Pennyaline wrote:
>
> "Arri London" wrote:
> > Depends on to whom one speaks. Harrod's is a department store, rather
> > than simply a tourist attraction to be photographed.
>
> Precisely. It's all relative. When I lived in NYC (and it's the same now
> when I'm just visiting), I was mired in swamps foreign tourists all the
> time. The Empire State Building is a office building, but a lot of people
> sure do take photographs of it, wander through it, gaze off of it. The World
> Trade Center had the same problem until recently.
>
> The Statue of Liberty is just what its name says it is. It's a statue. It's
> enormous. It has its own island.
>
> The Circle Line jaunts over a polluted and stinky river and a polluted and
> stinky seaway to circumscribe a different island (fairly nondescript in and
> of itself) several times a day while passengers gaze at the nonfuctioning
> mechanisms of a bunch of old bridges as they pass under them. Go figure.
>
> One knew when one was behind a group of tourists, as one would be forced to
> a sudden stop in midstride on crowded sidewalks by foreign bodies --
> invariably looking up, pointing and gaping, oooohing and aaaaaahing, aiming
> and snapping, assessing and critiquing -- lest one trample or topple over
> them.
>
> They crowd restaurants and museums. They crowd trendy department and food
> stores. They crowd the sidewalks. They crowd into the Theater District, into
> venues on- and off-. They go to movies. Their tour buses prowl the streets.
> They are perfect strangers who ask us for directions and, not uncommonly,
> ask to have their pictures taken. They crowd the Park and mass around
> fountain and statuary like human pigeons. They take the subway. They
> communicate with language and gestures and customs the natives don't
> understand and may not cotton to. They're underfoot. They spend millions.
>
> Miss Manners says: Suck it up. That's part of life in the Big City, and
> therefore part of getting everything one asked for.
>
> < Bloomingdale's is just a department store, too. >
>
> > For the most part they don't buy those things. That's always been one of
> > al Fayeed's complaints. The big ticket customers aren't the Americans
> > according to him. He should know; it's his store.
>
> True enough. We can get those things *here*, after all.


Everyone can get those things *anywhere*, if it comes down to it. But
the foreigners, other than the Americans still spend a lot of money at
Harrods. The Americans just gawk according to al Fayeed.

"Arri London" wrote:
> Everyone can get those things *anywhere*, if it comes down to it. But
> the foreigners, other than the Americans still spend a lot of money at
> Harrods. The Americans just gawk according to al Fayeed.

Did you read all of my post or just jump to the end??

To types like al Fayed, if you're not spending money, you're loitering.

You strike me as someone as provincial as any bumpkin: limited in
perspective, distrustful and resentful of what is different (in this case,
of Americans). How very small of you. So Americans don't cough for what al
Fayeed the Elder shills. So what? Does that mean we can't admire it?
Ex-cuuuuuuuuuuse US!!!!

As Miss Manners stated previously: Suck it up.

<or move to where Americans don't go>

Pennyaline wrote:
>
> "Arri London" wrote:
> > Everyone can get those things *anywhere*, if it comes down to it. But
> > the foreigners, other than the Americans still spend a lot of money at
> > Harrods. The Americans just gawk according to al Fayeed.
>
> Did you read all of my post or just jump to the end??
>
> To types like al Fayed, if you're not spending money, you're loitering.
>
ROTFL! Of course. That's why he is so wealthy!

<snip inaccuracy>
>
> <or move to where Americans don't go>

Hard to do that, as I live in the US.

"Arri London" wrote:
I wrote:
> > <or move to where Americans don't go>
>
> Hard to do that, as I live in the US.

I took from your addy that you were elsewhere. If you are truly here, my boo
boo.

<so lay off us, okay?!>

>Pennyaline wrote:

>> They crowd restaurants and museums. They crowd trendy department and food
>> stores. They crowd the sidewalks. They crowd into the Theater District, into
>> venues on- and off-. They go to movies. Their tour buses prowl the streets.
>> They are perfect strangers who ask us for directions and, not uncommonly,
>> ask to have their pictures taken. They crowd the Park and mass around
>> fountain and statuary like human pigeons. They take the subway. They
>> communicate with language and gestures and customs the natives don't
>> understand and may not cotton to. They're underfoot. They spend millions.

Geez! Why don't all tourists just drop dead, huh? Or stay at home
where they can sneer at *their* tourists. Tourism is a major, if not
the main, source of income for a good many cities, towns, and
countries. Many people like to travel, and the 'natives' are happy to
have customers. Just as 'natives' in any place are a mix of
personalities and habits, the same mix applies to those who travel. I
felt apologetic hearing a woman with an American accent loudly
repeating every other line to her husband(?) during a play, but I
shouldn't have. This isn't an *American* habit; it's a rude-person
habit. Tourists everywhere are cursed for spending too lavishly or
not enough; for being different or trying to fit in; for crowding
local restaurants or choosing familar foods; for crowding museums or
ignoring them; for over- or under-dressing; and on and on.

I have a friend who lived in northern Virginia for several years and
became familiar with (nearly) every public building, museum, and Metro
line in DC. She had only to see someone looking at a map or guidebook
with a puzzled expression to volunteer to help. Most of her 'clients'
were extremely grateful. Taking a picture of Mom, Dad, and the kids
blocking the view of some historical attraction isn't exactly hard
labor.

Lighten up!

"Frogleg" wrote:
> >Pennyaline wrote:
> >> They crowd restaurants and museums. They crowd trendy department and
food
> >> stores. They crowd the sidewalks. They crowd into the Theater District,
into
> >> venues on- and off-. They go to movies. Their tour buses prowl the
streets.
> >> They are perfect strangers who ask us for directions and, not
uncommonly,
> >> ask to have their pictures taken. They crowd the Park and mass around
> >> fountain and statuary like human pigeons. They take the subway. They
> >> communicate with language and gestures and customs the natives don't
> >> understand and may not cotton to. They're underfoot. They spend
millions.
>
> Geez! Why don't all tourists just drop dead, huh? Or stay at home
> where they can sneer at *their* tourists. Tourism is a major, if not
> the main, source of income for a good many cities, towns, and....

<snip>
> Lighten up!

What are you talking about?? My post was a response to someone else's post
about the inconvenience of having American tourists around, and that tourism
is a fact of life and that cosmopolitan types need to accept that.

Lighten up yourself, and don't let your kneejerkisms impair your
comprehension.

Pennyaline wrote:
>
> "Frogleg" wrote:
> > >Pennyaline wrote:
> > >> They crowd restaurants and museums. They crowd trendy department and
> food
> > >> stores. They crowd the sidewalks. They crowd into the Theater District,
> into
> > >> venues on- and off-. They go to movies. Their tour buses prowl the
> streets.
> > >> They are perfect strangers who ask us for directions and, not
> uncommonly,
> > >> ask to have their pictures taken. They crowd the Park and mass around
> > >> fountain and statuary like human pigeons. They take the subway. They
> > >> communicate with language and gestures and customs the natives don't
> > >> understand and may not cotton to. They're underfoot. They spend
> millions.
> >
> > Geez! Why don't all tourists just drop dead, huh? Or stay at home
> > where they can sneer at *their* tourists. Tourism is a major, if not
> > the main, source of income for a good many cities, towns, and....
>
> <snip>
> > Lighten up!
>
> What are you talking about?? My post was a response to someone else's post
> about the inconvenience of having American tourists around, and that tourism
> is a fact of life and that cosmopolitan types need to accept that.

But no one posted anything about the incovenience of having American
tourists around; only the documented spending habits thereof in a single
retail establishment. You come off as sounding very provincial.


>
> Lighten up yourself, and don't let your kneejerkisms impair your
> comprehension.

"Arri London" wrote:
> But no one posted anything about the incovenience of having American
> tourists around; only the documented spending habits thereof in a single
> retail establishment. You come off as sounding very provincial.

Nah. I'm just following your lead. You were the only poster here to mention
that
Americans go to Harrods to buy Krispy Kremes and think its "cute," weren't
you? Yes, you were.

Now, if al Fayed's opinion was rally such a minor issue to you, why on earth
would you bother to bring it up in a tangent that was criticizing Americans
for wanting American, Japanese for wanting Japanese, etc, while sojourning
in the Mecca of the British Isles? Because it means nothing to you? I don't
think so.

So, who is showing their true colors of provincialism (maybe you didn't mean
to... and al Fayed has a lot of friggin' nerve to do it!)?