New York State of Mind: Part 3-The Sights

Whether you live in Southern California like I do or in the Big Apple, locals often whine about the annoyance of tourists.  They wander confusedly through the subway or clog up scenic routes with their rental cars.  They look through the viewfinder of their cameras rather than looking at the pedestrians they're about to collide with.  They eat at the overpriced, under-tasty joints advertised on billboards and brochures.


But, as far as I'm concerned, tourists sometimes get a bad reputation. Though I generally prefer to blend in and look like a local, sometimes flaunting your touristness is mighty fun.  Sometimes it is just fine to place getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower or propping up the Leaning Tower of Pisa or loitering outside the Today show at the top of your travel to-do list.

Lady Liberty from afar

NYFD boat offering an aquatic salute

Cheesy pizzeria in Little Italy

Statue outside Central Park with bird friends

Bridge in Central Park

When we boarded our flight out of LaGuardia on Sunday, I noticed a fellow traveler wearing "I Heart NY" flipflops and a "Wicked" t-shirt and a Yankees ball cap---I'm guessing not a local, probably a tourist who will smile every time she dons her newly acquired NYC paraphernalia and remembers her trip to the big city.  

Here's to the Chrysler building-lovers and the Central Park carriage-riders, to the folks on the Liberty Island ferry and the ladies and gents waiting in line at the Tkts counter to snag some seats at the musical-du-jour.  

So, go be a part of it.  Ditch your vagabond shoes and stray right through the heart of it. Wake up in the city that doesn't sleep.   Oh, New York, New York, I heart you.

Do you like playing tourist from time to time?  Or would you rather pretend to be a local?   What are your favorite New York sights?

Map image borrowed from KatherineBaxter.