Woyzeck

With all this talk about travel, I was wondering about the place where YOU spend most of the year, the town where you live, your hometown.

Is it a tourist destination? Are there lots of tourists there? Do you interact or deal with them regularly? How do you react to them? For those who live in touristy places, do tourists ever get on your nerves?

ira

Dear Woy,

Our little town receives a goodly amount of income from tourists.

We treat them very politely and are glad when they go home.

elle

We've always had a lot of tourists here in Philadelphia because of the historic sites, but the city has really been marketing itself heavily and the numbers are growing.

The only time it has ever bothered me would be when I would be on my way home from an errand, loaded down with groceries or dry cleaning, and the tourists would be lollygagging in front of me, four abreast, making it impossible to pass. Then sometimes they'd stop dead in their tracks to gawk at something and I'd have to pull myself up short to avoid slamming into them.

I'm always amused by the conventioneers, especially the ones that wear their little hats all over the city (these are mostly fraternal organizations, I guess).

It's also amusing to be going about your daily business and have a tourist bus go by and realize that people are taking pictures of you as you walk the dog/head to the gym/have breakfast at a cafe.

If I'm feeling puckish, I will have some fun with them. Once, a woman stopped us and asked us how to hail a cab. We told her that it was slightly different here than in other cities--that Philadelphia cabbied would only stop if you held up your middle finger to beckon them. We let it sink in for a minute and then told her we were just playing--we really wouldn't set anyone up to do that to a cabbie .

sheila

Aberdeen is not on the main tourist track, and, indeed, as a former member of its Topurist Board, I'm aware that a significant majority of its tourists are vsiting friends or family.

I hope I treat them with a welcome. I have been known to take people where they wanted to go when either they were lost, it was a very long way and I had a car and they didn't or it was raining.

I have offered help to the apparently bewildered.

And my husband is becoming increasingly used to the vast hordes of potential mad axemen, most from here, who traipse through our living room and guest rooms annually

Byrd

Dear Woyzeck,

Our little town has tourists who come to see the several antebellum homes here.
Sometimes they are just "passing through," sometimes there are tour buses, and once or twice a year we have river cruise boats (like the Delta Queen) come for a day or two.

In December we have 20 or 30 thousand people here for Christmas on the River.

And of course we welcome them all!

None of them stay long enough to get on our nerves!

Byrd

nytraveler

We have an incredible # of tourists - and especially lately - since the fall of the $.

I don;t think we treat them differently than we treat anyone else (New York polite - not to be confused with the perpetually smiling and cheery mindlessness considered politeness in some places) except when they insist on congregating in masses and blocking the sidewalk.

They they will get lots of dirty looks - and perhaps some muttered comments - but really folks - they just need to do better than this. (New York celebrates diversity and appreciates excellence - but after a certain point incompetence - no matter how well-intentioned - is not tolerated. Unless you're the Mets.)

And yes - we can all tell who you are!

SuzieC

With respect and try to be helpful.
A couple of times, I've walked ourists to their destination when they were lost.
The Brandywine Valley gets quite a few tourists...Winterthur Museum and Longwood Gardens, etc.
I think we're on the "route", NYC, Phila, Wilmington, Baltimore, DC...

jdraper

I don't run into very many tourists here but used to live in Montery, CA and there were a lot of tourist. I always treated them politely and helped as best I could. However, I will admit to getting frustrated when trying to run errands and getting stuck behind rental cars full of tourists who would putt along like they had all time time in the world. I mumbled under my breath a lot but was never rude enough to say anything bad to these people.

One of my best memories as a tourist in the US was spending a weekend in San Fransisco. My son, who was only 6 at the time, started petting a dog and talking to the owner. We asked the gentleman if he could recommend a good Italian restraunt. The man had us wait while he took the dog home then he gave us a full tour of Little Italy, joined us for lunch and introduced us to the best shops and their owners. We had a fantastic day, saw things we never would have found on our own and still remember this kind soul. Wouldn't it be great if we all had the time to act in such a manner with tourists? We would probably meet some interesting people along the way.

ezlivin

That's right, we can easily tell who you are.

We've accommodated our fair share of tourists here in NYC by lowering the volume of fake watches/handbags that we used to sell them and even not mugging them as often as we used to.

Just as always, you're all welcome to New York City.

LoveItaly

Well in my town I do get a bit frustrated at times as I live near the Outlet Stores and tourist cannot find them! They cover several blocks but the sad thing is a lot of the stores back up to the major street I use so it is not obvious to the tourist that they are right at the Outlet Stores. So I try to be patient. Nothing else to do anyway.

In SF I always answer tourist questions and make sure they know how to get to where they are going. I know the feeling of being in a new large strange city (maybe with jetlag) and being so confused. Besides the tourist in SF are always so happy to be there they are fun.

The small town I lived in before got tons of tourist on the weekends. One could not park downtown or even walk on the sidewalks. I must admit I got very frustrated and finally like most of the residents just did not go downtown on the weekends. BTW, they all basically came in on tour buses so swarms of tourist all at one time. That probably is what made it so difficult.

AnnAussie

In Perth, Western Australia we have quite a lot of tourists. I have often helped tourists out with directions and advice about bus routes etc - in fact, I did so just yesterday. We love tourists coming to see our beautiful country!!

Postal

After 18 years in Orlando putting up with the tourist traffic and tourist crowds, I am enjoying life where there are no tourists!

Surfergirl

L.A. calling in and we love tourists. Yes, of course, it's a tourist destination, and we see them all the time. If someone is standing on the street looking at a map and acting confused, sure, I help them. I've been helped many times in Europe, so give some, get some.

They are not usually the ones who get on my nerves or drive slowly. It's usually my hometowners driving about while talking on a cell phone and yelling at their kids in the back seat at the same time while they take up two lanes of traffic or drive like they're on crack that bugs the hell out of me.

icithecat

I live in Victoria, BC. Perhaps some of you have heard of it? We apparantly have 3.5 million tourists a year in a town of 70,000. I offer to help people looking at maps. It would seem that I scare the American and Asian tourists, but not the Europeans.
Interesting. Must be the way I look.

LoveItaly

icithcat, LOL! What a funny statement!
BTW, everytime I have been in Victoria a lot of the charm, besides the beauty of Victoria, is the wonderful residents there.

SAB

Another SF resident here. I work in downtown SF so I run into lots of visitors. I try to be helpful to anyone who looks lost and give directions. Like other posters my only frustration with tourists is when I'm driving.

bellastar

I see lots of tourists both in my home nieighborhood which is near the Youth Hostel (these are mostly young European backpackers) and also where I work, which requires me to deal with the Times Square area every day. I think it goes without saying that it's not easy to get home through a crowd of tourists on a daily basis, but I have various tricks from manuevering through without seeming to be rude. The only time I saw a number of tourists behave very rudely was when I had to work during the RNC, and I saw alot of the conventioneers being very rude to local people in various ways, and I was shoved a couple of times by them when they had been drinking. That was the one time when I pulled out my "NYC attitude" and handed it to them without hesitation.

But I usually try to be polite to tourists when I have to interact. When I hear Italian spoken, I jump at the chance to have a brief conversation, so it's nice.

Sometimes I have stopped to help figure out the Subway or find a street. They're just part of living in a place like NYC.

confidential

we have alot of tourists and business travellers in Duesseldorf (EU)germany,
especially due to big fairs like the
www.boot.de . or others like the many fashion fairs or the big xmas market.
So a lot of our inhabitants are used to treat them kindly.
So I think most locals are very helpful to tourists

lfm1955

New York is my home and when someone comes to my home I try to be polite and helpful. Tourists have a misconception that one has to spend an arm and a leg for great dinner in New York City. Nothing is further from the truth. So I'll tell about a few great inexpensive restaurants or how to get discount theater tickets, or free museum days, etc. I suppose the answer to your question is with RESPECT.

sfowler

When I am in downtown Chicago I almost always ask people looking lost or perusing a map if they need help. Sometimes it's something simple -- othertimes complex -- and I do my best! But most rewarding for me is finding that they speak very little English BUT they speak some French [whether from France or not]and I get to show that not all Americans are total language-ninnies!