Befriend your city

View fullsize

Do you know your city well? You've been living, working, and studying in it, but can you tell yourself that the city is your friend? Some say right away that, of course, it is my friend. Friendship, however, is a mutual relationship that builds over time. You have to invest your time, and which is more - spend it in full presence with a person or a city who you consider to be your friend. There is an abundance of ways that you can devote your time to your city. 

One way that I’ve discovered for myself is to explore your city's landscape on foot, especially the ones you've never been to. The key part is to forget about all types of transportation there are, including mechanical ones, like a bicycle. When you explore your city, you must be flexible to go in any direction without worries that your bike gets stolen. 

Ideally, you want to leave your phone at home or at least put it in an airplane mode. You may pre-load a book or a podcast, which you can listen as you walk, but make sure to give yourself plenty of time to walk in silence. Get a proper, comfortable uniform appropriate for the weather and make sure you have a bottle of water. Set yourself a destination that will be worthy of talking about later. I’ve come up with a walk from Burbank to the Santa-Monica Pier, which is a 7+ hour walk. I've tested that trips like this make people’s eyebrows rise to the sky, which is an excellent indicator of a good story. The best time to start any walk would be 30 minutes before the sunrise. The air is at its freshest, no cars, low noise, and you are able to focus on your thoughts. 

At the beginning of the walk, it may feel a little scary, perhaps even miserable, because the sun isn’t out yet, but as soon as you witness the first pink beams in the sky your mood elevates, and the real journey begins. When the city catches you walking for more than an hour, it starts surprising you with its hidden gems, that are customized for you. A few things I've discovered that I haven't seen for five years living in LA were the hidden parks with their exquisite statues. On top of that, you meet unusual birds and fascinating wild animals as you explore these parks. At times it feels like the city is a big house and a host at the same time. It treats its visitors with the best things from the house. 

When you reach the third hour of your journey, you realize that you get to know the city, you start to feel it. After that, the city and you are the best pals. You converse in an unspoken language and understand each other well. By the fourth hour, your legs get exhausted, and it's essential to keep going because if you sit, it would be much harder to stand up later, almost impossible. At this point, only the cool destination that you've set for yourself keeps you going. 

When there’s one hour left until the end of your trip, your brain focuses solely on the finish line. The fact that you have this 'tunnel vision" allows you to let go of all the fears and worries, which automatically puts your mind into a meditative state. In turn, it opens the portal to incredible ideas, like a horn of plenty for your brain. A gift that your friend, the city, made possible in return for your time spent with it. When you finally arrive at your destination, which to me was the Santa Monica pier, you may proudly claim you rest.

Congratulations! You've befriended your city. Now, maintain your relationship with it by scheduling your next long walk.