Absolutely agree! I 100% think that, if you're not from somewhere and you've heard of a thing to do - there's a good chance that's because there's advertising m

Absolutely agree! I 100% think that, if you're not from somewhere and you've heard of a thing to do - there's a good chance that's because there's advertising money behind it and you're going to pay a premium to do it (museums are a frequent exception). So, going into a trip, you will know about the "pricey" side of the cool stuff in that area. That's fine! Those things are still cool! But if you hang out a bit and look around at what the locals do, you will pretty quickly learn about the "cheap" side of the cool stuff in the area. You will also discover the day-to-day parts of being in a city or town that lead people to live in that area: small shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, street food, the bar scene, etc.