I noticed last week that the Financial District of SF and also the Shopping District were swarming with more Europeans than usual. When I went into Niketown to cop some kicks on sale I noticed a number of tourists walking around with shoebox stacks 4 high.
Aside from a conversation with another San Franciscoan about some exclusive kicks being shown on the tv screen, I didn't hear any English being spoken around me. Droves and droves of parents were buying whatever their kids wanted. I felt like a fish out of water. More alarming was when I was standing around waiting for help, meanwhile I was being stared at by some tourists who obviously don't see African-Americans everyday. Was I in Western Europe or Union Square? It was hard to tell.
The dollar ain't worth a cent these days and tourists are reaping the benefits. Everyday Downtown SF seems touristier and touristier. When did American become the #1 destination for Middle class Europeans and Asians?
The NY Times ran an article today about the similar affect the weak dollar has had on Manhattan tourism.
Friends, we are in the midst of The Fall of Rome in this country. Global warming, astronomical gas prices, recession and now tourists buying everything up. We've been one-upped!
The word: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/fashion/03tourists.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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