Ghanan Sellers

Though many-a-traveler seeks to blend in to the scene and appear a local, rarely are tourists success in this task judged as effectively as in Times Square. Seeking to capitalize on the tourists drawn to the shiny heart of the city, not one, but two rival open-air double-decker tour buses have stationed salespeople to cover every possible entry and exit to the square. Surprisingly seasoned, these salespeople are exceedingly efficient at picking out the tourists from the locals. They are, in a sense, professional tourist spotters.

Though initially irritating, these salespeople make up an integral layer of the city in my mind now. Hailing largely from African countries (predominantly Ghana, which I learned during the World Cup), these jobs support what must be a rather extensive immigrant population. They're as much a part of the New York story as any other immigrant class. Plus, once I'd learned who they profiled (and how to avoid it), the realization that they were just trying to make a living like everyone else led me to a peaceful, even jealous, understanding of these men and women who stand around Times Square and pester tourists all day.

As salespeople, they're success hinges on pitching their bus company to those most likely to purchase it, which means tourists. So what do they look for? I've heard tourists from all over the world, from Australians to Oklahomans, exclaim with surprise, “do we really look like tourists?”. And the simple answer is almost always yes. The first tip-off is clothing. At 9am there are 2 types of people in the square, businessmen and women scuttling off to work, and tourists. The businessfolk wear suits, or shirts and slacks at the least. The tourists wear anything else, so just because you're not wearing shorts, sneakers and an Ohio State Jersey, doesn't mean you don't look like a tourist. It's a winless battle for out-of-towners, largely because if you're in Times Square and not going to an office, especially at 9am, you must be a tourist.

The other difference between tourists and non tourists in Times Square is how they interact with their environment. Tourists often have a lost, overwhelmed look about them. They linger longer, without deadline or agenda, free to take in all the blinking signs, characters, landmarks, and buildings which assault the senses on Broadway between 42nd and 48th streets. Most blatantly of all, tourists look up at the buildings. They actually look up and study the buildings. I confess, I do too, they're wondrous and amazing structures which, though they seem sturdy and established as mountains or canyons, didn't exist 100 years ago.

And really, if you can't be labeled a tourist in Times Square, where can you be? Being called out as a tourist isn't all bad. Besides, lots of tourists sign up for these buses and seem to genuinely enjoy them, so everyone wins. Just remember 'locals' wear business attire and don't look at the buildings. I however, encourage everyone to spend time studying the skyscrapers and dazzling signs of Times Square. But if the salespeople catch you looking up at them, and you're not in a suit, you're getting a sales pitch.