Blog Discussion 5: Tourism in Your Time

I have never been outside of the United States. I will say that I have had various experiences as a tourist in locations other than my home.

For example, when I worked at the Wharton School’s Health Care Management Division this past summer, I enjoyed the amazing place that is known as the city of “Brotherly Love”. Philadelphia was a shocking awakening from Dartmouth. Firstly, as a tourist/resident, I found myself engulfed in a multitude of culture.  From foods to clothes to events, Philly had no shortage of events. Since I lived in the city, I had access to all of this. With all of this beauty also came suffering. I would see many people without homes near the city. This was one experience I had with Philly and I would say that it was more prevalent in New York City. Although only a forty-minute train ride from my home Long Island, every train ride to Philly was a new adventure. The city was bustling with life but more than that, it showed the daily realities of its residents. On one end, you had the bankers and the skyscrapers and on the other end, you had many people who were homeless. New York City is very over-priced and if you are not careful, you can lose a lot of money or worse. I remember once when I was about to buy a G-shock watch. Upon inspection, I found out that his watch was fake. When I asked the owner about it, he told me “Hey man, I’m just trying to sell these to tourists”. In short, as a tourist, you have to be careful. Even though I’ve been to NYC about a dozen times, I am a tourist every time I go there.