What’s the Worst Tourist Trap in Your City?
In New York, skip the Statue of Liberty and take the ferry to Staten Island; walk the Manhattan Bridge instead of the Brooklyn Bridge. In Portland, don’t go to Voodoo Donuts, go to Blue Star. In San Francisco, don’t eat at Stinking Rose; take a look at small Italian restaurants nearby. Every city ( and every state ) has tourist traps and better alternatives. What do you have?
The tour to the Statue of Liberty is overcrowded, expensive, and has nothing to do with everyday life in New York. The Staten Island Ferry is free, regularly used by real New Yorkers, and offers the best views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey and of course Staten Island (where you can visit the park or watch a baseball game before returning ). And if you walk along the less crowded Manhattan Bridge, you can see the more beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.
Now, we’d love to hear about what’s being overrated in your city and where to go instead. What do only tourists appreciate? What’s an inauthentic version of something better just around the corner? Which restaurant, attraction, theme park, or neighborhood is responsible for your city’s bad reputation, and where is the best place for visitors to go?
Let us know in the comments and we’ll highlight the best answers in the Staff tab.