After I journey—particularly alone—I slip into a very completely different rhythm. I get up early, stroll for miles with no vacation spot, observe a bakery’s scent, the strains exterior of outlets, or the sound of avenue music, and strike up conversations with strangers each likelihood I get. Curiosity turns into my compass.
Whether or not it’s a giant metropolis like New York, or a small village in Europe, I really feel totally alive, open, untethered. However coming residence has all the time meant instantly stepping again into routine—snug, acquainted, slightly uninteresting. After my most up-to-date journey, although, one thing shifted. After weeks on the street, I returned residence with out a longing to flee once more. As a substitute, I had the need to remain and see, actually see, my metropolis the way in which I see new ones.
Featured picture by Michelle Nash.
How I’m Rediscovering My Metropolis with a Passport Mindset
I’m strolling extra. Much more. Wandering. Consuming solo at locations I’ve all the time meant to attempt. Reserving tickets to displays that sound attention-grabbing, regardless of if I’ve a pal to affix me. I’m letting the identical spirit that makes me courageous and expansive on the street additionally information me again at residence. I’m rediscovering my metropolis not as an area, however as a traveler—one with roots and a recent perspective. It’s been a robust reframe to find that the key isn’t in the place I’m going, however in how I present up.
Listed below are just a few methods I’m exploring my very own hometown:
The Espresso Stroll
What began as a sensible stroll for espresso has develop into a cherished ritual. Each Sunday, I lace up my sneakers with my New York Occasions and set out on a five-mile stroll to my favourite espresso store—not as a result of it’s the closest (it’s 2.5 miles away), however as a result of the journey there looks like a deal with.
I give myself the posh of wandering a bit, window procuring, people-watching, or taking a special route simply to see what’s modified. By the point I arrive, espresso in hand, I’ve already had a second with town—and with myself. It’s a small journey, however one which jogs my memory I don’t need to be far-off to really feel grounded and current.
New Neighborhoods, New Eyes
As a substitute of looping the identical streets, I now select neighborhoods I’ve by no means explored or ones I’ve ignored for years. I would plan my stroll round a classic retailer I’ve heard about or a taco truck somebody really useful. Generally, I head out with no plan in any respect, letting curiosity information me prefer it does after I journey. I’m continually stunned by how a lot life and element I’ve missed in my very own yard—colourful murals, tucked-away neighborhood gardens, and new to me pop-up retailers. Exploring like a vacationer in my very own metropolis has made it really feel larger, richer, extra alive.
Museum Curiosity
I’ve all the time liked museums, however at residence, I used to attend to go until I had a purpose, like a visiting pal, a date, or an important day. Now, I test museum calendars the way in which I’d search for occasions in a brand new metropolis. I’ll see an exhibit opening or a panel dialog and carve out time to go, simply because.
I wander by way of rooms slowly, not needing to clarify my curiosity to anybody else. It’s develop into a type of solo journey in place—every museum or set up go to turns into a portal into one other time, place, or perspective. It jogs my memory of how a lot there’s to be taught proper the place I’m.
Embracing Solo Adventures
For a very long time, I instructed myself sure issues have been higher with firm—making an attempt a brand new restaurant, going to a gallery opening, strolling into an unfamiliar area. However journey has taught me that doing issues alone doesn’t imply doing them lonely. Actually, solo experiences typically convey extra freedom, extra reference to strangers, and extra alignment with what I truly need.
So now, I’m going, even when nobody’s free. I take myself out, similar to I’d in Paris or Amsterdam or New York. And in doing so, I’m not lacking out—I’m truly exhibiting up extra totally for my life. I’ve been amazed by what number of others are doing this, too. It’s refreshing. I can’t stress how nice it feels to not wait round for another person to expertise the issues I need in life.
Seeing My Metropolis By way of My Buddies’ Eyes
I’m a giant fan of crowd-sourcing, so I’ve began asking pals, “If you happen to have been planning the right day in Austin—the place would we go?” Their solutions by no means disappoint. Seeing town by way of another person’s lens helps break me out of my patterns and jogs my memory that discovery doesn’t all the time have to come back from inside. It’s been an effective way to spark spontaneous hangs, get to know my pals slightly higher, and revel in just a few solo days impressed by the folks I like.
I can’t stress how nice it feels to not wait round for another person to expertise the issues I need in life.
Making a Bucket Listing—and Truly Utilizing It
I’ve all the time been the sort of one who researches a brand new metropolis to demise earlier than I go to. I ebook eating places, analysis retailers, hikes, the place to get the most effective chilly brew, learn NYT’s 36 Hours, and scour web sites prefer it’s my job. However I not often give my very own metropolis of Austin that sort of consideration, particularly after 15 years of dwelling right here.
So I’ve began making an “Austin bucket checklist,” in my Notes app, filled with locations I’ve wished to attempt, issues I’ve heard about, and experiences I’ve been saving for “sometime.” When I’ve a free afternoon or an open weekend, I choose one thing from the checklist—virtually at random—to keep away from getting caught in my spiral of indecision. It’s a strategy to convey novelty and spontaneity again into the on a regular basis, and actually, it makes life really feel slightly extra cinematic. Like I’m starring in my very own journey montage, solely this time, the backdrop is residence.
Now if I might solely give a few of these outfits in my closet the identical consideration and cease ready for the right second to put on them, I’d be golden! Child steps…
