i love amerikan tourists

*ducks*

so we're looking at hadrians wall this morning then the lake district in the afternoon, down to london tomorrow for two days then around to stonehenge and the white cliffs of Dover. Is there anything on the isle of white?

I have ridiculous Brian-inspired plan to do all of America this way. I feel it may be a stupid idea.

I like the American tourists as long as they KEEP WALKING

I have done my best in this regard. Brit ILxers who have met me can confirm or deny.

I have a deep-seated LOATHING of being the typical American tourist abroad. I will fight against being this way as I can. I will probably fail nonetheless. But this explains why I don't go with tour groups, why I like going to places where I know people already via the Net, hurrah, why I generally avoid 'the sights' in place of hanging around with said people having other fun, etc.

"What is High Line?"
"It's not obligatory. "

yuppie catwalk

things i have heard about american tourists:

-we make ourselves obvious by wearing sneakers in non-athletic situations
-we dress super-casual in general and this makes us look like slobs
-we're very loud and confident (lol american exceptionalism) and sometimes friendly to the point where it makes people uncomfortable
-because of our largely suburban, car-centric population, when we go to compact cities we're always IN THE FUCKING WAY of foot traffic, on escalators, etc.

(addendum: i went to a festival this weekend where half the kids were from san diego and the rich parts of orange county and these people had no fucking idea how to just WALK. to keep the flow of traffic moving or get the hell out of the way.)

It's not just American tourists who wear sneakers. Have you seen the Europeans? Sneakers per capita in a one block radius around the museum of natural history is off the charts

Americans are always ready to spring into action. Can't imagine what I'd so if I were at some national monument and suddenly had to run somewhere in a pair of oxfords. No ventilation in those things.

two of my favourite American Tourist Urban Myth stories have actually come true! once in Cambridge, someone asked me where the University was and i had to Explain.

Please explain, where is the University?

The university is made up of a number of separate colleges all over the city.

gotcha.

Oxford is the same way too. urban myths must be thin on the ground in Cambridge

I used to get tourists asking how to get to Annapolis all the time, and I'd always answer "you're here" until they said, or at least attempted to say, the words "Naval Academy". 'cause screw you militarists, it's a beautiful town with a hell of a lot more going on than that place.

Nice.

It would be hard to resist the temptation to redirect them up West Street and make them drive around the mall or something.

Send 'em up Clay Street.

-because of our largely suburban, car-centric population, when we go to compact cities we're always IN THE FUCKING WAY of foot traffic, on escalators, etc.

― Rihannamator (get bent), Tuesday, August 26, 2014 3:50 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is certainly true of non-city dwelling American tourists visiting American cities.

american tourists don't believe in queues is my personal experience

I got out of a BART in San Francisco and there was this neat, orderly line of people going up the escalator.

And my first thought was WHAT IS THIS SHIT?

also - use of the word 'sneakers'

What if we're wearing these.

http://vagrantsneaker.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/hal-reebok-pair-1.jpg

This thread is relevant to my interests since we're going to Australia in December.

Last time I was there, I was such a poor Amerikan tourist, one of the waitresses thought I was Canadian.

^^^same thing happened to my family in australia, ppl seemed disappointed we were not canadian when they found out

While in Mexico, I was frequently mistaken for being Canadian, which never failed to make me irrationally offended.

Oh hell, they thought I was a Texan when I went to Mexico, which offended me greatly.

also - use of the word 'sneakers'

i know, i even felt self-conscious about typing that, but "trainers" would make me feel weirder yet.

theres no way the average australian could tell americans from (anglo) canadians, that is either a knowing reference to the 'conscientous/guilty americans abroad pretend to be canadian' demograpic or learning from experience that americans mistaken for canadians are less likely to be upset than canadians mistaken for americans

Tons of Deutsche tourists in NYC

^^^same thing happened to my family in australia, ppl seemed disappointed we were not canadian when they found out

― dan m, Tuesday, August 26, 2014 1:58 PM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Tbf they might as well BE Canadian.

many xposts: weird that american tourists don't form queues when travelling because they sure as hell like lining up for no reason when they're at home

pleasant plains, you should visit the darling downs when you're in australia.

learning from experience that americans mistaken for canadians are less likely to be upset than canadians mistaken for americans

Maybe. I would've figured she guessed American since the odds would have been in her favor, but good point.

pleasant plains, you should visit the darling downs when you're in australia.

It looks like a nice verdant area with plenty of - wait, this is about my username, isn't it?

loool estela

there are surely worse places to go than this

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/BunyaMtns-SW.jpg

otherwise, wikipedia suggests the darling downs are a place where 'blokes' might live, and where more 'traditional' australian values might predominate

Sounds a lot like Pleasant Plains then.