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It's a look, somewhere between awestruck and terrified, that indicates tourists to me, either that or it's polar opposite of blissful ignorance as if the entire city is a stage set.
I was once asked to take a picture of a young lady in Grand Central Terminal with her camera. She basically handed it to me and I said that she should be a little more reticent to do so just as a precaution, since it was a pretty decent camera. She said that I just looked like a nice person and that most New Yorkers she had met were exceedingly nice, so she knew I was a local. I had to laugh, but she definitely fit the bill of being blissful ignorance, but I am happy to have obliged taking a few pictures of her in Grand Central, and it's amusing to know that they can spot us as easily as we can spot them.
TEHEEE!!! I was one of those people who actually waited for the walk signs to change..I would stand at the corner of the sidewalk and wait for it to light up..then go. I still do this sometimes..but only when I feel like I am gonna get hit by a car. My bf's thought I was freakin' crazy...they would yell at me from across the street and say " Babe what are you doing still standing over there?" I would say.."THE LIGHT HASN'T CHANGED!!!!".
I also would STARE in awe at the crazy subway screamers. I WAS SHOCKED. My mouth would open and drop..then I looked around and noticed everyone else had their heads down..asleep..and/or they were reading their newspaper...didn't even blink an eye! I'm talking we are in a train with 60-80 people and there is someone yelling at as and telling us that the evil Darth Vader is gonna take us to hell and I was the ONLY one slightly amused.
OHHHH YES! I gawked at the TALL buildings for like 10 whole minutes when I first went downtown in the night. I've seen buildings but these ones seemed to stand so tall over me..and they were saying "WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOU ALIVE YOU LITTLE CALIFORNIAN GIRL".
It's easy to spot tourist because they are just overly excited and hyped.
Tourists are funny though, recently I was talking to a tourist in SoHo who was like , "OMG! New York looks like Disneyworld!" and asked where Sarah Jessica Parker lives. LOL.
Ah. I don't live there, I am in the suburbs. And, I'd consider myself more as a.. visitor? Anyway. I was down there for a day. And, I was walking by 33rd, and, i see a whole bunch of people whip out their cameras and look up to take pictures.
I was all like ".. What is going on?" - and looked up. Empire State Building. How lame.
As if you can't get a better shot from a post card.
None the less, I know I am not a native. But, I am proud to say that I never stand out in the ways that you are saying the tourists stand out. Granted, I usually am pissed off since the starbucks employees always mess up and never listen to emphasis on '5 PUMPS SUGAR FREE VANILLA', even after repeating six times. So, I suppose that blows the whole walk-with-a-boner-happy-tourist thing?
You can tell tourist when they are wearing those backpacks, carrying maps of manhattan, looking at you in amazement at how stylish everybody is or in awe at the fact you live here, wearing short shorts with a pouch on them, walk to slow, have no common sense (or maybe thats because they are not use to the vibe of NYC, apparently believe you dont live here because you go to attractions( that kind of bugs me when i feel like going to attractions that most new yorkers neglect and tourist and staff think we dont live here, when we tell them they are in amazement. I took a double decker tour bus to feel the experience and my friend and i were the only NYers and the guy who was doing the tour told everybody and they were cheering.), I visited the top of the rock almost everybody had an accent or spoke a different language, and last but not least everywhere you go "how do i get here?"
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I go on this forum where tourists get advice about their upcoming trips to NYC and write their trip reviews. I find it funny when they say how they try hard to blend in with the locals...I know it's kind of mean....but, sorry, tourists don't blend in lol
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