MetaChat - Excuse me Sir?

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

27 May 2010

Excuse me Sir? So I've been to Boston, Chicago, London, Prague, Berlin, L.A, Venice, S.F, Florence ,San Antonio, Amsterdam, New Orleans, Montreal, Vienna, Budapest, Manchester, Zurich and in every single city I've been in, people have asked me for directions. I have no idea why. I rarely can actually give good directions in the language they want. It happens every time I am away and I am never asked for directions in my hometown of NYC. The hell? →[More:]

Exception, Paris. No one asked me for directions in Paris. They asked my BF for directions but he said it was cause it was French-speakers asking for direction and he looked nice and approachable and I looked like "A big confused marble slab"

post by: The Whelk at: 21:52 | 26 comments

The BF also gets asked for directions on a regular basis by French tourists in NYC and he's started just giving them totally wrong information which one hand is mean but on the other hand he can do it in a perfect Parisian accent and that is hilarious to me.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 21:54

Oh hey that happens to me too!

Once I was standing outside with some Japanese coworkers in Japan and a Japanese man crossed the road to ask me directions in Japanese ignoring all the Japanese people around him!

I also tend to get asked by older Japanese people to help them find out or buy train tickets.

Actually that happened to me in Rome too. I guess some of us just look like we know what we are doing regardless of the setting? Or maybe lost enough to also be carrying a map?

posted by gomichild 27 May | 21:57

Are you always the one who has to change the toilet roll too?

posted by gomichild 27 May | 21:58

fuck no that's why we have a stack of paper in the bathroom, why a roll? Makes no sense

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:00

I was wondering why when Ian American In Amsterdam - gets asked by a group of Italians who INSIST I should know what to press-gang me into giving me directions and that's weird until it happens in Vienna but now it's a group of people from the Dominican Republic who are trying to speak german to me even after I explain I speak English and some Spanish and then I'm in Prague and a Russian couple just launches right into "oh hey! hi! where is the fucking bridge?: - in Russian - at me - like it's totally normal and this happens every single time and the fuck now?

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:04

what to do and press-gang

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:05

and, I should point out, I speak all of these languages very very very badly yet, at very time, they insist I must be a follow countryman and surely I know my way around , from Italy to Hungary, I have no idea what is the common factor.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:07

Like, I have a friend who is Japanese-American. She speaks okay Japanese and can read it but grew up in fucking New Jersey and like whatever and she gets on occasion confused tourists just launching into Japanese upon seeing her cause they want to get to South Ferry and see the Statue Of Liberty and that's awkward. My thing more comes from why, when I am visiting, am I some kind of Ur-European whom everyone just assumes I am a fellow countryman from wherever they are and launches into it and I'm all awkward and confused and like I speak english and am new here to and why did you think I can help you?

What the hell am I doing to give off this vibe?

This seems to be a common question of mine.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:14

My guess is that you looks safe to approach, Whelk.

posted by deborah 27 May | 22:16

I always get asked as well. Even when I am walking with my head down, my ipod plugged in, and at my usual (speedy) march, people will stop me to ask directions.

Although it's not as bad now as when I was pregnant. I swear that I got asked two out of three times I left the apartment. I guess preggos are the ultimate non-threatening looknig peeps?

posted by gaspode 27 May | 22:22

You are Generic Guy. Move to Hollywood and you will never lack for work as an extra. Your BF, on the other hand, is Generic French Guy; less opportunities, and they may require him to supply his own beret.

posted by oneswellfoop 27 May | 22:24

oneswellfoop I was VERY NEARLY AN EXTRA on Bored To Death, they wanted comic people for a scene and called me but nothing came of it. I'm actually an extra in a few shows no one ever saw ever and my biggest story is that tranny otto bunched infront of that building that is the exterior for Friends was on Ab-Fab thing.

My guess is that you looks safe to approach, Whelk.

Ah! But so much of this was during my Angry Young Man Tour when I was trying SO HARD to be ANGRY and SCARY and apparenlty kept coming off like a fluffy kitten of helpful knowledge.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:30

To be fair gaspode, you do look like someone who knows SOMETHING - and not to be cynical- but if I was alone and lost I'd totally ask a peggers lady, cause c'mon, they're preggers, they gotta know shit.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:34

And thinking about it, on average, People in Europe seem ti think I'm Italian but People In America think I'm Irish which is really funny cause I'm almost all Scots.

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:36

...which came to a head in Florence when I had a man in a bar INSIST I must be from Napoli - that nose!- on the same day a group of rollicking Irish tourists at El Gato Et Vulpa INSISTED I was from Dublin cause, that nose! c'mon!

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 22:40

Am I the only one that heard the list in the OP in my head in the voice of Johnny Cash?

posted by Doohickie 27 May | 22:53

As long as you didn't think of this Doohickie

posted by The Whelk 27 May | 23:16

I got this too when I travelled, but only if I was appearing to be by myself. (If my mother was nearby, people tried to avoid us. With good reason, since my mother is a stereotypical Ugly American, ick.)

posted by sperose 27 May | 23:48

Me too Doohickie, and itäs not even eight in the morning here, so I added extra morning hazydreamyfeel to it. HILARIOUS:

posted by dabitch 28 May | 00:45

Maybe eyes up and looking around, friendly expression = open to approach.

At home you may keep your head down, but when on holiday or in a new place....

posted by Betony 28 May | 03:31

I would ask you for directions. In fact, I'm sure you would be the right one to ask.

posted by Obscure Reference 28 May | 06:27

Excuse me sir? Can you please to tell me where the giant, uh, is circle, no balloon, eh, ball? Yes ballon with it is filled liquor? Very big, like big building. Is filled. Allaway, yes, with liquor. Licor, liqueur? People can drink, cost nothing. Agency said giant ballon filled of liquor was right here on Seventh Boulevard next to tourist office. Please?

posted by Hugh Janus 28 May | 07:41

It happens to me too - I think it's just a matter of walking purposefully, looking at ease, and having only small bags and such rather than luggage, maps, etc. in hand.

posted by Miko 28 May | 09:28

When I flew to New York this spring, the couple sitting next to me asked me if I was flying home to New York and that made me ridiculously happy.

posted by ColdChef 28 May | 10:11

I get stopped for directions to the stupid casino in my neighborhood at least once a week but that's probably because I'm a white guy and the suburbanites are terrified that they'll have to talk to a black person.

posted by octothorpe 28 May | 11:30

I get asked for directions about anywhere I go. I actually like to help people out if I can (after the obligatory "you can't get there from here" that I inherited from my father).

I have helped people figure out the busses and trains in SF and NY recently. I usually cop to being a tourist also but with a little knowlege.

Last fall, after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, we were sorta lost up by City Hall there, and having an argument about what next, how to get anywhere, the unfamiliarity of it all, and a guy comes up to us and asks if he can direct us anywhere. He told of about a very cool walk, and then how to get back on the train. He might have saved our marriage.

posted by danf 28 May | 12:19

← The Bug Vs. Rootsman -- "Killer" || Posting Flickr images to MetaChat: now with added smoothness. →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN