There's no basement in the Alamo?
And they all support Obama.
The classic ugly American question is “what’s it like living in a third world country?”.
Well, it's worth noting that England did see a period (100-200 years go) in which people built "follies", some of which were made to look like ruined castles.
What time is the Midnight Mass? When does the 10 o’clock train arrive?
Stupid people are stupid.
public education is a wonderful thing
Do the crew live on the ship?
Does this elevator go all the way to the front of the ship?
Who picks up all the golf balls that are hit off the back of the ship?
New Mexico knows something about this kind of ignorance.
I spent 10 minutes with a phone person once, trying to explain that New Mexico was not a foreign country, I tried everything to jog some school memory or anything that could make her connect New Mexico to the United States, I finally gave up.
When I worked on Mt. Washington (NH), we used to try to keep track of all the dumb questions we got asked. One person asked where the presidents’ faces were carved into the mountain.
My favorite was “Where did all these rocks come from?”
Answer: “They were left here by the glacier”.
Question: “Where is the glacier now?”
Answer: “Gone back for more rocks”.
What time do they turn off the waterfalls?
How much concrete did it take to build half-dome?
I volunteer at the Arlington, TX visitors center and several times a year we can count on someone coming in looking for the Arlington National Cemetery. We also get a lot of questions that have nothing to do with tourism or visiting the area.
I have one that I have never forgotten. Tourist- Mid America type- standing on Decatur St, right across from Jackson Square, looking RIGHT AT a huge tanker gliding by far above street level, stopped me to ask where the Mississippi River was!
I think I pointed them in the opposite direction. I was absolutely incredulous.
>> “which beach is closest to the ocean?’’ <<
Not such a dumb question from someone from Southern New England, where there are beaches on Long Island Sound, Massachusetts Bay , Block Island Sound, Vineyard Sound, and the Rhode Island bays, but precious few near the ocean.
My folks report one guy on their cruise ship asked whether the cruise ship generates its own power. The captain joked that he answered they had a reeeeallly long extension cord.
I have heard stories of people complaining about the deer crossing signs in front of their house. They want the county or city to move the sign because they are sick of deer in their yard.
Answer, "Yes. Yes, you will. You better find a bank and convert your dollars to Euros before you go.".
I left work late one night and was waiting for the bus on Sixth Avenue. Two women came up to me and wanted to know how to get to Saks Fifth Avenue. I said, “It’s closed. It’s eleven o’clock at night.” Tourist: “I thought this was the city that never sleeps.”
About 20 years ago a friend of mine who runs a travel agency had a client ask him seriously about booking Amtrak to Hawaii.
Europeans often have no concept of the size of the US. I’ve seen questions about taking a day trip to Chicago from NYC or if it was possible to see the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone in the same day.
On the bus approaching Times Square: Busdriver: “Forty-second Street.” Tourist: “So this must be Herald Square.” (She was remembering the song “Give My Regards to Broadway. Think about it. “Remember me to Herald Square,” and then comes the bit about “Forty-second Street.” Not that stupid if you’re not familiar with New York.)
There's no basement in the Alamo?