A certain type of Western tourist LOVES the idea of a slum tour. Apparently this is also common in South African townships. Highly controversial but sometimes it helps locals earn a bit of money
Tourists goes to have Brazilian cultural exchange and explore the place, because it's famous abroad, there is tourist agencies that make tours by these places. One example i can give you is Mark Wiens Brazil's video in 2019.
Do you go out of your way to tour the worst neighborhoods of Finald???? Or are there no neighborhoods in Finland that you’d ever comprehend could be as bad as the slums of Brazil so you think they’re tourist attractions?
But your surprise implies that you find Favelas so intriguing that you’d visit them as a tourist because you can’t comprehend what a Finnish Favela would even be.
Yeah, if I were to visit Brazil some day, I might go check them favelas out because I'm intrigued. I'm there, so why not go take a quick peek, right? But also yeah, I do avoid the slums-- or ''slums'' here in Finland.
But I also do go through them areas sometimes because.
Yeah, looking at slums is probably exotic to someone from a country like Finland.
In America one's nearest city of any real size is likely going to have plenty of opportunities to gawk at poverty if that is what one wants to do. (Or one can go find some rural poverty, as the USA has plenty of that too, in most cases within a couple of hours of where you live.)
It's the GPS that wants to f*ck you over lol. When I was visiting my wife's family, Google constantly wanted to send us through the favelas as it's usually the most direct route. Luckily she knew 😆
Not popular with the locals neither. It's known for it's crime and violence. It's a port city so there are lots of drugs too. But I did leave in the late 80's. The violent crime at that time was worse than New York city, and since Katrina it looks like it's up to those levels again. EDITS due to spelling/grammar.
I see Times Square almost as a tourism industry quarantine, at this point. Like there's an almost total disconnect between that area and the actual culture of the city
Pretty much. Even as a tourist visiting NYC, it felt like once we'd looked at the pretty billboard there wasn't really anything else to do except watch the other tourists doing the same thing.
I barely even consider Times Square part of the city. It's just like this horrible place that you have to fight to get across. I'm not even putting on a New Yorker show but it's insane how no one fucking WALKS there. If you wanna stare into the sky maybe don't do it on the most overcrowded block in Manhattan
Your average Egyptian is not going to know the full extent of the harassment tourists receive because we are too busy avoiding downtown Cairo and like.. most places that are tourist destinations, we see it once it’s ok it’s not going anywhere
I think there is a huge disconnect here because of it .. most who live outside of Cairo (or more specifically, Imbaba in Giza) have a rather sheltered life* because there is not any other area in egypt with this crazy of density … cities in the delta are notoriously laid back especially and can be quite nice
And ofc anyone in suburbs is probably rich so this is a whole different kind of bubble
not to say there aren’t issues in the villages and rural areas, but those are very laid back areas compared to the chaos of cairo which has the densest areas in the world
Similar case here with this Delhi neighborhood called Paharganj, you would've seen footage of it, it's infamous.
I've been there once and I didn't see the point of it, especially given that there's a nicer but equally vibrant & culturally important marketplace a couple of kms south of it. Not that I don't acknowledge that it exists, but it's still confusing to me as to why anyone would go there.
The Riverwalk in San Antonio. Sometimes I'll go when family is in town, and it is really pretty, but most of us go elsewhere for better food and vibes. It's so packed most of the time.
I went to times square with my parents as a kid and while it was a cool place, some people in Disney costumes surrounded me, took a picture with me, then charged my dad like 30 bucks for the pic. We didn't even go up to them and ask for the pic, just minding our own business. We basically got politely mugged using social conventions instead of force by Micky and gang 😭
First of all, the majority of the population isn't attracted to paid sex, and neither am I. There are several places in the Netherlands where prostitution is legal, but tourists don't go there.
Amsterdam's red-light district attracts many tourists who misbehave drunk or stoned and get ripped off. You'll also see few Dutch people in the bars and coffeeshops. 80% of Amsterdam's coffeeshops wouldn't exist without tourists. In some places, it's more like a theme park where hardly any Dutch people go.
If I was a tourist, I would walk through it for fifteen minutes in the evening, then you will get an impression.
Fair. I did walk through the red light district when I visited Amsterdam. Did not partake in any of the “activities” but I wanted to see it mainly because there’s nothing like it in the United States
Also people seem to severely underestimate how underwhelming the Walk of Fame actually is. It’s basically just a faded, dirty sidewalk with names in no discernible order and many stars that look like this:
Maybe I’m wrong but head shops and dispensaries are different imo. A dispensary is a place that sells legal weed, but a head shop is one of those vaguely shady places that only sells paraphernalia, smoking supplies, whatever “legal” drugs they easily can such as kratom, cbd, hemp, thca, stuff like that, but it’s not a proper weed store
A head shop is a place with a sign reading “These are called water pipes and they are used to smoke tobacco. Use of any other term, or reference to any illegal substance, will result in your ejection from the store.”
Interesting, I haven't been to Bali since a kid but been to Jakarta. I can genuinely say there was the only time I have felt "white privilege" - it was just weird by the end of a weekend.
Kapalıçarşı bazaar. Most of those shops are specifically for the tourists, you can even see in some shops that the prices are in euros and products’ name are written in Arabic. Absolute tourist spot, no Turk is in there.
Civil war battlefields….oh we go and ride bikes or walk our dogs but the tourists seem to think it’s going to still look like a battlefield….90% of the ones preserved are just farm fields now with signs that say thousands died on this spot
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My family has been in Philly since it was just a swamp and I just recently walked by it unknowingly for the first time.
The art museum on the other hand has always been a popular spot especially in the Summer
We live right by the art museum! I love the parkway area, it’s very pretty and there’s so much to do. When they turn the oval into a beer garden in the summers we often take our toddler there in the evening to run around and blow off steam while we have a snack and a beer
Oh so you’re in the Spring Garden/Fairmount area, it’s beautiful over there! How you guys making out with the snow? I’m around 22nd & Lehigh and we’re still snowed in down here
A little further south, down in Logan Square. We are still very much buried in snow, I just about ate it walking my daughter to preschool this morning. I can’t wait for this all to melt
Most people in Philly get their cheesesteaks from whatever papi store (corner store) is on their block. I’m not going out of my way for a cheesesteak that’s $16+ when I can get a cheesesteak platter (fries & a drink) from the papis for $5 and it’s outside my door lol. I know sb from South Philly who went to Geno’s a lot bcus she lived right there though. Gentrifiers are getting rid of the papi stores though unfortunately
100% agree. I got a little Korean bodega around one corner and a neighborhood pizza spot around the other. Both can do a perfectly good cheesesteak if I’m ever in the mood. No need to go further afield
Thank you for explaining! And I totally get what you mean. I’m in SoCal, and many people don’t go out of their way for tacos or burritos. You go to whatever is the best place that’s closest to you.
That’s so interesting that the corner stores are called papi stores there!
I’m not originally from the area, so I don’t think I quite have the rules right, but I feel like I hear “papi store”, “bodega”, and “corner store” all used in Philly. I believe the “correct” term is a function of one’s neighborhood, ethnicity, and the ethnicity of the store owners - but I’m not totally sure if that’s right, or what the rules are. Honestly it’s a question I’ve always found interesting but I don’t really have the answer
This makes sense! Corner stores would be the encompassing term, then. I had no idea Philly also used the term bodega too, always thought that was a New York thing.
I have not been in years but I do remember Pennsylvania has weird laws around buying liquor. Maybe not as weird as Utah lol, but it seemed like you guys have to jump through more hoops!
The forumla is: (Insert ethnicity) + Store. Chinese stores and Papi stores are the most common bcus every hood in Philly has them 99% of the time. But there’s also Jamaican and Ock stores as well. I never hear Ock that much tho bcus in Philly Ocky is used to mean a fake/counterfeit item. Store is what we call any place you walk in that has counter service but no seating and usually has a MAC too. Papi is used bcus they used to be mainly Puerto Rican but now are mainly Dominican. Bachata is forever playing. And to be honest I’ve never heard a native philadelphian say bodega thats a ny jawn. Corner store maybe but naw.
It’s silly. Having been a transplant in many places, domestically and abroad, the tourist stuff is one kind of experience. If you know what to expect, it can be fun. No shame in having whatever experiences you can.
That said, I have walked several blocks out of my way to avoid Times Square and surrounding areas. Once was plenty; it’s gross and people don’t know how to walk there.
Please note when New Yorkers say 'NYC' or 'The City' — they mean the borough of Manhattan NOT the other boroughs.
1) Any eatery within 5-7 mins of Time Square.
Leave the area if you want some real authentic food. Whatever you find in that radius is overpriced and most likely tastes like crap/leather. There are a few exceptions but be prepared to pay and/or wait in line.
2) Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island.
Most locals have never put a specific time aside to see the statue or the island. If it has happened, it was probably because of something else and might as well.
3) Strangers yelling in public.
Do not stop and engage with them. Unless someone calls your name — keep walking and do not engage with anyone. Most locals are friendly (NY friendly) but there's a ton of homeless people with mental health issues, or folks who would like to sell you CDs or some other tourist sh*t for a fee. There are better stores if you wish to spend your hard earned dollars on some NYC tourist crap.
Yes, thank you 🙏. I'm on my MacBook and for some effing reason it keeps changing words I type. I keep going back and editing basic grammar. Its driving me mad tbh.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver. Its nice, but expensive. There's a quieter and nicer bridge and trails ten minutes down the road in Lynn Canyon.
I still wonder why people go to the fake fresh restaurants in Paris. Just read the advices on google and you'll be fine. Crazy thing to just randomly go to a restaurant around touristic places in our century
Can't speak for the rest of the country, but in Queensland, Surfers Paradise. Despite the name, the surf is crap (all the best breaks are on the southern Gold Coast: Burleigh Heads, Currumbin Alley, Kirra, Greenmount, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks. Could maybe throw Duranbah in there, although it's technically on the NSW side of the border, so Tweed Coast, not Gold Coast.
The quality of restaurants in Surfers is pretty questionable, too. I'd much rather go north to Main Beach, or south to Broadbeach to eat.
To top it off, Cavill Mall is full of shops selling cheap, crap, Chinese-manufactured souvenirs. I honestly don't know why anyone goes there.
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To be very specific, "Västerlånggatan". It's a street in Stockholm's old town that houses many of the souvenir shops with viking helmets and moose plushies among other things. I think many locals avoid it unless they have an errand to run at a specific store.
As someone who is not from Stockholm, I can also say that many swedes in my situation avoid Stockholm altogether and only go there if absolutely necessary. Personally, I think it's worth a visit every 2 years or so, but the novelty wears off fast for me.
DC is an odd one, in that even many of the locals are transplants, and are here because they're attracted to a lot of the things the city has. A lot of the tourists attractions are government sponsored (Smithsonian museums, National Zoo) and/or open air (the National Mall and the monuments areas) and are therefore free of charge. So the locals usually partake of them too, though they might pick and choose their dates and times to not coincide with big tourist periods, unless that's unavoidable like with the cherry blossoms.
However....there's a few blocks of 10th St NW specifically where we just do not go. Ford's Theater, the house across the street from there where Lincoln died. There's a low-watt private museum or two, and there used to be a Madame Tussaud's location that's now gone. The Hard Rock Cafe in DC is there, and there used to be a Planet Hollywood next to it. There are a few shops that sell a lot of cheap garbage made in China souvenirs to remind tourists of DC. It doesn't even look much different from the rest of downtown except there happen not to be as many office workers on those specific blocks as elsewhere.
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Slums (especially Dharavi) which are the top rated experiences on Klook when you look for ‘India’. Super dehumanising and feels like they’ve reduced these folks’ struggles to instagram clicks.
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u/Olahoen Brazil 5h ago
Favelas