I don't mind the Salem tourism for all months that do NOT rhyme with "Shocktober." The Halloween stuff is just *so* overwhelming and in a very area, it really, really impacts daily life (mostly weekends.)

I don't mind the summertime tourism because summertime kind of makes me a tourist in my own town, in that "gee, what a cool place this is!" way. Though, this year, I've discovered that tour guides are huckstering much more aggressively and it makes me uncomfortable on Essex Street.

I just slapped this on the scanner. I'm unreasonably proud.

[link]

I find myself confused most weekends and I not only have lived here for the last 10 years, but also get weekend advisory emails. I have learned to just give myself over to the MTA overlords and go with what presents itself after making what I feel are informed guesses as to a route.

Allyson, you oughta be proud! It's awesome.

Ooh, Allyson, that's so very cool!

add to the list of things I do not understand, I can access flickr from work, but not LJ pics.

Congrats Allyson.

I am sitting at work, not working, stressing about my cat, who wouldn't eat much this morning. I really want to go home.

I don't mind the summertime tourism because summertime kind of makes me a tourist in my own town, in that "gee, what a cool place this is!"

I mind because it means tourist season lasts an extra two months than is normal for most parts of New England (I'm not counting ski season). Usually once Labor Day passes, things die down (apart from the few weeks when the leaves change), but in Salem that's when it starts revving up to peak.

I love it. The judges are librarians and booksellers, and that makes it even sweeter, I think. I feel like Scarecrow after he got the diploma from the Wizard.

I grew up in a sleepy beach town whose poulation tripled every summer with tourists and summer people who didn't treat us "townies" (oh how I hated that label) very well, so I really get the love/hate thing. I was always very grateful they were there for the sake of our economy, but many years of being treated like a lesser being left its mark. To me, a tourist is different than a traveler. Java, you are a traveler. You do touristy things sometimes, sure, but you do your utmost to respect the local culture and you don't go into it with a sense of entitlement. I love travelers. I love the way they delight in being in a new place and doing new things, and I try to be a traveler rather than a tourist when I'm in a new place. Tourists are another story. I'm still very glad they're here, but I don't enjoy their presence.