A popular state to visit up here in the Northeast, millions of visitors from all over the world come to New York to see what all the fuss is about. Experiencing the Empire State for themselves, oftentimes tourists won’t even realize how much they stick out like a sore thumb to us residents. From where they go to the way the dress, here’s a list full of ways that you can tell whether or not the person in front of you is a native or a tourist of New York State.
1. They always have their phone out.
While this is something to be said of the majority of the world's population today, you'll often find that a telltale sign of a tourist in New York is that they have their phones out to capture all of our iconic sights.
2. They improperly label our regions.
Tip for spotting a tourist? Ask them where Upstate New York is. The answer to this question should give you almost everything you need to know about the person!
3. They're unfamiliar with our favorite foods.
All of our regions have their own quirky dishes that you can't find anywhere else but in our state. Transplants or out-of-towners will often have no idea what garbage plates, white hots, beef on weck sandwiches, or chicken riggies are. The list goes on!
4. They're struggling to pronounce our names.
From towns to streets, New York has some destinations that can be quite a mouthful to pronounce. If you hear someone say a name wrong or struggle just to get the names of our towns out of their mouths, they're probably not from around here.
5. And they might even sound a bit funny, too.
From out in Western New York all the way to Long Island, many areas of New York have quite a distinct accent. If you hear someone from talking while you're out and about and their accent doesn't sound the same as yours, there's a good chance they're from another area of our state or another state entirely.
6. They want to spend the holidays in Times Square.
There's no denying the rich history behind Times Square or that it was once something much different than it is today, but for most New Yorkers? All we see is a tourist trap when we look at this slice of the Big Apple. Instead of standing out in the cold and waiting to use a bathroom for 8 hours just to watch the ball drop in person, we'll be tucked away in our couch enjoying the warmth and view from our TV screen.
7. Their closet is full of the wrong jerseys.
Whether it be that their closet is full of New England jerseys or that their car is decorated with Red Sox stickers, tourists are easy to spot when they're not routing from the home team.
8. And they're probably just dressed wrong in general.
During times like the spring and fall when we experience those transitioning seasons, you'll often find that tourists aren't quite dressed the same as we are. Whether they're underdressed and rocking summer attire out in the snow, or they're over prepared and wearing too many layers to count, attire can be a great key to discovering who's a native and who's not.
9. They've already been to Niagara Falls.
An attraction that's visited by travelers from all over the world, you might be surprised to hear that a lot of us New Yorkers have never even seen Niagara Falls! Sometimes you'll find that it's the tourists who have explored our biggest attraction, while we've yet to check everything off of our home state bucket list.
10. They don't get our jokes.
Tourists will first come across our 'Ithaca is GORGES' shirts, bumper stickers, and more and usually tilt their head out of confusion. But! Our friends and family out in the Finger Lakes will know exactly what we're talking about.
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