Shanks Mare

When young, I couldn’t afford fancy tours of new places. And the places I needed to find, like lowdown musical venues where I might play in exchange for some coin, were not on those tours. The well-to-do tourist tours were in limos, buses, or chaperoned walking tours. Mine started at the local bus terminal and were always by foot.

I developed a sort of snobbish prejudice against tourism that hit only the highest notes, but ignored the best of the city. The museums whose admission fees I couldn’t afford, the elite neighborhoods where wanderers like myself were not wanted, or the Public monuments that were patrolled against riffraff. These were not easily accessible to me. But there was a vast area of the city that most tourists never saw that was.

Until American cities rediscovered their waterfronts, those were among the most vibrant parts of the city. It was the harbor or riverside with small vibrant shops, bars, and restaurants that catered to a more interesting class of people than the downtown districts.

Then there were the neighborhoods with small clubs, very different types of markets than “downtown,” and sometimes pocket parks frequented by the locals. But be careful: these are communities, and the sort of reception you might get could hinge on your respectful behavior as you strolled through someone else’s home turf.

Different from the typical tourist tour? Oh yeah.

What’s the best way to explore a new city?

View all responses