For myself, I tend to subscribe to the Anthony Bourdain style of travel.
When I go to a new city or country, it's not the "touristy" sites that I like to see, but rather it's the small details...
I love seeing how little things are different from what I am used to; be it the how carrots in Japan are much thicker and shorter than those found in the US, or how the soda bottles in Norway are all completely scratched up* from the constant re-use ...
I want to see the city from a local's point of view; and again, that's not the tourist crap.
Ask any local in in Paris if they have gone up the Eiffel Tower, and you'll find that the majority will say no ... they won't have time for that nonsense.
Rather they'll see it daily from the subway or walking down a small street.
On this evening, while walking to cafe to meet a friend, I happened upon the perfect street to see the tower from a local point of view....
* Update I was told by a friend in Norway that refillable bottles have been gradually phased out since the early 2000s. So the bottles now are all pristine. Pity so they are all the same now ..
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