Do Touristy Areas Exist that Locals Actually Frequent? (state, largest, places)

[elchevere]

It’s Saturday morning and my cup of Java hasn’t kicked in, but are there any cities with touristy areas that locals hang out in on a weekly or frequent basis?...I’m having a hard time finding one from the cities I have lived in. (Times Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Gaslamp, Ocean Drive). Buckhead was an area I hit for the short time I lived in Atlanta but I don’t consider that touristy...any out there?...do locals hit Bourbon Street or Nashville’s District on a regular basis or hang elsewhere in their cities?

[Arcenal813]

That I am familiar with:

Montreal: Old Montreal.
Tampa Bay: Clearwater

[BigCity76]

Georgetown

[CXT2000]

MTL: Old Montreal/all downtown neighbourhoods (inc. Six Flags/all the islands in downtown), Le Plateau (Mile End/Mile-Ex) to an extent (bonus: Laurentians)
Miami: SoBe, Wynwood, Calle Ocho, Brickell (not as much as other areas)
T.O: Definitely the downtown neighbourhoods (Kensington Market, Distillery District, Chinatown, etc.) and bonus: Canada's Wonderland (most attended seasonal amusement park in North America, but locals go daily and tourists as well when opened)

[cpomp]

Central Park is New York is a big one.

I also frequently shop in Soho, that may count?

[SonnyDaze]

Coney Island for NYC as well although it may be a little too off-the-beaten-path to be considered a "real" touristy area.

[Futuremauian]

Waikiki, Oahu and Lahaina, Maui.

[2Easy]

I think that touristy areas that locals don't frequent may be the exception, especially when the tourist attraction isn't something that you really only visit once or twice in your life. Places like Times Square or the Hollywood Walk of Fame, don't have as much to interest locals and they are crowded.

Historical sites like the Alamo might be an example. I'd guess that most locals have been, but they probably don't go every year. But they visit Riverwalk maybe.

I was in Palm Springs last year and there were quite a few locals that ride the tram daily and hike.

Locals frequent every touristy area in LA, with the exception of the Walk of Fame and Venice Beach. But the theme parks, beaches, Santa Monica, beach bike paths, and nightspots are full of locals.

In NYC, I wonder if locals shop in SoHo? It seemed like >90% tourists, but I wouldn't really know. I think that it's concentrated with stores with mass appeal with lots more mixed it. Somewhat similar to how Times Square is populated with restaurants and stores from middle America. Also, don't lots of locals go ice skating at Rockefeller Center?

[mhays25]

Seattle...

The Pike Place Market feels like majority tourist sometimes, but locals go too...groceries are a big component, office workers get lunch, there are some good restaurants, the Market itself has several hundred apartments and some other locally-focused services...

The Seattle Center (74 acres with Space Needle, museums, arena, theater, park spaces, etc.) is mostly tourists except before/after events. And some of the city's biggest festivals are held there. Locals do visit, but I'd guess most live nearby, as I do, and the numbers outside event times seem to be fewer than tourists.

The Central Waterfront is the one area really dominated by tourists. That's all in a massive series of construction projects. First we built a new seawall under the main sidewalk. Then rebuilt a pier that's sort of a plaza and event venue. Now we've torn down the SR99 viaduct and are building a boulevard in its place, with a lot more public space. The state ferry terminal is being totally rebuilt in a five-year phased process. Private owners on the east frontage have started to build and renovate to take advantage of the lack of viaduct. Next a new hillclimb and Seattle Aquarium addition will be built to connect to the Pike Place Market including a wide bridge over the new boulevard. Another park pier will be rebuilt starting next year.

The convention center is on the edge of the main retail district. We're building a second convention center (the most vertically-stacked ever in the US) mostly so events can alternate between the two and fill more of the calendar. Our largest hotel concentration is in the same area. But like I said it's also our main retail district, there are various theater venues, and the area merges into our office core. It's mostly locals most of the time.

[urbaneducator415]

I would say the Castro in San Francisco. Famous neighborhood, and tourists definitely go and visit. However, I used to live there and it definitely felt like a neighborhood filled with locals, and had the businesses necessary to support residents (barbers, grocery stores, hardware stores, etc.)