‘Only visitors in Los Angeles care about that sign in the hills’: People reveal the things ‘only tourists do’ in their cities
- An internet thread has revealed that there are countless ways to spot a tourist
- The discussion was on a U.S site, but the examples came from all over the world
- One user said in Lima it is only tourists who ask for food with cuy (guinea pig)
Visitors often stick out like a sore thumb to locals – but it’s not always because of a camera around their neck or the ‘I love NYC’ rain poncho.
An amusing internet thread has revealed that there are countless ways to spot a tourist, such as using the subway for a journey that would take three minutes on foot or driving slowly ‘for one last look at the ocean’.
The discussion bubbled up on a U.S website, but the examples came from all over the world.
Travelling between Leicester Square and Covent Garden on the Underground is the one thing only tourists do in the British capital, according to one internet user
The site was online forum Reddit and the exchange of head-scratching examples began after this question was posed: ‘What’s something that only tourists do in your city?’
‘Ladytortor’ was one of the first to reply with her observation about London visitors.
She said: ‘They get the Tube [subway] from Leicester Square to Covent Garden. It’s a three min walk.’
‘Xandy902’ from Austin, Texas, observed that it appears to be only tourists that walk slowly, ‘on tiny sidewalks’, adding that ‘getting stuck behind big tourist groups is awful here’.
‘Allfoxedup’ explained that where he grew up close to the beach, slow-moving tourists were also an issue.
He said, without specifying the city: ‘They drive slowly (five mph in a 45mph) or stop in the middle of the road to get one last glance at the ocean before leaving.
One person contributing to the Reddit thread said it was only tourists in Hollywood that ‘care about a sign on a hill’
‘Meanwhile, locals are trying to get to work.’
Los Angeles popped up in the conversation next, with ‘UncreativeFlith’ commenting that tourists are easy to spot there because ‘they care about a sign on a hill’.
Talking about Chicago, ‘dogbert617’ wrote: ‘They go to Navy Pier, or go on one of those segway tours of Millennium Park. Including, of course, an inevitable stop by The Bean [a stainless steel sculpture officially called Cloud Gate].’
Meanwhile, according to ‘Springyjumpyfroggy’ it’s only tourists that ‘eat at Cheers’ in Boston.
And in Seattle, according to ‘bowlofjello’, it’s only visitors who want to ‘get a drink from the original Starbucks’.
Or ‘go to the top of the Space Needle’, according to ‘BlaireSwadley’.
According to a Seattle native, it is only tourists that go to the top of the Space Needle tower, pictured
‘LoviN101’ also contributed to the discussion, saying it is only tourists that decide to move to his city in Arizona.
He explained: ‘I live in Arizona and trust me, year-round sunshine isn’t as good as it seems during the winter time.’
And ‘gakash’ added it is only tourists that ‘go to Niagara Falls in winter’.
Peruvian ‘eruntale’ told the discussion: ‘Tourists ask for dishes with cuy (guinea pig) and buy souvenirs with Machu Picchu images.’
Finally, ‘GrandmasterJoke’ in Australia said he was perplexed by tourists taking photos of Vegemite.
Though one Australian mentioned that they missed it so much after nine months away that they immediately took a picture of a jar of it upon returning.