Advice for those little town folks who are nervous about "big cities"
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 "Happiness is simple : Spaghettis , love and sleep ^^" Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
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As a big city citizen myself , the best way not to be targetted by a mugger or to gather attention around you (even tho' pittsburgh is so safe it's almost boring) is to act the most naturally possible.. Even for people who are not thieves or anything , it's always easy to spot outsiders or little town people by how they'Re looking around or checking their surroundings or if they'Re loud.. I mean being loud as in : "OOOOH LOOK AT THIS LOOOOK A THAT OOOOH! PRETY SIGHTS" The best way to blend in might sound boring , but it's to look uninterested by what's around you.. I mean , if one look at you SCREAMS tourist, then it'S not exactly a good thing.. hehe You may also wanna prepare yourself by getting used to the con surroundings by looking at maps BEFORE you get there.. nothing says outsider like someone asking directions around.. Plus if there was someone with bad intentions , they could lead you in a wrong direction on purpose.. You may also wanna travel with at least a second person.. Like I said Pittsburgh looked like a safe city from what I've seen up to now.. But it's always safe to have those little tricks.. |
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You may also wanna travel with at least a second person.
Bingo! That is the absolute safest thing when in a big city.
I have traveled the world and been in more cities than I can count. I've always had someone with me, and when I've been out alone, I've simply tried to look (1) that I belonged there, and (2) that I had somewhere to go.
I have never been worried about being mugged, but I do keep a very close eye on my wallet. Out alone, wearing a con badge that says "I'm not from around here," and wandering in a daze is going to attract an unsavory character. But no matter what or where you are, there are always people with light fingers.
In short, as Mapdark has pointed out, the world is not a safe place. Ask any rabbit. But there are lots of things you can do to keep yourself safe and happy while in the big city.
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
Oh , that reminds me .. wallets --) FRONT POCKETS..
Location: SE Michigan
I did the "look like you belong there" thing on my first ever trip to Chicago. Best part was someone dressed head to toe in University of Michigan gear asked me for directions to somewhere.
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My husband and I got lost on our way to the Hotel when we first arrived, and were surprised to find some very friendly individuals who offered us wonderfull directions. That is not to say that everyone is friendly of course (Or sane)
We also ended up being a target for a rather interesting person whose sanity we questioned while walking to the HardRock cafe with Balaa and Bagheera. A good way to deter these individuals that come up to you out of nowhere smelling among many things of alcohal, is to say 'No Thankyou' or 'We are in a hurry, Excuse me' And keep on walking, if they persist on following you, ignore them and find your way into a very public area, even ducking into a resteraunt or store works very well.
Having worked several years in Private security and Investigation, My advice is to walk with more then two people at night if you are downtown away from the hotels and the hustle and bustle of the con. During the day 2 people walking down the street is relatively safe (Just watch for pickpockets) But at night People get a little more courage due to the lack of foot traffic and vehicles (and some from alcohal and various other substances). If your in groups of 4 or more, those with harsh intentions are a little less anxious to meet you. Also not wearing your Con badges while wandering the town helps alot like Said above.Dont carry alot of cash on you or alot of bags and trinkets either.
This being said, you dont need to walk around town jumping at shadows as not EVERYOEN is out to get you, but there may be some who are seeking targets. It's just always better to be safe and prepared just in case so that you and everyone else can enjoy not only the convention, but pittsburgh itself. It really is a lovely city, bit too big for me I think, but lovely none the less.
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Ooh I should Clarify that this goes the same for smaller cities and towns as well.
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Late-ish at night a group consisting of me and two or three other people were being followed on our way to get a snack from the convention center. I noticed, and he eventually stopped following us, but definitely try to be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. Cities are different beasts then. Trying to look like you belong there is a good thing too, but admittedly it can be rather tough when in convention gear
Location: DelMarVa
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Being from the city has its' advantages. Generally, if someone's following you(And you notice), if you're with one or two friends, just stop, turn around, wave and say "HOWDY" really loudly. That usually leaves pause to think.
Secondly, NEVER, NEVER carry all your eggs in a basket(Eg: Credit cards, money, etc). I leave the hotel with my credit card, and maybe 40 bucks(Another thing to keep consideration of is always stay with folks you know really well, and trust, so you can leave your cash in your room). That way, if you *do* get mugged(And aren't a master of gun-fu, lol), then you can give them your 40 bucks, and cancell the credit card(There are loads of banks in the city, so you can call them up as SOON as you get back to the hotel, preventing any further losses).
If you're worried about being shanked, then travel in packs. Generally, the folks who want to cause trouble are coming out of bars, and NOT in the populated areas. They'll be hanging out in the ghetto, or smaller, less easily accessable places. There's a great deal of late night everything on the main road away from the hotel(With a beautiful night view of the hotel, might we add), and if you stick to heavily lit/populated places, you wont' have any trouble.
Oh, one final thing: I know it pains us all, but WALKING AROUND LATE NIGHT IN EARS AND A TAIL IS A BAD IDEA.
Having experience with this kind of thing, they target the folks most easily picked out of a crowd. And I guarantee they'll pick weirdos wearing animal parts over red lighters. As a safe bet, I'd keep the tail/ears on until around 2am, then stick them in your pocket/someone's backpack. If you look normal, and are just walking along, you're much less likely to run into trouble. Remember, the rule of thumb is: If you look like you belong, you won't get troubled.(Which also means not looking like tourists).
Location: Ardmore, PA
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Alternatively, instead of leaving money in your room, the front desk of virtually every hotel has a safe that you can store money in. And it's usually insured, too.
Location: DelMarVa
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True, although it might get a little troublesome doing it a few times a day. But its' worth it, depending on how paranoid you are :3
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
True!
I heard someone once saying they were actually keeping they're credit card in their shoes o.o
I think it's a bright idea actualy ^^
Location: DelMarVa
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:3 I don't.
You know those movies where the guy gets beaten up and they take his shoes? It happens IRL, all the time :3 Whether they're good shoes or not, hehe.
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
o.o
OOOKay ..
I've never seen that ever happen in real life..
Location: DelMarVa
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I've seen it happen twice, but then again we're talking Baltimore here. >.> Both times I huddled down behind the steering wheel and hoped to god the red light changed REALLY fast.
Location: Louisville, KY
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Not to bum the mood here, but back when I was in High School there was a kid killed at his bus stop cause he wouldn't hand over his shoes.
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
... well I'm sure no one will get killed for their shoes at AC all right?
Geez you guys ..
With that awesome optimistic view of the city I'm sure people will be interested to come! .. not!
Don't make out things worse than they are..
There is not a mob waiting for the furries to kill them for their shoes rape them or burn them at the stake o.o
Location: DelMarVa
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Pessimism and safety are two different things. Why bother starting a thread if you are going to overlook the possibility? Because, wherever you are- there IS a possibility of you getting hurt/mugged/raped/killed. Its' just statistically higher in cities. Thats why they're so scary to folks.
And while there isn't a mob out there waiting to kill furries for their shoes, there are folks out there willing to kill people for their shoes- furries or otherwise. To say otherwise is courting disaster.
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
Telling people to be safe is good .. I mean that's the whole point of the thing .. but geez ..
I just think you people shouldn't blow this out of proportion!
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I agree. I think that this discussion has gotten a little out of hand. Once we start seeing the "OMG what if the Russians invade?" mentality, it's time to talk about something else.
Spent 20 years in the Marines and traveled the world, nothing yells tourist like a fit, short haired, 20 something year old guy wandering a foreign city.
Every port we hit the 2 biggest rules were
1. Never travel alone
2. Keep your cash and ID in your front pocket
PIRATE
Member: Stuck In The Elevator Club
What is with this obsession with suddenly needing your wallet in your front pocket? NEVER in my life have I ever put my wallet in my *back* pocket. It's incredibly uncomfortable (in fact anything in those pockets is uncomfortable. I honestly can't see how people use them). And if you really think about it, why would you ever want to keep your money, credit card, photo ID, and everything else behind you where it is out of sight?
And really, I keep my credit cards and money someplace else. Where that is I won't disclose on the board here, but suffice to say it is not in any of my pants or jacket pockets, my shoe, under my hat, or anywhere like that. But it is readily accessable to myself even in public. Figure that one out.
-There is no truth
Location: MI, US
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I couldn't agree with you more. Who uses those back pockets, anyway?
Last time I did, I put my (very thin) camera into my back pocket, possibly the first time I've ever even used a rear-pocket for anything. What did I do? Wash the pants with the camera still in it. Broken camera. Need new one for AC. *sigh*
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Agree'd back pockets are just plain uncomfortable to put stuff in.
Location: MI, US
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Well, here's a question then:
How dangerous is it for us to wear a tail everywhere we go? (Or for the suiters, a fursuit? Mind you, all suiters should ALREADY be using the buddy-system as it is...)
That obviously marks you as a tourist visiting the area for the convention...
But I wanna wear my tail if I go anywhere =/
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I think that wearing the tail would not be particularly dangerous. It might get you some odd looks, though.
Small piece of advice: If you do wear a tail out in public, do not do anything to draw attention to it, and if someone inquires, act as though you can't imagine why they would be asking you about such a thing. Or look at them in a shocked manner and ask them where theirs is.
It will make their minds explode. >:)
LOL kage
Location: DelMarVa
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Wearing a tail or fursuit will make folks's heads explode for sure. I wouldn't advise wearing one after 3am if you need to go outside, however. Thats when drunks, junkies, whores and troublemakers are out. Unless you want the attention of all of the above :3 I stick to daytime wearing.
Location: Montreal , Quebec , Canada
This is Pittsburgh ..
There were a few beggars near the Mcdonald's but it's not exactly the 1970's Bronx..
or the corner of St-catherine and St-Laurent in Montreal (for those who know what I'm talking about)
It's true it's better to be careful .. but Pittsburgh seems to be a very calm city..
Heck .. like I said it's almost boring..
Location: DelMarVa
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Right..
Location: Ardmore, PA
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To add to Sam's answer, back in the days of my youth (age 23 or so
) I had just discovered the furry fandom and was in the habit of wearing one of my tails everywhere I went.
I'd wear it to the mall, to the movies, around the office after hours, etc. In all that time, no one ever gave me grief about it, much less tried to start a fight over it. I got plenty of weird looks, and a few questions, but it was mostly people who were curious.
Of course, there is always safety in numbers. We always recommend not going out alone for the usual safety reasons -- tail or no tail.
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Knowing the size of mine, it would be too difficult to just carry it or find a place in a bag if I took it off, so I'd be wearing mine everywhere regardless.
I wear mine around campus, and sometimes other places. I often forget myself that I'm wearing one, so acting like it isn't there isn't too hard haha.
Last year i wore mine outside the con center to my hotel and all i got (besides alot of weird looks) was this one guy said "hey there animal" as i was walking by him. I donno if he was with the con didnt look like it though.. but i just said "hey whats up" and moved on.
Location: Orlando, FL
As sad as it is, there is an easy mark that many people don't think about when leaving the hotel: remove your conbadges. Conbadges peg you almost instantly as a visitor to the area, and if you're not at the convention center...you're probably looking for a place to eat or something to buy...so you may have money on you. Just something for everyone to consider.
Actually I think the best thing for people nervous about big cities to do, is to watch the movie "Hostel".
-There is no truth
Location: Ardmore, PA
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Just to put the risks into perspective, I wrote a separate post about various odds of bad things happening to you.