TRAVEL Travel Global, Act Local
Knowing local phraseology and quirky customs can get you a warm welcome — along with great perks. ::
BY KAREN T. BARTLETT E
veryone’s heard of “when in rome . . . ,” but do local customs really matter? In a word — yes. In New Orleans, for example, asking, “How are you?” pegs you as an outsider. The accepted
phrase is, “Where y’at?” If you dress like a local, talk like a local, and say you’re
a local, you’ll avoid being embarrassed or snickered at in California. Bonus — in wine country, many California wineries will waive your tasting fees. Instead of being immediately made as a tourist, you’ll slip right into the local culture with these tips from savvy travel authorities.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Don’t Call It “Frisco”: It’s never San Fran either. And when catching a ride in San Francisco, don’t call them trolleys — they’re cable cars. Say your chocolate right: Ghirardelli is “GEAR-a-deli.” The Italian neighborhood isn’t Little Italy; it’s North Beach. And — embarrassment alert! — locals snicker at shivering tourists in shorts and T-shirts on the Golden Gate Bridge. Summer is foggy season, and it gets seriously cold up there. Impress your waiter by ordering “Hetch Hetchy —
straight.” That’s insider slang for San Francisco’s tap water, which comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
Want your po-boy sandwich with the works? Order
Wine and Coff ee Wisdom: In Geyserville, Calif., which is surrounded by more than 100 Sonoma County wineries, it’s perfectly acceptable to have wine with breakfast. But leave the blazer and tie at home. Insiders defi ne dressed up as clean jeans. And don’t ask about the geysers. There aren’t any. If you can pass for a local resident, some wineries will off er discounts or even allow you free tasting. Raingear separates locals from nonlocals in soggy
Seattle. Residents generally don’t like umbrellas and opt instead for a hooded fl eece or rain jacket. Be sure to shop at Pike Place Market, — only tourists call it “Pike’s” Place.
NEW ORLEANS
Say It Their Way: No, it’s not “Noo-or-LEANS,” it’s “New-OR-lyns.” The locals are not amused by tourists’ attempts at N’Awlins, but requesting “lagniappe” (lan’ yap) often works. It means a little something extra thrown in gratis, as in, “Do you think the chef could send out a little lagniappe before the fi rst course?”
76 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MARCH 2013
it “dressed.” Get yourself to Hubig’s to sample the city’s legendary sugary fried fruit pie. The iconic New Orleans bakery burned down in 2012 and reopens this year. To avoid wardrobe disaster, wear white when sampling
the powdered sugarcoated beignets at Café Du Monde. (And that’s “ben-YAY,” not “beg-nets”). Watch for the signs! Tourists who don’t read street
signs really set off the locals. Know that Bourbon Street has a quiet end and a party end. Locals sometimes play tricks on club-seeking tourists who stop them on the quiet end and ask directions to Bourbon Street.
ALASKA
Go Native: Don’t call Alaska’s indigenous peoples “Native Alaskans.” They’re Alaska Natives. Locals refer to the Lower 48 as “outside” or “down
there.” Don’t ask for directions using highway numbers. In Alaska highways are generally referred to by names (Richardson Highway, for example) and nobody knows
SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE
Richardson Highway
ALASKA
NEW MEXICO
RICHARDSON HIGHWAY/ALAN MAJCHROWICZ/PHOTOGRAPHER’S CHOICE RF/GETTY IMAGES MARTINI/ISTOCKPHOTO / PIKE PLACE/KINGWU/E+/GETTY IMAGES GHIRARDELLI/AMY T. ZIELINSKI/NEWSCAST/NEWSCOM
Pike Place Market
“GEAR-a-deli”
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