Timely as I’m going to Berlin/Prague/Budapest in four days :) Not so much a counter argument but a different perspective: I live in lower manhattan and have for the past 8 years or so and the only way I ever see it is when tourists come and I can show them around.
It’s a mistake to think a city represents the entire character of a country but it’s also not fair to think of it as fake or that no people from that country actually live there. I guess what I’m saying is that it sounds like you are just more interested in places that have a different class character which is totally fine. But it’s not the case that there aren’t city people who are proud of and would love to show off the beauty and history of the place they live in every city.
(Also, if you’re showing up and staying at expensive hotels you’re doing it wrong. That’s for sure.)
It’s a mistake to think a city represents the entire character of a country but it’s also not fair to think of it as fake or that no people from that country actually live there. I guess what I’m saying is that it sounds like you are just more interested in places that have a different class character which is totally fine. But it’s not the case that there aren’t city people who are proud of and would love to show off the beauty and history of the place they live in every city.
(Also, if you’re showing up and staying at expensive hotels you’re doing it wrong. That’s for sure.)