Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals • Hacker News Board

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#81

Post by dwringer » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:20 PM UTC

mc32 wrote: post #64

cgriswald wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know when it started but my not-at-all exhaustive list suggests your examples didn’t start it. LOVE statue in Philadelphia, 1978. Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis, 1985. Pork ‘n’ Beans in Seattle 2001. Peanuts statues in Minneapolis/St. Paul, 2003. Chicago Bean, 2004. SF Hearts, 2004.

Sure, there have been the Eiffel towers and statues of liberty and such, but the pigs and hearts took it to a pop art level (I do see a resemblance to the spoon cherry though) They could easily and cheaply advertise a city and in a manner tourists love. They’re approachable and everywhere.

These later exhibitions seem reminiscent of "CowParade" (established first as Zürich's "Land in Sicht" in 1998), which was ultimately developed into an exhibit not specific to one city, but appears to have inspired at least some similar city-specific exhibits including the Seattle Pigs (three years after the first "cow parade" debut, and entitled "Pigs on Parade" in the same fashion as a 1999 Chicago "Cows on Parade" exhibit). There's much more related information at the CowParade Wikipedia entry[1], with a long list of similar exhibits.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CowParade

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#82

Post by aylmao » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:27 PM UTC

welder wrote: post #74

anc84 wrote: post #27

Regurgitated content from more than half a decade ago. Here is the direct link with all you need to know: https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/721576242091586... (Click "show more" for the description with is more verbose and honest than the aggregator spam submission).

And the direct link to San Francsico: https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4671581511/in/album-...

I've lived in SF before— this is so accurate to my experience. Went to SoMa a lot and actually never visited the Golden Gate bridge.

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#83

Post by oh_sigh » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:36 PM UTC

wil421 wrote: post #52

blaser-waffle wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm reminded of Paris Syndrome, which is phenomenon common with the Japanese, where they assume Paris is something it is not, and get angry and frustrated upon visiting. https://grapee.jp/en/99643 I'd say similar things about Texas, DC, and NYC, for that matter.

My European colleagues were distraught about DC and the White House in general. They couldn’t believe how small it was compared to European Palaces for Monarchs, ex rulers, etc. They didn’t understand when I said it was probably the point. We fought against a British monarch, why would we build massive palaces for our non-monarch president? They said look all the power is in Congress their buildings are much bigger.

Maybe if they built something a little less ostentatious(and adopted similar policies throughout their lives), the monarchs could have occupied the grand palaces for more than 100 years before losing their heads. I'm thinking specifically about Versailles

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#84

Post by mc32 » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:42 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #76

mc32 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those Seattle pig and San Francisco heart fiberglass art installations really messed things up touristicly. After that every city has to have some kind of pop symbol tourists could ID as of that city do they could take selfies with it. That said, implicit in some of the commentary is that tourists miss the local aspect of s city they visit by remaining in tourist areas. My take is that is the whole point of most tour…

What are the San Francisco heart fiberglass art installations? I've lived in SF since 2011 and have either never seen or never noticed them.

Here are some examples: https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=San%20Francisco%20heart%...

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#85

Post by Angostura » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 9:17 PM UTC

chapium wrote: post #23

Angostura wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why? Tourist sights are tourist sites for a reason. The Tower of London is swarming with tourist, but its still genuinely fascinating. If only for Henry VIII's armoured codpiece.

Probably because tourists are generally awful to be around.

I disagree in general. I mean some are, but when I travel and am coming back via Heathrow, I quite often sit myself near a group of first-time visitors on the Tube, just because its interesting to evesdrop on their impressions. Typical American family looking through the window at the surburban streets: "Look at those houses, they are so small". Seeing through other people's eyes can be fascinating.

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#86

Post by mannykannot » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 9:25 PM UTC

There are a couple of places here that I know as more than a visitor, and in those cases, the residents' maps are quite interesting - for example, what is it about College Point, New York, that makes it stand out?

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#87

Post by simonebrunozzi » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 9:32 PM UTC

I grew up in Assisi, Italy, and lived there until ~2008.

Assisi was home to St.Francis, one of the most popular saints in Christianity, and it's a tiny village (5,000 residents) with >1.3M people visiting it every year, mostly for religious reasons.

Growing up there was really a unique experience in that regard, especially when tourism is such an important share of the local economy.

I met so many people from abroad, and befriended so many, over the years, and at the same time I almost took it for granted.

I think my mind benefited from this great influx of foreigners.

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#88

Post by awhitty » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 9:51 PM UTC

enf wrote: post #73

chansiky wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for sharing. This deserves more upvotes. And all the respect to Eric Fischer who is more likely to be the author.

Thanks. Yes, I made these maps several years ago.

Completely unrelated to maps, but I really enjoyed your talk about the origins of the "else" keyword at !!Con West a few months back! Thanks for picking that topic. Really got me thinking.

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#89

Post by mntmoss » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 10:15 PM UTC

mr_crankypants wrote: post #11

blaser-waffle wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm reminded of Paris Syndrome, which is phenomenon common with the Japanese, where they assume Paris is something it is not, and get angry and frustrated upon visiting. https://grapee.jp/en/99643 I'd say similar things about Texas, DC, and NYC, for that matter.

Watching it happen can be quite a slice-of-life event. One guest who wanted to see my city's Chinese neighborhood was rather bitterly disappointed upon seeing it. "But it's just like any other neighborhood, only the convenience stores have Chinese signs in the windows!" Pointing out that they also sell red envelopes wasn't much of a consolation.

An old story from my dad is of observing a couple while dining at the Cliff House(SF attraction looking out over the Pacific Ocean). The lady was asked what she thought of the ocean and she replied, "I'm very disappointed. I thought it would be bigger!"

Re: Maps Reveal the Difference in How Cities Are Perceived by Tourists and Locals

#90

Post by ip26 » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 10:21 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #38

criddell wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in an area that had a lot of tourism (Stratford, ON). I always thought it was strange that people would travel so far to visit. Now when I go home I see the city through new eyes and it really is a charming place. It feels like it would be a really nice place to live. When I did live there, I couldn't wait to leave.

I would assume one's age has a lot to do with this. As a younger person, the history of things is just not very high up on the list of things interested in. Especially if the community is perceived as "small town", where all the kids can't wait to leave. However, as one gets older, the history of something becomes much more appreciable. People then realize the "small town" is where they'd rather raise kids, and the c…

Do people commonly move to tiny towns to raise kids? I'm drawn to them but always figure they would not be a good place for kids. Nothing to do, limited schools, little opportunity.