Have you had the opportunity to show overseas or out of state visitors around your area? If so, did it cause you to look differently at places you already knew?

Have you had the opportunity to show overseas or out of state visitors around your area? If so, did it cause you to look differently at places you already knew? And are there places that you only visited because guests wanted to see them that have now become favorites for you?

I am fortunate that my family hosted exchange students when I was in high school, so we have experienced the eastern US/NYC area through the eyes of visitors from Sweden, Belgium, Hong Kong, Colombia, Switzerland and Italy. In my work life, I have hosted friends from India. I loved talking people to the "big sights" such as Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, World Trade Center; to the Catskills in New York, to the lovely state parks and seashore in New Jersey, and to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. What I enjoy most, though, is to hear about how my visitors see daily life differently --- for example, from the vast selection of pet food in our grocery stores to the cleanliness and friendliness of people here (the latter similarly stated, as in the book, from my guests from India).

Yes I have had the opportunity to show people from Ireland and from out of state around New York and also Washington DC. The main comment from both was they could not believe how friendly the people of New York were. Also how safe they felt in New York. They both had the impression that there was someone just waiting to rob you. As for me, I think I learned to look at my home state with a new sense of pride.

Yes, I taught at a community college with a large international population. I had the opportunity to teach students from many other countries and to interact with them on a personal level through clubs at the college. Many were surprised at all the cultural opportunities available in Tulsa, OK. They may have expected the city to be a backwater, but were surprised. I enjoyed showing them the historical places as well. As I took the students around the city, I came to appreciate the rich cultural history more and to be ashamed of some of the incidents of the past. Still, today's residents are doing much to rectify old wrongs.

I live in Philly and had never gone to the Liberty Bell, independence Hall, etc until family came from out of state. Sometimes we miss what’s right under our noses

My ex-husband is English, and we lived in England for 3 years (and another time for 6 months) so i had many opportunities to show our English friends around NYC. For me, it was a chance to revisit and share my favorite places, places I didn't ordinarily go except with visitors (the Cloisters, Ellis Island for 2).

I had the opportunity to share my area with visitors from overseas many times when I lived in Indiana. If I am honest, I always wished that I lived somewhere more exciting than Fort Wayne during these times. There is not an impressive skyline or the kind of incredible history one finds in Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington D.C. The landscape is flat. There isn't a lot of diversity. At the time there were mainly fast food and chain restaurants. But I always appreciated what my visitors saw and was grateful for their comments and reactions. They reminded me not to take the place I lived for granted and taught me to appreciate more what was right in front of me.

Yes. My daughter lived for 2 1/2 years in Kazakhstan and we both visited her and hosted some of her friends who were able to travel to this country. I have also served as docent for the Chicago History Museum giving tours to many visitors. We live in Chicago so many of our visitors know of Al Capone and gangsters and basketball legend Micheal Jordan. Their reactions to Chicago made me see Lake Michigan as the incredible asset and beauty that it is, instead of the "water down the block." Our free Lincoln Park Zoo is another treasure Chicagoans often dismiss as the "little zoo" (and then spend many dollars to go to Brookfield Zoo which in some ways is inferior). I have a greater appreciation for our excellent public transportation system and the cleanliness and green beauty of the city.