I laugh because where I live (SC) ranks pretty high for tourism -- my area because of mountains, lakes, and golf courses (not to mention the amazing downtown revival of Greenville SC, aka #yeahTHATgreenville). Of course, I went to college in Charleston, SC -- well-known tourist destination because of coastal living, a crapload of historical significance, and (God help us all now) "Southern Charm." Pardon me while I gag at the mere mention of T-Rav.
My BFF and I were tour guides for our college, and at the same time, tour buses would often come past the campus. We sometimes wondered how many pictures we might be in from these other tour groups as we were leading around parents and prospective students. "Who are those kids, George?" "I don't know, Louise, but remember they drove us by that college? Guess I didn't notice them in the picture..."
Sometimes it was fun to play tourist there, especially when friends or family would come down. My mom and her bestie came to visit me one weekend my freshman year, and we did all the Charleston touristy stuff -- carriage ride, shopping at the market, meals at the touristy places..... It was fun. A couple of years later, less so when others would visit or Mom would want to go do something again. By that point, it was old hat to me. A few years after I moved back home, I went back to Charleston for a special weekend event, and while we had unscheduled time on Sunday morning, I treated my then-BF to a mini-tour of the town and of my college. Once he saw the campus, he said, "Now I understand why you have such awe and reverence for this place.... This isn't a campus, it's a movie set!" And it was, actually. The Cistern served as the train station in North & South. For him, going to a large Midwestern public university, seeing a smaller Southern public school was quite different. Even Clemson and USC are nothing like my beloved C of C.
And now there are times I like to be touristy in Greenville. Now that downtown continues to grow and develop, there is always something new and cool to see. And then there are times being a local pays -- like last weekend in the afternoon merchandise line before the Pearl Jam concert. The group in front of me began talking about brew pubs, etc. to go to prior to the concert, and asked a couple of questions. I responded with options and they were like, "Local!!!!" and had a few more inquiries. That was cool, to be able to give recommendations and know they'd be good ones.
Never be afraid to look at your town as if you were a tourist, with fresh eyes and a blank-slate outlook.
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