"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes,
it is seeing with new eyes," by French novelist, Marcel Proust
Doing a quick web search, I found several cities considered tourist in your own town as a way to reconnect local residents with area attractions, restaurants, museums, arts venues and hotels by sponsoring one day of celebration. Residents are offered reduced pricing and even special transportation options to get from one place to another.
For individuals in our group, tourist in your own town was about recognizing what we love most about our community. Favorites such as shopping within walking distance, the way people giving directions point to landmarks to guide you along the way, unique architecture and characteristics of the neighborhood. We also discussed being a tourist in your own town is a way of observing the landscape a bit differently.
In my neighborhood, I notice curved and narrow streets lined with trees that follow up and down soft hills. There is always another mystery to discover around the corner or over the hill. Other areas offer open spaces where horses roam free. I have always thought Fair Oaks Blvd. winding through old Fair Oaks Village and then up the hill toward Carmichael and following curves to Arden Arcade on its way to meet J Street in midtown an adventure of its own.
Even after 14 years in Sacramento, I still find myself thinking almost daily, "I used to drive eight hours (from LA) to see what I can walk to in 15 minutes."
Our last question was when you have gone away from home and come back again to visit or live, what do you see differently? Has the character changed? Are the familiar landmarks there or have they been replaced? We collectively agreed, returning as a tourist, finding our way around does take some thinking. Even when things in town are the same, we have changed. Yes, it could be the other way around.
For those who did not join the conversation in person, please post your comments online to continue dialog on what tourist in your own town means to you.
Next Conversation Cafe: Letters from home, letter we send, letters we receive
Doing a quick web search, I found several cities considered tourist in your own town as a way to reconnect local residents with area attractions, restaurants, museums, arts venues and hotels by sponsoring one day of celebration. Residents are offered reduced pricing and even special transportation options to get from one place to another.
For individuals in our group, tourist in your own town was about recognizing what we love most about our community. Favorites such as shopping within walking distance, the way people giving directions point to landmarks to guide you along the way, unique architecture and characteristics of the neighborhood. We also discussed being a tourist in your own town is a way of observing the landscape a bit differently.
In my neighborhood, I notice curved and narrow streets lined with trees that follow up and down soft hills. There is always another mystery to discover around the corner or over the hill. Other areas offer open spaces where horses roam free. I have always thought Fair Oaks Blvd. winding through old Fair Oaks Village and then up the hill toward Carmichael and following curves to Arden Arcade on its way to meet J Street in midtown an adventure of its own.
Even after 14 years in Sacramento, I still find myself thinking almost daily, "I used to drive eight hours (from LA) to see what I can walk to in 15 minutes."
Our last question was when you have gone away from home and come back again to visit or live, what do you see differently? Has the character changed? Are the familiar landmarks there or have they been replaced? We collectively agreed, returning as a tourist, finding our way around does take some thinking. Even when things in town are the same, we have changed. Yes, it could be the other way around.
For those who did not join the conversation in person, please post your comments online to continue dialog on what tourist in your own town means to you.
Next Conversation Cafe: Letters from home, letter we send, letters we receive
