in which case it still had more swearing but also had more lewd remarks about my ass.