Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Many New Yorkers loathe Times Square and never go there or anywhere near there unless its to see a Broadway show or something to do with work. Me, I don't even like going to the movies there. But I do seem to alway see a lot of kids who look like local teenagers hanging out there on the occassions when I am there.
So do you venture to, like, or loathe the big tourist attractions in your city? Do locals do Fishermans Wharf, the French Quarter, or the Strip, in San Francisco, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, just to give a few examples. Or do folks just leave the tourist spots for tourists and overexcited teenagers, like I see here?
Use any city you're in or familiar with, and please weight in.
My wife and I, do on occasion. We visit Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, because they are nice to visit for tourists and locals, alike.
It depends on what you consider tourist attractions. We moved to Philly a little less than 3 years ago. On our initial visit to investigate whether we wanted to move here, we visited the two biggies: the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in addition to taking in other sites. Since moving, we continue to explore, taking in museums, gardens, and other spots less on the national radar, saving those for when friends and family visit.
What is unique for us is living in a city with recognizable tourist attractions. We moved here from Houston and while we had many visits from friends and family, none arrived with prescribed list of "must see" attractions. Since moving to Philly, however, the experience has been different. Everyone wants to see the Liberty Bell of course and nearly everyone has wanted the guided tour of Independence Hall. I've lost count of how many times I've taken that tour, but I love it - each docent puts a different spin on it. The same with the open air bus tour. I haven't gone with each guest, but I've probably been on 4 or so trips and again, I've learned something new about Philly each time because each guide shares their own angle. We've had guests who wanted to tour the Betsy Ross House, the US Mint, have a cheesesteak at Reading Terminal Market, visit Valley Forge and have their picture taken with the LOVE sculpture. Fortunately, none of our guest have asked to pose with the Rocky statue.
One of the great things about living here is that as I see it, the streets of Philly are a tourist attraction themselves. Tourists are routinely driven through the cobblestone streets of Society Hill and Rittenhouse Square in horse drawn carriages admiring the preserved 18th and 19th century townhomes. I've yet to tire of the charm when I step out my door for a stroll, and suspect I never will. And when we head home from the movies, our path typically takes us by Independence Hall, bathed in beautiful evening light. So yea, we visit the attractions when guests visit, and we enjoy soaking in the ambience full time.
Many New Yorkers loathe Times Square and never go there or anywhere near there unless its to see a Broadway show or something to do with work. Me, I don't even like going to the movies there. But I do seem to alway see a lot of kids who look like local teenagers hanging out there on the occassions when I am there.
So do you venture to, like, or loathe the big tourist attractions in your city? Do locals do Fishermans Wharf, the French Quarter, or the Strip, in San Francisco, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, just to give a few examples. Or do folks just leave the tourist spots for tourists and overexcited teenagers, like I see here?
Use any city you're in or familiar with, and please weight in.
I've lived 20 miles from Manhattan all my life and I have never been to the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, World Trade Center (pre 9/11, post I have been to the memorial - very beautiful), Chrysler Building, Brooklyn Bridge, and only go to Times Square for theater or to eat at Junior's, one of our favorite restaurants in the city. We never wake up and say, "hey let's go to Times Square!" We either go there out of convenience (close to Penn Station) or for shows, more so for the latter. There are probably more NYC landmarks/tourist destinations I haven't been to that I forgot but that's all I can think of for now.
But one of these days, I am going to be a tourist and visit all that I haven't seen that every tourist from out of the area has been to.
^^^JerseyGirl - I'm a big fan of those open air bus tours. I know they seem cheesy, but they are a great way to get an overview of all the main tourist attractions in a city. They take you to all the main tourist sites and the guides do a great job of giving background and history. Once you're done, you've got the lay of the land and you can go back to those places that interest you. My sister-in-law from SC is visiting us in October. We are taking her to NY for one night (her first time) and figure this is the best way to give the biggest overview in the short time we'll be there.
Anytime the family comes down and wants to visit the beach, then I'll go. Other than that, I can count on one hand how many times I've been on my own. But then again I'm not really a beach person so that may explain why
^^^JerseyGirl - I'm a big fan of those open air bus tours. I know they seem cheesy, but they are a great way to get an overview of all the main tourist attractions in a city. They take you to all the main tourist sites and the guides do a great job of giving background and history. Once you're done, you've got the lay of the land and you can go back to those places that interest you. My sister-in-law from SC is visiting us in October. We are taking her to NY for one night (her first time) and figure this is the best way to give the biggest overview in the short time we'll be there.
Honestly, I've always wanted to take one - just to be a tourist for a day. It's crazy to think that I live here and haven't seen what are the absolute musts for tourists so one of these days I have to. And I've thought about those bus tours, they do seem pretty cool. I always watch them go by and wonder what it's like, how the experience is, etc.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
