November 3, 2023
In a pondering mood, I realized that a lot of the neat stuff I see when I’m out and about is stuff I wasn’t looking for. A narrow alleyway in Philadelphia (which I later found was a tourist attraction); a public but hidden garden in Philadelphia because I wandered down another street. Street fairs, cookie stores, a mini-furniture store, art galleries, jewelry stores, sculpture gardens, museums; or sometimes it’s just a window display when I’m passing a store … so many places or scenes I wasn’t looking for, but enjoyed immensely.
Lots of people know this—travel books frequently tell you to go off the beaten path—but what about right where you live? I personally would not wander around a country where I didn’t speak the language and might not be able find my way back to my starting place; but I keep my eyes open while I’m walking or driving here, and often turn in to someplace that looks interesting; and it usually is. It’s way less disappointing than having a place built up as a must-see, and then finding out that it was over-hyped, or not my style.
(Last week’s find was an electric Christmas scene of bears skating around a pond. I had gone into the store for something completely different, but loved watching those little guys moving around.)
So, be open to the possibilities. Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not looking for anything special, but you find something anyway.
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