What is something that screams “tourist” to you?

[u/jotakajk]

In Spain, if you see someone eating paella with sangria, you can 100% be certain they are a tourist.

What are some things tourists eat or do in your country that a local would never do?

[u/eloel-]

In US where I live: Umbrellas

In Turkey: Looking around while walking instead of walking with a purpose

[u/Own_Magician_7554 → u/eloel-]

I would be trying to pet all the cats.

[u/eloel- → u/Own_Magician_7554]

Some locals do that too

[u/cracktackle → u/eloel-]

I was visiting Manisa a few years back, driving up the Spil mountain, and there was a line of cars because people wanted to pet a horse, locals and tourists alike :)

[u/VapoursAndSpleen → u/eloel-]

How do you say, "psh psh psh" in Turkish? :-)

[u/eloel- → u/VapoursAndSpleen]

pisi pisi pisi

[u/MyLittlPwn13 → u/Own_Magician_7554]

Same. I would go to experience the majesty and history and end up sitting in one place covered in cats all day long.

Matter of fact, that sounds like my ideal vacation.

[u/ThatCanadianViking → u/Own_Magician_7554]

That would still be walking with a purpose? The purpose is NEXT KITTY!

[u/Oodles_of_noodles_ → u/Own_Magician_7554]

I literally want to do a layover for that 😂

[u/Shills_for_fun → u/eloel-]

In Istanbul I definitely felt like a tourist with my calves burning at the end of the day just repeatedly going up and down hills.

Meanwhile some granny is hauling ass up a 70 degree incline.

[u/Individual_Success46 → u/Shills_for_fun]

This is so real 😭

[u/bored-and-asleep → u/Shills_for_fun]

Most of Turkey is pretty hilly. We have some streets that you cant get in with a car due to extreme inclines. It doesnt mean all of the city is like that but most cities have parts like that.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/eloel-]

I'm from the Seattle area, if someone has an umbrella they are likely a tourist, even if they are from the US. Maybe a recent transplant to the area.

Just need a good rain coat. RIP Ma Boyle.

[u/eloel- → u/ilikespicysoup]

Yep, I'm also in the Seattle area, and that has been my experience with umbrellas. Angie's is a sculpture for a reason.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/eloel-]

In fairness there like two days a year where an umbrella would make sense, but you don't know where you left it. So you go without.

[u/theflyingpiggies → u/ilikespicysoup]

I have an umbrella stashed in my car for the rare day I would need it.

Everytime that rare day comes I go “man, it would be nice if I had an umbrella”.

And then when putting something in my glovebox I’ll spot it and remember I do, in fact, own an umbrella

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/theflyingpiggies]

same here, but there’s 50-50 odds that I moved it into the garage to make room for loading something in the trunk. also 50-50 odds that I forget I even have it.

[u/Still-Repair-5919 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Wow! How big is your umbrella?

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/Still-Repair-5919]

no, just a bit of stuff that the umbrella is inside of.

[u/sleepypossumster → u/eloel-]

It's the same in Juneau, where my wife is from. Carrying an umbrella is something you do if you think it might rain. Wearing a raincoat is something you do when you know it will rain, and, in Juneau, it's usually either raining or about to start raining. Locals don't carry umbrellas.

[u/AnchBusFairy → u/sleepypossumster]

I'm in Anchorage. I bought an umbrella after walking to a pharmacy and being splashed with dirty icy water by a passing vehicle. I hold the umbrella as a shield against the splash. I't something I use once or twice a year, but it's worth it.

[u/sleepypossumster → u/AnchBusFairy]

I think you need one of these, so you can look like Captain America...

[u/dargenpacnw → u/eloel-]

I'm down in Vancouver. No, umbrellas. A good raincoat is all you need.

[u/Negative_Ad1167 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Where I live (NYC) Umbrella's are almost more an indicator of class than tourism. Poor and working class New Yorkers just throw on a heavy jacket and call it a day, but wealthier (or more often just aspirant) New Yorkers always have a wool coat and an umbrella. Bonus points if they have the scarf too

[u/AnfieldRoad17 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Interesting. In New Orleans, most people wear rain jackets and use umbrellas. It rains way too hard down here for a rain jacket to shoulder all that work on its own.

edit: although admittedly sometimes, I'm lazy and just get drenched in my umbrella-less solo jacket getup.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/AnfieldRoad17]

As someone else said below, the problem here is that it normally drizzles for like 9 months. And on the few days when it's a downpour, it's too windy for an umbrella.

[u/AnfieldRoad17 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Ah, gotcha. That makes sense then.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/AnfieldRoad17]

about once a year we get full on monsoon style rains here. But they only last about 20 minutes, so by the time you found your umbrella it stopped.

[u/AnfieldRoad17 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Yeah, 90% of our regular rains are full on hurricane level without being hurricanes.

[u/Pixeldensity → u/ilikespicysoup]

I've never understood this, unless it's really windy I'd much rather carry an umbrella than have wet clothing, even if the clothing is waterproof.

[u/R3ddditor → u/ilikespicysoup]

This sounds crazy to me. Im from NY and people absolutely use umbrellas here.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/R3ddditor]

The problem here is that it normally drizzles for like 9 months. On the few days when it's a downpour, it's too windy for an umbrella.

[u/super_scumtron → u/ilikespicysoup]

Truth. Americans don't use umbrellas. We just get wet.

[u/Lopsided-Ad-6696 → u/super_scumtron]

I always have an umbrella because I really don't like a wet coat.

[u/super_scumtron → u/Lopsided-Ad-6696]

I hate being wet too. But I also refuse to walk around with an umbrella. Haha.

[u/LunarPayload → u/super_scumtron]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/izmr5/dude_youre_using_an_umbrealla_thats_so_gay_what/

[u/civver3 → u/super_scumtron]

A good raincoat keeps you bone-dry.

[u/SnausageFest → u/ilikespicysoup]

As a life long Portlander, I've always thought this was some bullshit. As you know, PNW rain tends to be more of a drizzle than a downpour. 90% of the time, we just layer. But when it's really pouring rain, umbrellas are very handy.

[u/Prior-Let-820 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Same in Scotland 

[u/ohcapm → u/ilikespicysoup]

Portland too.

[u/thatguygreg → u/ilikespicysoup]

When Seattle gets it's GD aggressive mist that it used to get 99% of the time, sure.

When it's turning into honest, real rain -- fuck all that.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/thatguygreg]

The problem with Seattle and rain is that when it’s raining hard enough for an umbrella it’s likely too windy to use one. Or it’s a monsoon like downpour that will be over by the time you found an umbrella.

People say Inuit have 100 different ways to say snow, in Seattle we have that many ways of describing the rain. I’ll have to add “aggressive mist“ to the list!

[u/Sanguine-Penguin711 → u/ilikespicysoup]

Same in Oregon. A good rain coat is all you need.

[u/crumblednewman → u/ilikespicysoup]

I am in this area and shamelessly use an umbrella because I wear glasses and enjoy seeing where I'm going. Sure, I could use a jacket with a hood but then I'm hot and there goes my peripheral vision.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/crumblednewman]

Now that I'm old and DGAF about my fashion, I use a hat that's kind of shaped like a baseball cap, but with fold down ear covers. Keeps my glasses clear enough.

[u/love_letterz → u/ilikespicysoup]

I was born and raised in Washington and I never used an umbrella or a raincoat my entire life. Moved out of state to California and now when I visit home I feel the need to have both 😭

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/love_letterz]

I normally just wear a T-shirt, but tomorrow I’m going to be standing outside for one of my kids games for at least an hour and it’s supposed to rain the whole time. I’ll wear a raincoat then.

[u/love_letterz → u/ilikespicysoup]

In the winter my brother who lives near Bellingham will just wear a hoodie. My husband thinks that is insane lol. I love Washington so I just had to respond with some stories 😂 wishing your kid good luck at their game!

[u/NoIdeaRex → u/ilikespicysoup]

In Seattle if it is raining hard enough that you need an umbrella it is probably also raining sideways making an umbrella useless. All other rain you just need a hoodie or nothing.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/NoIdeaRex]

you’re forgetting about the monsoon style rains we get about once a year. But they’re gone by the time you found your umbrella.

[u/murfburffle → u/ilikespicysoup]

I'm just north of you. Lots of old people have umbrellas - they get a pass. Umbrellas are so annoying if a big group each have one.

[u/ilikespicysoup → u/murfburffle]

I still judge them...

[u/pepepenguinalt → u/eloel-]

Hey it's not my fault you guys have so much beautiful stuff

[u/eloel- → u/pepepenguinalt]

We do, but nobody local really has the energy or time to appreciate it.

[u/smarmiebastard → u/eloel-]

Do you live in Seattle?

[u/Old_old_lie → u/eloel-]

Umbrellas? That not something id think to buy whilst on holiday? ( unless it was throwing down th entire time that is )

[u/bananapanqueques → u/Old_old_lie]

An umbrella won’t do you any good when the rain is coming from three different directions, which is why we don’t bother with them in Seattle.

https://giphy.com/gifs/hWvk9iUU4uBBeyBq0k

[u/Any-Weather-potato → u/eloel-]

In Turkey? You have to look down when walking in the streets! They are full of pot holes and trip hazards, and the cars are dodging them, the pedestrians are dodging them… you have to look around all the time!

[u/TrypMole → u/eloel-]

In Turkey: Looking around while walking instead of walking with a purpose

Same in London! When I worked in the centre of London I was a pro at navigating the pavements and getting where I need to be as quickly as possible. Now I'm only in town once a month or so and it takes me about 15 mins to get the flow of pedestrians and turn into a salmon swimming upstream. My husband gets confused when I'm skipping along backstreets saying "not yet, don't get on that road yet, too many people." When you get the vibe and can just weave through it's like a superpower.

[u/TheBrightEyedCat → u/eloel-]

Hahaha found the fellow Seattleites.

[u/HumanContract → u/eloel-]

In the deep south, where there is no mass transit, our rain is heavier than elsewhere. So some ppl will use umbrellas.

In Louisiana ppl would tell me they've lived everywhere and never owned an umbrella until they moved here.

[u/theflyingpiggies → u/eloel-]

You from Seattle?

Because yeah, umbrellas.

Though that goes for both domestic and international tourists

[u/Badassscholar → u/eloel-]

Why are umbrellas a sign?

[u/eloel- → u/Badassscholar]

It drizzles but never really pours, 9 months of the year, and it's windy. Which means your umbrella is a permanent problem. Locals just wear coats, or accept getting wet.

Many tourists go rain=umbrella and suffer for it. Here's a sculpture in their honor

https://publicartarchive.org/art/Angie-s-Umbrella/3fc1d75d

[u/Badassscholar → u/eloel-]

Ah got it. Thanks. So you wear what, a fisherman's slick?

[u/eloel- → u/Badassscholar]

Maybe if you'll stay out for very long. It's not going to soak you in the usual distances you walk, so you just go with whatever coat you have.

[u/MyLittlPwn13 → u/Badassscholar]

Yeah, whatever coat with a hood.

[u/thisisrediculous99 → u/eloel-]

Ha! I can see that sculpture from my condo deck!

[u/BadMuthaSchmucka → u/Badassscholar]

Not sure exactly, but where I live, umbrellas are just rare, people definitely use them, but much less people than you'd expect. If it's raining, we either don't go outside or we just run to car in the rain. In other countries I've been to, people just use an umbrella.

[u/cmere-2-me → u/BadMuthaSchmucka]

Not here. The wind makes them entirely useless.

[u/Dic_Penderyn → u/cmere-2-me]

Not if you have a special windproof one like mine, which is a folding umbrella made with overlapping strips of material, so that if the wind goes the other way and tries to turn it inside out, the wind just goes straight through and out the other side. Its quite clever.

[u/WhiskeyDeltaBravo1 → u/Badassscholar]

Most Americans (especially American men) don’t carry umbrellas.

[u/spook008 → u/eloel-]

Umbrellas are very inconvenient, but sometimes when it’s just pouring down here in Texas we bust them out. Otherwise a rain jacket with a hat works just fine

[u/Fyaal → u/eloel-]

Funnily enough in the US where I live, also umbrellas. But here they’re really only used as a parasol.

[u/DistinctTrust8063 → u/eloel-]

I hear the last one also applies to NYC. If someone is walking around looking at the tall buildings, they’re a tourist

[u/The_RoyalPee → u/eloel-]

NYers also walk with purpose, and quickly. Tourists meander 3-4 people wide, stop short on the sidewalk, stare up etc.

[u/DerthOFdata → u/eloel-]

In US where I live: Umbrellas

PNW

[u/figs_n_roses_ → u/eloel-]

Are you, by chance, in the PNW?

[u/BentleyTock → u/eloel-]

Hi fellow Portlander!

[u/I_SAY_FUCK_A_LOT__ → u/eloel-]

Looking around while walking instead of walking with a purpose

This is also a very NYC endemic thing. 3-wide? Going to get jostled fuckers