New York City may be a melting pot of myriad cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, but in the morning, there are only two types of people on the train--locals and tourists. To spot a local, look for dark clothing, IPOD-filled ears, and heavy eyes at half-mast. A local is either fully upright reading a book or free paper, or two seconds away from a full REM cycle, his head bobbing and jerking violently as the train stops and starts.
Tourists travel in pairs or groups, giggle and smile, and snap pictures at every station stop. They wear sneakers and sunglasses and appear completely alert and ready to tackle the day ahead. You will never mistake a tourist for a local, or vice-versa. I've never seen a tourist doing "the nod" or heard a local chatting excitedly about the wonders of Times Square while trying to read a subway map.
Because my exit for work is at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, I often find myself feeling quite jealous of the tourists on my morning train. Not just because they're on vacation, but because I haven't walked the historic bridge in 10 years.
That changed on Saturday, which turned out to be one of the prettiest days of the year here in NYC. Parts of the bridge were undergoing repairs, and there were little yellow markers for night traffic. Like everything else in the city, they fell prey to a vicious graffiti attack.
Yay!
Boo:(
Awwww!
Thanks!
Word.
We stopped to take our own picture against the backdrop of the city.
If anyone is looking to make some extra spending cash, I highly recommend learning how to make mango roses. This chick made a killing that day.
I was really hoping I could get a view of Lady Liberty in the background so I could superimpose this as her torch. No such luck. I was also hoping the lady who sold us this could have supplied us with more than one napkin. There's a reason we didn't stop to take any more pictures after eating this.
"Now you're in New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of..."(Does this sentence not make sense to anyone else? I mean, I dig the sentiment and all, but seriously. No sense.)
My feet hurt and I have mango all over my face. Toodles!
Oh my gosh! You are hilarious and so right! Have you seen Improv Everywhere's Tourist Lane? You have to watch it! They make the city sidewalk into two lanes with spray paint and direct pedestrian traffic (local vs tourist) into one of the two lanes depending on walking speed, dress, and cameras hahah http://improveverywhere.com/2010/06/08/the-tourist-lane/
ReplyDeleteDon't you love being a local? It's silly, but there's a certain sense of pride that comes with living in one of the greatest cities in the world! Hope you had a lovely weekend :) p.s. I heart the Brooklyn Bridge. I used to live on William street and would run it about every other day!
Oh wow, such fab pics, love the mango rose!
ReplyDeleteThose yellow markers were def. asking for it!! Ha!
It's pouring with rain over in London, boo!
x.o.x.o
How fun! You took some great photos. And those mango roses are genius!
ReplyDeleteYour boyfriend reminds me of the comedian, the late Mitch Hedburg. You guys are pretty much adorable.
ReplyDeleteI like to tourist it up as much as possible anywhere I go...old time camera around my neck, walking shorts, sensible shoes and fanny pack. ALWAYS the fanny pack.
Mango roses please! This was a great post...and you are spot-on about the way to differentiate between a tourist and a local. Thanks for taking me back to our trip to NYC...we can't wait until we can move there (at least for a year or two) once I finish grad school. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSO funny the differences bewteen tourists and locals...I bet so much more obvious in NYC! I always feel like a tourist. Great photos...those traffic markers are too cute!
ReplyDeleteRoxy--I haven't seen that Tourist Lane video, but I heard a lot about it and do sometimes wish one existed!
ReplyDeleteShannon--that's funny you mentioned Vin looks like Mitch Hedberg. His brother saw this photo and said the same thing. I think it's the big glasses and the way his hair is blowing forward. Depending on his scruff and hair positioning, he gets everything from Johnny Depp to Jesus. One time he was compared to the hot art dealer Diane Lane cheats on her husband with in Unfaithful. That was a good day for me.
man, that was a vicious grafitti attack, lol! i totally know what you mean about being jealous of tourists. i used to work in rockefeller center, and it would kill me to see them ice skating in the rink, something i have yet to do.
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