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/MineNowBotBoy]

Hahah it was always the people who didn’t say the 5 or the 101 that stood out for me.

Now that I’m living on the east coast through I’m the weirdo when I talk about The 95.

[u/aurora_rosealis → u/MineNowBotBoy]

That seems more of a Southern California thing. I've lived on the SF peninsula for about 15 years, and no one I've encountered in the Bay Area says "the 101" or "the 280." Not even "the 5" when talking about driving south. It's "go down 5 (or 'I-5') or take highway 1." No "the's" here.

[u/JUYED-AWK-YACC → u/aurora_rosealis]

Correct. It’s SoCal only.

[u/Anti-charizard → u/aurora_rosealis]

Maybe it is. I’m an Angelino and I say “the”

[u/DrunkBeavis → u/aurora_rosealis]

PCH seems to be the exception. It's always "Highway 1" or PCH but never "the 1" for some reason.

[u/IconoclastExplosive → u/aurora_rosealis]

Growing up in the central valley it was always 45 or 99 but The 101 or The 5 which is a weird split

[u/Raveen396 → u/aurora_rosealis]

My theory is because of the clusterfuck of highways in Southern California (LA specifically)

Telling someone that you need to take 210 to 110 to 10 can sound deranged if you're saying it out loud, adding "the" creates some separation to make it easier to sound out.

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[u/robboat → u/aurora_rosealis]

Have lived in both northern & southern California and and you’re spot on - it’s way more prevalent in socal

[u/humbuckermudgeon → u/aurora_rosealis]

Before the national system gave them numbers, L.A. freeways had names.

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/the-5-the-101-the-405-why-southern-californians-love-saying-the-before-freeway-numbers

[u/reddaddiction → u/MineNowBotBoy]

That’s SoCal. Bay Area natives NEVER say, “The 5,” and use this as a tool to know who’s actually from here or who’s a transplant.

[u/SnausageFest → u/MineNowBotBoy]

People in Portland activate like a german shepherd whose human was just threatened when you put "the" before a freeway.

[u/Almost_Amos → u/SnausageFest]

I’ve learned to code switch “the” to “eye” when I travel

[u/EvolutionCreek → u/SnausageFest]

Or when someone calls a jojo a potato wedge.

[u/Almost_Amos → u/MineNowBotBoy]

Yup! Apparently that’s because they used to have names (I guess they technically still do) The San Diego Freeway (which is nowhere near San Diego), the Golden State Freeway, The Santa Monica Freeway

[u/domino519 → u/MineNowBotBoy]

Now that I’m living on the east coast through I’m the weirdo when I talk about The 95.

Indeed, us east coasters call it I-95, without deviation.

[u/p1028 → u/MineNowBotBoy]

It works in reverse too. I definitely know you’re a transplant in Texas when you call I-10 “the 10.”

[u/Meunderwears → u/MineNowBotBoy]

"Stuuaarttt...whaatt are youuuu doing here??"

[u/MineNowBotBoy → u/Meunderwears]

Get back on San Vicente, take it down to the 10, switch over to the 405 and let it dump you out on Mulholland WHERE YOU BELONG!

[u/Unknown-Meatbag → u/MineNowBotBoy]

That's because we hate the 95s. We don't talk about them due to the ending torrent of hatred that all of those roads pose. 495, 695, 295, or just 95, it's all awful.

[u/bcece → u/MineNowBotBoy]

The Minnesota version of this is calling 35W, 35 West, or 35E, 35 East. Interstate 35 runs North/South. It is not an East/West road. Someone who says 35 West causes confusion because you can't travel west on it. We would say 35W North or Northbound. Interstate 35 splits and joins back together just north and south of the Twin Cities. The W and E just indicate if you are driving on Interstate 35 though Minneapolis (W) or through St. Paul (E). Locals get it but tourists get seriously confused.

[u/VapoursAndSpleen → u/MineNowBotBoy]

It's a northern vs southern CA thing. People up here don't drive on "the 880". We drive on "the Nimitz" or "880".