First Enounter Stereotypes That Actually Happened When You Visited.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Razor

I have yet to visit Calgary, but I do however have an Aunt who lived there for the better part of 25 years before moving back to ON.I vividly remember telling me Calgary had a lot of "urban cowboys", and she also mentioned that she would see them in night clubs, restaurants, etc..It led me to believe that this wasn't just a Stampede thing, but engrained in the local culture..I think my cousin who moved there maybe 15 years ago started donning a cowboy hat after a few years..Makes me wonder if other Prairie cities like Regina or Saskatoon have adopted a bit of the cowboy culture as well? Edmonton doesn't seem to have. It may be just a Calgary thing..dunno?..That whole urban cowboy vibe may of also toned down since my Aunt lived there before the early 2000's. Don't know.

In my experience, you're average local Calgarian at a bar or restaurant is more likely to resemble your typical Portland stereotype than the urban cowboy. Very hipster, stylish beards, rolled up sleeves with full tats. The few times I've been in Calgary for work, I'm always amazed at people showing tattoos at the office, like wearing a polo for casual Friday with a full sleeve. Very different laid back corporate atmosphere.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

In my experience, you're average local Calgarian at a bar or restaurant is more likely to resemble your typical Portland stereotype than the urban cowboy. Very hipster, stylish beards, rolled up sleeves with full tats. The few times I've been in Calgary for work, I'm always amazed at people showing tattoos at the office, like wearing a polo for casual Friday with a full sleeve. Very different laid back corporate atmosphere.

Oh okay thanks!..The whole cowboy thing that Calgary is associated with is obviously from yesteryear, save for the Stampede.

[Antares41]

Originally Posted by benp

Yeah, we were also warned by our security staff about spying at the hotel. There were 3 "smoke detectors" on the wall of my hotel room, if I needed a reminder. One of the people in our group also got her passport stolen while going through the customs line at the airport - we luckily "knew" some of the right people, and as if by magic the passport reappeared. I had earlier been give a tip to hire a "porter" to pull my bags through on a dolly (I think I spent maybe $10US, if that much), and so all the customs agents just turned their heads and let me and my bags pass through without so much as a glance.

Yeah I could easily see all that happening in and around Moscow. The other funny thing was I had a suitcase with nothing by gifts (baseball caps, chewing gum, pens, little tool sets, etc.) they were for getting little favors done, they were a godsend. Whether it was in the plant I was working, taxi drivers, waitress, etc. give them something they couldn't buy there, that was from America, just made getting around or getting things done a whole lot easier. But that was back in the early 90s, I'm sure things have change since then.

[Centropolis]

lol. just doesn't seem like the sun is really brutal enough in canada long enough throughout the year to warrant cowboy hats. but, montana is right there i guess.

i mean to be sure it is still practical headwear...i know too many people getting cancer cut off their face these days.

[MolsonExport]

Expectation of Korean gals before going to Korea:


Confirmation of Korean gals after going to Korea:

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

First day in Cancun Mexico when i was on my grad trip in 1999 - Got pulled over while on a moped by a cop in a beat up VW Bug and he threatened to take us to jail since we were swerving in traffic (total bullshit). Of course, we could get off by paying him some money, which we did.

First time in SF... A nice big dump right in front of our hotel as we walked out for the first time

First time in Tokyo - Couldn't believe how clean and efficient it was. It was like i had gone to heaven

[East7thStreet]

Year 1997

First time to NYC and Times Sqaure.

Sketchy guy standing around by the side of a building calls us over and offers up fake Rolex's out of a suit case. We all bought one hah....$20 each.

[iheartthed]

On my first or second day in Tokyo, a train I was riding was very delayed because of a suicide attempt on the tracks ahead of us.

[edale]

It's sad to see how many people have such terrible first impressions of San Francisco. I first visited the city as a kid in the late 90s and I instantly fell in love. I don't really remember the homeless being that bad.

My first visit to LA left a much worse impression as it relates to the homeless. We stayed in Santa Monica at a beautiful hotel, but there were so many homeless people around that it really soured the trip. The streets and sidewalks of the third street promenade were sticky with piss and there were a ton of vacancies. It smelled really gross. Night and day between then and now (pre-covid at least). Also, there was a large gang fight on or under the pier while we were there, which brought out tons of cops. The whole vibe of the area felt dicey and chaotic.

One of the aunts from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Caroline Rhea) did stop to let me pet her dog on the beachfront path, though. She chatted with my parents for a few minutes-- they had no idea who she was. That was somewhat cool lol.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by edale

It's sad to see how many people have such terrible first impressions of San Francisco. I first visited the city as a kid in the late 90s and I instantly fell in love. I don't really remember the homeless being that bad.

My first visit to LA left a much worse impression as it relates to the homeless. We stayed in Santa Monica at a beautiful hotel, but there were so many homeless people around that it really soured the trip. The streets and sidewalks of the third street promenade was sticky with piss and there were a ton of vacancies. It smelled really gross. Night and day between then and now (pre-covid at least). Also, there was a large gang fight on or under the pier while we were there, which brought out tons of cops. The whole vibe of the area felt dicey and chaotic.

One of the aunts from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Caroline Rhea) did stop to let me pet her dog on the beachfront path, though. She chatted with my parents for a few minutes-- they had no idea who she was. That was somewhat cool lol.

The homelessness in SF was off the charts and very prominent and in your face where as LA, they were more out of site..at least in large numbers.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JManc

The homelessness in SF was off the charts and very prominent and in your face where as LA, they were more out of site..at least in large numbers.

They are mostly out of sight in SF now. You may have been here at the very worst moment. With all the hotels shut down to tourists, the city has rented lots of rooms and filled the ones in the lower quality hotels with the homeless. Very few tents on the street now except in the worst parts of the Tenderloin where the druggies too far gone to even have a tent of make use of even minimal services are still sprawled on the sidewalks in some blocks.

The thing about SF, aside from the fact it's way too liberal and tolerant of anti-social behavior (which has always been a characteristic of the place that many who live here love and keep voting to continue) is that it's small. Yes, when there's a problem it's hard not to notice it. In LA. someone who doesn't go downtown might never know there was a homless problem. But in fact LA has more of them than we do and does much less for them.

One more thing. Since some of those hotels closed due to COVID may well shut more or less permanently, the Governor has come up with some money to buy some of them and turn them into "full service" shelters (that means they don't just give people a room but provide mental health and regular health care services etc on-site). San Francisco is buying 2. Added to the shelters and other programs it already has, it could probably house most of its homeless population if they didn't keep coming because we treat them so well.

On a slightly different subject, I went out to lunch yesterday in Hayes Valley and noticed almost every one of the many restaurants in the foodie Mecca now has a "parklet" for outdoor dining and they are getting ever fancier with not only roofs and gas heaters but nice tables and furniture. For anyone not knowing, these are built in the curb lanes, taking up parking in front of the restaurants for outdoor service. Now they are everywhere. And I'm told they are staying after COVID. Very pleasant dining and I look forward to having them around for years. A COVID silver lining.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by edale

It's sad to see how many people have such terrible first impressions of San Francisco. I first visited the city as a kid in the late 90s and I instantly fell in love. I don't really remember the homeless being that bad.
.

They weren't. It's a problem that's gotten progressively worse for the last couple of decades (until now: see above).

[edale]

Originally Posted by JManc

The homelessness in SF was off the charts and very prominent and in your face where as LA, they were more out of site..at least in large numbers.

When are you talking about? Because my experience in the 90s was the opposite.

Today I would say they're about equal. Both have their homeless ground zeros (Tenderloin for SF, Skid Row for LA) and lots of neighborhoods where they're prevalent. You also have neighborhoods in each where you don't see any homeless people. When I visit my sister in Pac Heights, it's absolutely nothing like the horror stories people talk about with drugs/needles, public defecation, etc. I've seen none of that stuff in Pac Heights or surroundings. Ever. I've seen plenty of it in the Mission and Tenderloin, though. These things are spotty and neighborhood specific, so it makes no sense to make blanket statements.

[edale]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

The thing about SF, aside from the fact it's way too liberal and tolerant of anti-social behavior (which has always been a characteristic of the place that many who live here love and keep voting to continue) is that it's small. Yes, when there's a problem it's hard not to notice it. In LA. someone who doesn't go downtown might never know there was a homless problem. But in fact LA has more of them than we do and does much less for them.

Agree with your basic premise here as it relates to city size, but there are absolutely large clusters of homeless in many parts of LA beyond downtown. Koreatown, Westlake, Hollywood and East Hollywood, South LA, Echo Park, Venice, Santa Monica...hell, even parts of the Valley have a ton of homeless people in tents. Not every neighborhood has them, but they're also not confined to Downtown.

[Tom In Chicago]

I paid off a cop in Mexicali who pulled us over on our way back to the U.S. - I didn't think twice about it and figured he'd just take the money ($20) and let us go on our way without question. . . which he did. . .

Back in 1991 I went to Amsterdam for the first time, stayed at a hostel near the train station and when I opened the windows I smelled weed. . . I thought, "well duh!"

My first trip to Paris was on one of these touristy weekend buses - I was in Germany at the time - and I lamented the fact that I forgot my camera. . . after 24 hours I realized that nothing I could photograph would have captured the moment. . . it was just THAT beautiful everywhere. . .

My first trips to New York City and London were met with an overwhelming sense that I'd been there before. . . they're both so well covered in pop culture, on TV or in movies that everything about these cities felt extremely familiar. . .

A few years ago I was driving down State Street here in Chicago and I saw a pigeon flying down the street with an entire slice of pizza hanging from it's beak. . .

. . .

[James Bond Agent 007]

There is a stereotype of Japanese taking gobs of pictures of everything - and ALWAYS including a friend or family member posing in the photo, even if it's some beautiful, scenic shot.

It was either '99 or '00 where I saw that stereotype in action. That year I went to Banff National Park with my father, and it was pretty funny how many times we saw Japanese tourists (which there were lots of) taking pictures of stuff - ALWAYS with a travel mate in the photo. It was like they were incapable of taking a photo of a mountain or lake or waterfall all by itself, it HAD to include somebody posing in the photo. I even took a picture of some Japanese tourists taking pictures of themselves, it was so funny.

I also have a stereotype story of a time I worked a temp job in a synagogue in Seattle, but that's not a "travel" story.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by edale

Also, there was a large gang fight on or under the pier while we were there, which brought out tons of cops.

Gang fight on the pier... sweet.

I'd totally pay to see that.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by edale

When are you talking about? Because my experience in the 90s was the opposite.

Today I would say they're about equal. Both have their homeless ground zeros (Tenderloin for SF, Skid Row for LA) and lots of neighborhoods where they're prevalent. You also have neighborhoods in each where you don't see any homeless people. When I visit my sister in Pac Heights, it's absolutely nothing like the horror stories people talk about with drugs/needles, public defecation, etc. I've seen none of that stuff in Pac Heights or surroundings. Ever. I've seen plenty of it in the Mission and Tenderloin, though. These things are spotty and neighborhood specific, so it makes no sense to make blanket statements.

Was in SF this year, LA last year. There were bums all over LA but they tended to blend into the background unlike SF where they were a main attraction in a lot of areas. Also, San Fran being more compact and walkable puts hot spots like the Tenderloin into a more public view. You kinda have to go out of your way to see Skid Row...which does seem about as bad.