Protests against surging mass tourism in Mexico City end in vandalism, harassment of tourists

In Defense of the Tourist Trap: Why Following the Crowd Might Be the Smartest Way To Travel

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Yahoo

In Defense of the Tourist Trap: Why Following the Crowd Might Be the Smartest Way To Travel

This is part of Reason's 2025 summer travel issue. Click here to read the rest of the issue. If you ever go to New Orleans, one of your first stops should be the very unhidden gem of Café Du Monde's French Market location. There you can buy some New Orleans special beignets and, if the weather is hot enough (it almost certainly will be) a frozen coffee to wash them down. Café Du Monde is popular. The advice to go is often not popular. If you scan internet messaging boards about what to do in New Orleans, posters will often caution against a visit to Café Du Monde. It is dismissed as the most hated of all destinations, a "tourist trap": an overrated, overcrowded cliché that exists to suck money from unsophisticated travelers in exchange for an unsatisfyingly ordinary experience. Yet this aversion to Café Du Monde is obviously mistaken to anyone who does actually go there. The lines are long, yes, but they move fast. The beignets might not be literally the best in the world, or even in New Orleans. But they're good! Better yet, they're available at a reasonable price. And once you're done with your fried treat, you can walk to any number of other serviceable tourist destinations nearby. Raging against this delightfully efficient travel experience is a particular strand of travel ideology that encourages you to avoid the "tourist track" in favor of more authentic, higher-quality experiences to be found off the beaten path. Travel content creators, whether on social media or the Food Network, traffic in glamorizing the latter travel experience. Not much travel media could persist without it. There's only so much content one could watch about other people going to see the Louvre or the Vatican or Times Square, after all. Certainly, when one is traveling vicariously from the couch, it's fine to revel in hunts for the next world-famous hole-in-the-wall. When we're transporting ourselves in reality, the real rewards will often be found among the greatest hits. There's a reason for this, and it comes down to two concepts: economies of scale and agglomeration. Economies of scale is the idea that firms can lower their average costs by producing more units. In other words, if you set up your operation to make a lot of widgets, the cost of making each widget is a lot lower than what could be made by a small widget-making operation. This is effectively what the largest landmarks and tourist traps do. The National Mall and the Eiffel Tower were built to receive millions of people. Therefore, they're easily able to provide you, the marginal tourist, a satisfying experience at an ever-falling cost. Your presence adds a tiny additional cost to operating bathrooms, maintaining walking trails and directional signage, and even paying staff to tell people where they need to go and where not to spit their gum. The marginal expense of providing you the opportunity of a forced--perspective photo where you hold the Washington Monument aloft is effectively zero. This is hardly the case with more niche destinations. The obscure hiking trail with the perfectly instagrammable view likely suffers from increasing diseconomies of scale. These places work when they're patronized by locals and a few regional tourists. Once they go viral, they're quickly swamped. Parking lots are over capacity, trash overflows, and the marginal visitor's photo opportunity imposes severe costs on everyone else. It's why these destinations top internet lists of sights being "ruined" by tourists, even if their root purpose is to be a visitable sight to see. Gastronomical destinations operate under a similar logic. To return to Café Du Monde: This is a place that takes every advantage from economies of scale. Its food menu is very simple, with just one item: beignets. Its drink menu is a delightfully uncomplicated offering of coffee in its three natural states of hot, iced, and frozen. As a slight extravagance, they've added hot chocolate and bottled water to the menu. Café Du Monde can thus focus on pumping out a few dedicated specialties quickly and at a reasonable cost to both producer and consumer. These production savings can be poured into more staff, bringing faster service. In contrast, a heretofore undiscovered café, restaurant, or bar typically isn't prepared to handle even a modest surge in visitors. Newfound publicity quickly takes them overcapacity. Small-time businesses have no good options for digging their way out of a rush of tourists looking for the next big thing. In an effort to maintain their authenticity, they might try to keep everything—from location to the menu to the prices—the same as before. The result, then, is that you'll likely wait around in a huge line for hours. Perhaps, like good capitalists, they'll raise prices to manage higher demand. That's good for the business, of course: No one should begrudge them for seizing an enhanced opportunity for profit. But the higher price, like the longer wait, will take a huge bite out of whatever utility you might get from a slightly higher quality specialty dish from a more authentic local hole in the wall. For all that effort to see something off the beaten path, the tourist's consumer surplus is just as likely to go down as up. Meanwhile, the more popular the tourist trap, the greater the benefits to tourists will be. For travelers, there's an instinct to skip anything that seems too generic in favor of something more special and memorable. The fear of crowds and long waits overwhelms the desire to see something truly unique. Why go see the Mona Lisa in Paris, when everyone who visits Paris goes there and everyone visiting Paris at the same time as you will also be there? It's an understandable attitude, but a mistaken one. It fails to appreciate the urban agglomeration that creates the world-class tourist cities that give people a reason to travel in the first place. Urban agglomeration is basically the idea that people want to be where the action is. Workers move to cities because that's where the jobs are. Firms move to cities because that's where the workers are. As more and more people pile into an area, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Interpersonal networks become thicker, and the division of labor becomes more specialized. This agglomeration logic continues to apply, even as the costs and externalities of city life pile up. With more people come more traffic and more pollution. But the benefits of more people doing more and more things together always seems to outweigh the associated costs. Keep this agglomerative growth going, and eventually your city will be large enough, and the division of labor specialized enough, to create and sustain the unique cultural amenities that people travel across the globe to see. There's only so many great artists and great pieces of art in the world. Urbanism's agglomerative pull means many of them end up in a handful of superstar cities. Millions of tourists then follow. The Mona Lisa wasn't painted in Paris. She lives there nonetheless because that's where the eyeballs and the money are. Paris, in other words, exists for you to go see the Mona Lisa. To say that you won't go see the Mona Lisa because that's what everyone does in Paris is to miss the point of Paris. It's a point even the Parisians can miss. Carlos Moreno—the Sorbonne University professor most famous for creating the idea of the "15-minute city"—has argued that Paris could improve walkability and reduce traffic congestion by using neighborhood schools as playhouses and theaters after hours. On the other hand, "How many Parisians prefer to attend a concert, a ballet, or an opera at a neighborhood school rather than the Garnier Opera House, Opera Bastille, or the Bataclan?" counters the French urbanist Alain Bertaud. "Do these prestigious establishments have to be replaced with neighborhood shows that will give the spectator the satisfaction of walking there and saving about twenty minutes on transport?" To be sure, not every "tourist trap" is worth the visit or worth the expense. A shirt proclaiming how much you love New York can be bought online. You should also always be on the lookout for scams. And not every minute of a vacation needs to be dominated by sightseeing. If relaxation is the goal, there's a lot to be said for finding a café, bar, or restaurant within walking distance from the hotel and making that your home base for the trip. But if you are trying to see and do things, you should see and do the things that are ready for you. Don't burn up your vacation days sacrificing efficiency in a fruitless quest for authenticity. The tourist traps were made for tourists. They know what they're doing. If you're a tourist, there's no shame in enjoying them. The post In Defense of the Tourist Trap: Why Following the Crowd Might Be the Smartest Way To Travel appeared first on

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

CNN

3 hours ago

CNN

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

Every time 2-year-old Noah asks about his mom, Adrian Clouatre can only reply: 'Mommy will be back soon.' The little one nods with a smile, though his father sees his sadness and tries to be strong – for both Noah and his 3-month-old sister, Lyn, whom his wife was breastfeeding until ICE detained her in May. Clouatre, a 26-year-old who qualifies as a service-disabled US Marine Corps veteran, described how his family's life was turned upside down when his wife, Paola, went in for a status hearing May 27. They had hoped she could move forward with her green card process, but it turned into a nightmare for the young family. Paola, now 25, was born in Mexico and arrived in the United States in 2014 with her mother. She didn't speak English and didn't understand much of what was happening, her husband recounts today. Her mother submitted an asylum application. But mother and daughter did not get along, and soon Paola ended up alone. She spent the rest of her teenage years in homeless shelters. In 2022, Adrian met Paola at a club in Palm Springs, California, during his last year in the military. 'We officially started dating a month later. Then we had our first child, Noah, and got married in February 2024,' he says. They moved to Louisiana and began the green card process for Paola. A year later, Lyn was born. They thought everything would go well, but Paola and her mother had lost contact after arriving in the United States. That's why the Clouatres didn't know there was a deportation order against her until a week before the status hearing that ended in her detention. That order was issued because Paola did not attend an immigration hearing; the notification, apparently, had been sent to her mother, who never told her. 'We went to a status adjustment interview where they verified that our marriage was real and, you know, said everything was fine,' Adrian says. The interview, on the surface, seemed to have gone well. 'We found out about the deportation order about a week before the appointment and tried to reschedule, but USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) said no, so we went anyway,' Clouatre explains. 'We were honest about the deportation order,' he says. 'At that moment, the interviewer went to tell their supervisor and came back and finished the interview. Said we had passed and to wait in the lobby for paperwork about our next appointment.' Relieved, the Clouatres waited about 20 minutes in a waiting room. Their children were with Adrian's parents. They had plans to go together to New Orleans after the hearing, to visit the French Quarter. But their plans were abruptly cut off when three ICE agents appeared and arrested Paola. 'We were confident that, since we were married and I was a veteran, they would at least allow us to resolve the deportation order and not detain her,' Adrian says. 'We knew the deportation order would probably cause a problem, but we didn't find out about it until a week before and USCIS refused to let us reschedule, so we had no other choice but to go. … My wife told the truth.' Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, responded to a CNN inquiry about the case by saying an immigration judge issued a final order of removal in February 2018. Paola is in the country illegally, McLaughlin said, and President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'are not going to ignore the rule of law.' 'On May 27, 2025, (Paola) filed emergency motion to reopen her immigration case. We await a decision on this motion,' McLaughlin said via email. 'Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App,' she added. 'The United States is offering aliens illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live (the) American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.' The Clouatres had been watching the development of the Trump administration's tough immigration policies, Adrian says, but they didn't think it would affect them so closely. 'When they said they were going to focus on criminals, we thought it would just be that,' says Adrian. 'But there are people like my wife, whom their parents brought and they haven't committed crimes, and after all that … are they supposed to be punished?' Paola was breastfeeding her daughter until she was detained. That's why her husband – in addition to trying to juggle his work at a restaurant, caring for the children and making the four-hour drive twice a week to the ICE detention center where his wife is being held – dedicated himself tirelessly to insisting the facility allow her to use a breast pump. 'I must have been the most annoying husband, but I did it. Now she can pump milk, but she has to throw it away every time. And I try to bring the baby as often as I can so she can breastfeed and continue producing milk,' he says. Adrian, who served as an intelligence specialist in the Marines between 2017 and 2022, says the challenges he faced then help him endure the nightmare his family is experiencing now: 'I'm used to being in situations I don't want to be in, and having to fight for it.' But he's worried about how it's affecting his wife, who's being held at the Richwood Correctional Center near Monroe, Louisiana. 'She's trying to stay strong,' Adrian says. 'She knows that, you know, the lawyer and I are fighting for her every day. But, well, at the end of the day … it's a room with a hundred more people. It's never quiet. They just turn off the lights and they can barely sleep three hours straight.' He adds, 'That's wearing her down now. Her mental state is worsening. She started talking to a therapist there, who is helping her.' CNN asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Paola's detention conditions but did not receive a response. Carey Holliday, the couple's lawyer and a former immigration judge, says they filed a motion for an immigration judge based in California to reopen Paola's deportation order case and are awaiting a response. 'The best thing is to go to the judge who issued the deportation order and explain that the notice was not served to Paola, that she didn't know about the appointment, and to reopen the process,' Holliday says. 'And then we can close it administratively or get the prosecution to dismiss it so she can proceed to adjust her status.' Meanwhile, Adrian continues his struggle. Amid all the paperwork and procedures, he also sent a letter to the White House, in which he begs Trump to pardon his wife and allow her to apply for a green card. His wife, he says, 'has been inhumanely torn from her two small American children and her husband, an American veteran.' The White House declined to comment about Adrian's letter. 'I desperately miss my wife,' Adrian wrote in the letter. 'She is my best friend and the love of my life. I am begging you, President Trump, to reunite my family out of respect for our (nation's) veterans and compassion for an American family torn apart by this merciless deportation system.'

CNN

3 hours ago

CNN

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

Every time 2-year-old Noah asks about his mom, Adrian Clouatre can only reply: 'Mommy will be back soon.' The little one nods with a smile, though his father sees his sadness and tries to be strong – for both Noah and his 3-month-old sister, Lyn, whom his wife was breastfeeding until ICE detained her in May. Clouatre, a 26-year-old who qualifies as a service-disabled US Marine Corps veteran, described how his family's life was turned upside down when his wife, Paola, went in for a status hearing May 27. They had hoped she could move forward with her green card process, but it turned into a nightmare for the young family. Paola, now 25, was born in Mexico and arrived in the United States in 2014 with her mother. She didn't speak English and didn't understand much of what was happening, her husband recounts today. Her mother submitted an asylum application. But mother and daughter did not get along, and soon Paola ended up alone. She spent the rest of her teenage years in homeless shelters. In 2022, Adrian met Paola at a club in Palm Springs, California, during his last year in the military. 'We officially started dating a month later. Then we had our first child, Noah, and got married in February 2024,' he says. They moved to Louisiana and began the green card process for Paola. A year later, Lyn was born. They thought everything would go well, but Paola and her mother had lost contact after arriving in the United States. That's why the Clouatres didn't know there was a deportation order against her until a week before the status hearing that ended in her detention. That order was issued because Paola did not attend an immigration hearing; the notification, apparently, had been sent to her mother, who never told her. 'We went to a status adjustment interview where they verified that our marriage was real and, you know, said everything was fine,' Adrian says. The interview, on the surface, seemed to have gone well. 'We found out about the deportation order about a week before the appointment and tried to reschedule, but USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) said no, so we went anyway,' Clouatre explains. 'We were honest about the deportation order,' he says. 'At that moment, the interviewer went to tell their supervisor and came back and finished the interview. Said we had passed and to wait in the lobby for paperwork about our next appointment.' Relieved, the Clouatres waited about 20 minutes in a waiting room. Their children were with Adrian's parents. They had plans to go together to New Orleans after the hearing, to visit the French Quarter. But their plans were abruptly cut off when three ICE agents appeared and arrested Paola. 'We were confident that, since we were married and I was a veteran, they would at least allow us to resolve the deportation order and not detain her,' Adrian says. 'We knew the deportation order would probably cause a problem, but we didn't find out about it until a week before and USCIS refused to let us reschedule, so we had no other choice but to go. … My wife told the truth.' Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, responded to a CNN inquiry about the case by saying an immigration judge issued a final order of removal in February 2018. Paola is in the country illegally, McLaughlin said, and President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'are not going to ignore the rule of law.' 'On May 27, 2025, (Paola) filed emergency motion to reopen her immigration case. We await a decision on this motion,' McLaughlin said via email. 'Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App,' she added. 'The United States is offering aliens illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live (the) American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.' The Clouatres had been watching the development of the Trump administration's tough immigration policies, Adrian says, but they didn't think it would affect them so closely. 'When they said they were going to focus on criminals, we thought it would just be that,' says Adrian. 'But there are people like my wife, whom their parents brought and they haven't committed crimes, and after all that … are they supposed to be punished?' Paola was breastfeeding her daughter until she was detained. That's why her husband – in addition to trying to juggle his work at a restaurant, caring for the children and making the four-hour drive twice a week to the ICE detention center where his wife is being held – dedicated himself tirelessly to insisting the facility allow her to use a breast pump. 'I must have been the most annoying husband, but I did it. Now she can pump milk, but she has to throw it away every time. And I try to bring the baby as often as I can so she can breastfeed and continue producing milk,' he says. Adrian, who served as an intelligence specialist in the Marines between 2017 and 2022, says the challenges he faced then help him endure the nightmare his family is experiencing now: 'I'm used to being in situations I don't want to be in, and having to fight for it.' But he's worried about how it's affecting his wife, who's being held at the Richwood Correctional Center near Monroe, Louisiana. 'She's trying to stay strong,' Adrian says. 'She knows that, you know, the lawyer and I are fighting for her every day. But, well, at the end of the day … it's a room with a hundred more people. It's never quiet. They just turn off the lights and they can barely sleep three hours straight.' He adds, 'That's wearing her down now. Her mental state is worsening. She started talking to a therapist there, who is helping her.' CNN asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Paola's detention conditions but did not receive a response. Carey Holliday, the couple's lawyer and a former immigration judge, says they filed a motion for an immigration judge based in California to reopen Paola's deportation order case and are awaiting a response. 'The best thing is to go to the judge who issued the deportation order and explain that the notice was not served to Paola, that she didn't know about the appointment, and to reopen the process,' Holliday says. 'And then we can close it administratively or get the prosecution to dismiss it so she can proceed to adjust her status.' Meanwhile, Adrian continues his struggle. Amid all the paperwork and procedures, he also sent a letter to the White House, in which he begs Trump to pardon his wife and allow her to apply for a green card. His wife, he says, 'has been inhumanely torn from her two small American children and her husband, an American veteran.' The White House declined to comment about Adrian's letter. 'I desperately miss my wife,' Adrian wrote in the letter. 'She is my best friend and the love of my life. I am begging you, President Trump, to reunite my family out of respect for our (nation's) veterans and compassion for an American family torn apart by this merciless deportation system.'

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In Defense of the Tourist Trap: Why Following the Crowd Might Be the Smartest Way To Travel

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

Protests against surging mass tourism in Mexico City end in vandalism, harassment of tourists

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In Defense of the Tourist Trap: Why Following the Crowd Might Be the Smartest Way To Travel

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

ICE detained a mother who was still breastfeeding. Her Marine veteran husband fights for her freedom

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