How to Explore Your City Like a Tourist, and Why You’d Want To

When I travel, especially alone – I slip into a completely different rhythm. I wake up early, walk miles without a destination, follow the smell of a bakery, lines outside the shop, or sounds of street music, and strike conversations with strangers every time I get. Curiosity becomes my compass.

Whether it’s a big city like New York or a small village in Europe, I feel completely alive, open and neglected. But getting back home always meant returning to normalcy soon. But after a recent trip something has changed. A few weeks on the road, I returned home without eager to escape again. Instead, I wanted to stay and see, Really See, my city is the way I see new things.

Special images by Michelle Nash.

How to rediscover your city with the passport mindset

I’m walking more. more. Wandering. I eat solos where I’ve always intended to try. Please book tickets for exhibits that sound interesting even if you have friends to participate. I lead me back home with the same spirit that makes me brave and vast on the road. I am rediscovering the city as a tourist, not as a local city. It has roots and a fresh perspective. Discovering that secrets are not where I go was a powerful reconstruction, but how I show up.

Here are some ways I’m exploring my homeland:

Coffee Walk

What began as a practical walk for coffee became an important ritual. Every Sunday, I race sneakers with me New York Times Then we head out five miles to my favourite coffee shop., However, the journey there feels like a treat.

I give myself the luxury of wandering a bit, shopping for windows, watching people, or taking a different route to see what has changed. By the time I arrived, I had my coffee and I had already had a moment with the city and myself. It’s a small adventure, but it’s a reminder that I don’t have to be far away to feel grounded and present.

New neighborhood, new eyes

Instead of looping through the same streets, I now choose a neighborhood I have never explored or one that I have overlooked for years. You might plan on a stroll through a vintage shop you’ve heard of or a taco track someone has recommended. Sometimes I go out without a plan and guide me to my curiosity leading it, like when I travel. How amazed I am at the life and details I have missed in my backyard. A coloured mural, hidden neighbourhood gardens, and a new pop-up shop for me. Exploring like a tourist in my city made it feel bigger, richer and more alive.

Museum curiosity

I have always loved the museum, but at home I waited to go unless there were any reasons like visiting friends, dates, special occasions. Now I check out the museum calendar to find out how to search for events in new cities. Watch the openings of the exhibition and the conversations on the panels, and open up time just for that reason.

I don’t need to explain my interest to others, I wander around the room slowly. It will be the form of a solo trip. Each museum or installation visit will be a portal to a different time, location, or perspective. It reminds me of how much I have to learn where I am.

Accepting solo adventures

For a long time, I have told myself that better things are better for the company. We tried out a new restaurant, went to the gallery opening and walked to an unfamiliar space. But it taught me that travel doesn’t mean it’s not just about me I’m lonely. In fact, solo experiences often bring more freedom, more connections with strangers, and, what more integrity I actually want it.

So now I’m going, even if no one is free. I take myself out, like in Paris, Amsterdam, New York. And in doing so, I have not missed it – I am It actually shows More completely for my life. I’m also surprised that other people are doing this. It’s refreshing. I can’t stress how wonderful it feels to not wait for someone else to experience what I want in life.

I’m looking at my city through the eyes of my friends

I’m a huge crowdsourcing fan so I started asking my friends, “If you were planning a perfect day in Austin, where would you go?” Their answers will never be disappointed. Looking at the city through the lens of others helps to break me out of my patterns and reminds me that discoveries don’t always have to come from within. It was a great way to inspire a spontaneous hang, get to know my friends a little better and enjoy a few days of solo days inspired by someone I love.

Create a bucket list and use it in practice

I’ve always been the kind of person who researches to kill new cities before I visit. I book restaurants, research shops, hiking, places to get the best cold brews and read NYT 36 hoursand it scrutinizes websites like my work. But I rarely pay such attention to my city of Austin, especially after living here for 15 years.

So I started creating an “Austin Bucket List” on my Notes app. I have places I want to try, things I’ve heard, and experience saving for “someday.” When I spend a free afternoon or weekend, I choose something from the list and try to avoid getting caught up in a spiral of indecisiveness, almost randomly. It’s a way to bring novelty and spontaneity back to everyday life, and honestly, it makes life feel a little more cinematic. Just like I starred in my own travel montage, this time only, the background is home.

Now, if you only give some of those outfits in my closet the same considerations, then if you stop waiting for the best moment to wear them, I’ll be golden! Baby steps…