Don't become a temporary local...

http://www.americanwaymag.com/washington-smithsonian-congress

The author has a pretty good point. Why go somewhere to do exactly what you would do at home? How often do you go sightseeing to museums, churches, etc. in your own town? Probably only when you have out-of-town guests that want to see the tourist sites. Rick talks about living like a local, but writes, and presumably makes a lot of money, writing guidebooks talking about the best sights to see. Hmmm....

I think what the author is saying is kinda funny. Really, if you think about it, when you're traveling, you aren't living like a local. Do you really want to go to France and stand in line at the bank because you have to order or pick up checks (most banks only allow you to do this in person, not by mail)? Or take care of any one of the other infinte beauracratic procedures of the country? And the locals aren't spending all their time in museums, restaurants, parks and coffee shops either. So I agree that it wouldn't be any fun to actually live like a local when you are on vacation.

It's a funny article, and thought provoking. I make no apologizes for doing touristy things while I'm a tourist, no matter how silly or serious it may be... ie. visiting popular museums, cathedrals, theme parks, wax museums, zoos etc. For me vacations are a diversion, I want to do and see things, that can't be found here in upstate New York. But what I think Rick is saying is that by "being a temporary local", is that we should increase our contact with the locals a bit. Things like, staying at a family owned hotel, visiting a pub/restaurant which caters to the local neighborhood, festivals geared to the locals, striking up conversions on the train, etc. IMO being a tourist, and being a "temporary local" are completely compatible. This reminds be of a funny story.....back in 2006, a few months before the World Cup in Germany, Rick let it slip in an interview that in 25+ years of traveling to Europe, he had never attended a single soccer match. It was a bit of a scandal in the US soccer community; a guy who badgers travelers to live like locals, doesn't practice what he preaches:) Long story short, a few months later he finally attended a match at the San Siro in Milan, and added sections to some of his guidebooks on where to catch a match.

I can sort of see what he is saying, but I am not sure I totally agree with it. Yes, of course you want to do the once in a lifetime touristy things on holiday, but surely not all the time. Some of my most memorable experiences have been doing things like eating in the local's favourite cafe or buying dinner from a market, rather than eating in a tourist trap. I also love going on public transport. I suppose it's about just getting an insight into what life is like in another place.

I thought this article was a bit silly. I don't think "live like a local" ever meant join the morning commute and I certainly hope for everyone's sake it doesn't mean waking up at 6am. Nothing's open in D.C. at that hour either. This Washingtonian --who does wake at 5:30 and does commute each morning -- can certainly recommend things to do in "the District" (the author is right, don't call it Washington) that isn't on the usual monuments & museums tour. You can enjoy the nightlife of Dupont Circle, or check out the theater scene (Britain isn't the only place to see Shakespeare!), or catch a baseball game at the beautiful new Nationals Park. Things that people don't initially associate with visiting the capital. OK, now that I've made my pitch for my adopted hometown, I can say that I interpret "live like a local" to mean: try to escape the bus tour route. Yes, See the museums, visit the monuments, and sure eat in a few fancy restaurants, but be willing to walk through other neighborhoods, eat at a local place that isn't McDonald's, and even talk to the locals when the opportunity arises. You do want to be a tourist, but you don't necessarily want to be stuck in the tourist machine. PS, for the record, I've lived in DC since 1987 and still haven't seen the inside of the White House or gone to the top of the Washington Monument!

i want to live like i've retired there. do what ever i want, on my schedule, like i know the place. i want to know where the people in "the know" go. you don't do that by insulating yourself from the local way of life. i don't want to act like i'm in a sprint to see as much as possible to tick off items in my 1000 things to see before i die book. if i just traveled to see the sights, i could see passable facsimilies in vegas for a lot cheaper.

"i want to live like i've retired there." I think that's a much better way to put it. As I read the article, I was thinking of some of the more ridiculously pretentious posting we're encountered on this forum. The sort that read like "I'm going to Europe, and I'm not interested in seeing (fill in the blank) famous sites, I want to get off the beaten path and experience local culture, hang out with locals at a pub and..." other pseudosophisticated cliches. And yes, we have seen those sorts of posts. To which I want to reply: so, you're traveling half way around the world to not see famously beautiful sites but to drink with people you don't know and who probably speak a language you don't understand?

I agree with Michael and Matt and was thinking about how great it was to get out of the tourist zone while in Washington DC for meetings last summer to have some dinner at a great (and cheap) Greek place in Dupont Circle as I read through that goofy article. In fact, I thought it was fun to just chill out in the park in the actual circle itself and people watch for awhile. It was jam-packed on a Friday evening with a super-eclectic mix of homeless people, retired people, young professionals, young families, etc., and it's not really on the tourist circuit. Another good scene is grabbing some lunch over at GWU and talking to students. Yeah...I took time to see some of the museums, too (isn't experiencing the tourist sights one of the primary reasons you travel in the first place). This is what RS means when he talks about living like a local...getting away from the tourist zone for a bit when you can. He's not talking about actually living like one would the other 364 days of the year. Plus, it would be pretty hard for Americans to "live like a local" that way anyway with only two weeks vacation per year, even if they wanted to. My take is that, more than wanting to help tourists have a better vacation, the author of that article actually has a weird chip on his shoulder about tourists...probably tied to a deeper insecurity issue. He could move away from a tourist Mecca and to Des Moines...perhaps he would then be happy to listen to my 5 a.m. alarm every day and watch me shovel the driveway.

The thing is, is that many Europeans actually do go to see the sights in their own cities, or near-by towns. They do go to the own museums and go on themed tours of their cities. Most of these cities have a long and rich history and people who live here are proud of it and highly interested in it. They will take part in local tours of their churches, their neighborhoods, things that most of us don't or didn't do in the US. I know I never did. This isn't just students or retired people either.

"to have some dinner at a great (and cheap) Greek place in Dupont Circle as I read through that goofy article." Would that have been Zorba the Greek's? BTW, what really brought the article home for me was that I used to live in DC. Two of my favorite restaurants, Bistro du Coin and the Russia House, were in the Dupont Circle area. Although not on the Mall, that neighborhood isn't exactly devoid of out-of-towners either. If you really want to go where no tourist ventures, do like Anthony Bourdain and visit some of the nether regions east of 16th street.

Tom: Yes, it was Zorba's Café...one of the better places you can actually afford in Dupont Circle. I checked the menu at Russia House but didn't dine there. Yes, Dupont Circle has a lot of convention business, so you're right about not being totally devoid of out-of-towners, but it's nothing like downtown around 7th street. I'll follow-up on your tip the next time I'm there.

I think the best way to live is always be a tourist - especially in your home town. In the Northeast US my favorite site is www.fieldtrip.com - I love finding quirky museums, historic sites, zoos that are right in my backyard. I think too many people overlook the possibilities which are right outside their back door.

Except for a few disastrous trips, I think I've had a moment on each vacation when I've said, "Aahh, wouldn't it be nice to live here?" Often it's been with a drink in my hand, in a lawn chair in a campsite in Michigan. Maybe I'll switch that to, "wouldn't it be nice to be retired?"

We've always wanted to visit your capital and are really interested now after reading 'The Lost Symbol". I agree with bronwen, most people we know will travel all over the globe but rarely visit sites in their own area. We make it a point of doing day and overnight trips in our own area.