This winter, I spent two days in one of New York City's biggest tourist spots: Times Square.
I noticed people holding up traffic, not wearing proper footwear, and touching dirty surfaces.
My advice? Check the weather! It will save you a lot of difficulties.
I've been living in New York City for five years, and I grew up on Long Island, just 30 miles or so from Manhattan. But I try to avoid Times Square — one of New York City's biggest tourist destinations — as much as I can.
While there, I tried to put myself in the shoes of a tourist. I walked through Times Square, visited the M&M's store, the Disney store, andthe Krispy Kreme flagship, and I ate a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe.
However, it was impossible to take the local out of me, and I couldn't help noting some of the mistakes I saw tourists making, from wearing improper footwear to touching some of the dirtiest surfaces available.
Here are the four biggest mistakes I saw tourists make in Times Square.
One of the most frequent mistakes I saw was people not dressing for the weather.
Don't wear open-back shoes on a rainy wintery day!
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As someone who has lived in New York City and New Orleans — two cities with propensities to flood when it rains — I'm begging visitors: Don't wear open-back shoes when it rains in New York City.
Thinking about accidentally stepping into a puddle on the street and having it touch my bare skin gives me the shivers. You do not know what's in there.
Additionally, this particular December day was freezing. The average temperature in the city last December was 44.6 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Don't sacrifice feeling in your feet for the perfect outfit. These pants would've looked just as cute with some socks and a pair of loafers.
While it made sense to carry an umbrella during the rain, not everyone was mindful of the crowds. I had to dodge multiple sharp umbrella tips.
Umbrellas can be a bit dangerous in a crowded street.
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Walking around Times Square on a rainy evening can be a hazard in more ways than one, but dodging umbrellas had to be the most annoying part.
On a normal day, around 380,000 people walk through Times Square, according to its website. Now, imagine all of those people holding umbrellas.
People around me seemed to lose all spatial awareness when the umbrellas came out — I saw multiple people's umbrellas crash into each other, and I had to duck or push myself up against a building to avoid getting stabbed in the eye by one.
If you're going to use an umbrella in a crowd, do the polite thing and raise it high up in the air to avoid potential problems.
I saw someone dragging their hand across the tops of multiple garbage cans as if they were playing with the rainwater. One word: Ew.
Do not touch the garbage cans.
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You might think this one goes without saying, but I wouldn't recommend playing with garbage cans in Times Square.
Times Square is famously one of the grimier places in the city, so you can imagine how gross the garbage receptacles are. The dirt is even visible in this photo.
Just because there's water on top doesn't mean it's clean. If you have to touch any high-contact surface in New York City, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly, or at the very least, liberally apply hand sanitizer.
I also saw multiple people standing in the middle of the streets — some of the busiest in the city — to take photos.
Stopping traffic.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
First things first: Taking photos in the middle of a street where thousands of cars pass through daily is a risk. Just because there's a red light doesn't mean every car will obey those rules.
I was genuinely surprised to see how many people risked their safety to take a photo. We hear about tourists dying trying to take selfies — do not become a statistic.
Second: There are many places to take photos in Times Square that don't require standing in the middle of the street, blocking the road and people who are trying to cross. Go there instead!
After my two days in Times Square, I'd recommend that any tourist be hyper-aware of their surroundings and check the forecast before leaving their hotel room.
The crowds.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
I understand why tourists flock to Times Square. It is, as they say, the crossroads of the world.
But I couldn't wait to be at least 25 blocks away from the chaos and the noise when my staycation was over.
I'll stick to heading to Times Square only for the theater in the future.