Being a Tourist in Your Own City
How I learned to appreciate where I’m from, and why you should too…
Being born and raised in New York is equal parts a blessing and a curse. We have the privilege of living in the cultural and economic capital of the world, but I think I speak for many New Yorkers when I say that we take it for granted. The question is, how does one take the place that they have lived in their whole life for granted? I don’t think it hit me, until I started commuting from Long Island into Manhattan for my entire four years of college (shoutout CUNY).
I see NYC as a microcosm of the world. We have people, languages, food, art, and even animals from every corner and crevice across the globe. Many with sprawling ethnic enclaves that make you feel like you just got off of a plane somewhere. It was through these experiences, that I realized why over 65 million people a year come to visit. Prior to entering college, I would play it safe and stick to the parts I know (yes, that means Times Square ugh…). But once I became a regular in the city, I decided to give being a tourist a try.
Being a tourist in your own city is as simple as knowing how to use Google. Of course I knew about the MET, and Broadway, but can you really say you have been to New York without eating Pommes Frites in Washington Square Park, while watching a man on a unicycle juggle, before heading to the Comedy Cellar. Well of course you can, but the point is, that by going beyond the surface of what I thought NYC was always about, I discovered that there were thousands of these little intimate moments that were special to the city I call home.
I began to move slower…more tourist like, and I started to take in my surroundings instead of dismissing them as a nuisance. I started walking with my head up instead of down, and I even stopped to take pictures (never in the middle of the sidewalk of course). I learned that to truly love this city, I had to escape the confines of Midtown Manhattan, and thanks to the best/worst transit system in the world, I accomplished that mission.
One of the things I stopped doing, was I stopped “hating” on tourists who would buy tickets to the Empire State Building, or would take ferries to the Statue of Liberty. I mean…isn’t it ridiculous that so many of us New Yorkers make fun of people for that, when many of us haven’t even visited these world famous landmarks ourselves. This is how I recognized my New York privilege, and while I’m not campaigning for New Yorkers to wear “I Love NY” shirts, I think taking a moment to acknowledge the sheer amount of world class attractions we have (touristy or otherwise) is a start.
While I can’t speak for everyone, I think this can apply to major cities all over the world. I’m willing to bet that there are people from Paris who have never been inside the Eiffel Tower for the same reason there are people in NY that have never visited the Statue of Liberty. I think it can help us gain perspective and make us appreciate where we are from, when we start to recognize the things that seemingly everyone who comes here for vacation do. I love New York City, and there’s a million things unique to here that I have yet to do. So with that being said, don’t be afraid to go back to the basics, and do what the tour group of people in the fanny packs and bucket hats seem to enjoy when coming to our cities.
-Malik Bellamy
