I should have known better, but while my wife and I were out today, I managed to get us stuck in a tourist trap. We were in Times Square, waiting to meet up with family for lunch at Olive Garden and I saw a person dressed up as a Smurf, so I asked my wife if she wanted her picture taken. She thought it would be fun, so we walked over, took the photo and started to walk away when the smurf-person stopped us and held up a bag. I looked inside and saw some dollar bills, so I dropped a dollar in. I started to turn away, but then the smurf demanded not just one, but two dollars.
Later, as we were sitting inside the Olive Garden, I saw Scammer Smurf and his little friends congregating outside, scheming together and preying on tourists and other unwary pedestrians.
I think I fell for this because the last time I was in Times Square I had my photo taken with a person dressed as an M&M in front of the M&M store without being harassed for money. Like I said, though, I should have known.
I guess the moral of this story is: While in New York City, beware of cartoon characters carrying bags and posing for photos.
Bradley Farless 