Traffic and honking can be quite annoying. I find the AirPods Pro knock down quick a bit of noise even when off just because of their tips, but when I want it even quieter I use the noise canceling.
Some places aren’t loud but most U.S. cities are. I’m going to Paris this summer, and I probably won’t use AirPods while walking around.
Paris is one of the loudest cities in Europe that I experienced. Bring your noice cancelling headphones.
https://leva-eu.com/europes-10-noisiest-cities-revealed/