Wearsiders are happy to accommodate their guests and will bend over backwards for them. But in return it is respectfully asked that certain things are never said.
Official tourist information is useful. So too is the following unofficial tourist information.
9. ‘Beaches! I didn’t know you had beaches’
Miles of beautiful sandy ones as it happens. Why anyone who has even glanced at Sunderland on an atlas is surprised by this is unclear. Trust us, it's on the coast. Photo: Stu norton
10. ‘What’s it like living in Tyne and Wear then?’
We wouldn’t know because it doesn’t exist. Since Tyne and Wear County Council was abolished in 1986 Sunderland hasn’t been in any county, not even County Durham, where it rightfully belongs. Photo: Sunderland Echo
11. ‘But surely you like to see ALL the North East teams do well’
The short answer is ‘no’. Space precludes the complete answer. Perhaps Sunderland and Newcastle will love each other one day, but honestly, where’s the fun in that? Photo: Sunderland Echo