no exercise in stagnation

And don’t forget the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier, which has two mini-galleries of Tiffany’s work, among a larger, equally impressive collection! Just try not to get trampled by the armies of souvenir- and sweets-minded families, as the museum is essentially located on both sides of a popular pedestrian thoroughfare…Also, you managed to find my one decent picture! I guess I can’t object as much as I expected to… You win this round!

When I first moved to Los Angeles from suburbia, I thought I’d hate it. I thought Nick would hate it. And I assumed we’d be miserable. As it turns out, we love it more than anything and it immediately felt like it has always been home. We thought it would harden us and make us cynical, but in the end, it made us more open to life and experiences. The culture! The food! The public transportation! Oh and we can’t forget the traffic, which provides a daily lesson in patience.

As for silly assumptions, I think I’m going to start writing mine down (because you’re right — these things have a way of looking ridiculous on paper). I still make silly assumptions, though not as many, and I’d like to start tearing a few down.

Now, for keeping the magic alive for places we think we know…visiting often. It sounds a little counterintuitive, because you’d think that the more often you visit a place that you love, the more things might go unnoticed, but for us it’s the opposite. We always seem to find something new to love about an old favorite.

I think keeping your home, your city, friendships… most things really, interesting is a matter of how you approach them. To approach the world with wonder is to live in a wonderful world. There are always new things to see and discover.

I sound like a cheeseball, but it’s true.

(Ted is cute!!)

Very interesting post. I love this topic. For me things are a little different I came to the US with two suitcases for school many years ago arrived in down town Boston and lived there for 7 years. After traveling around the US I learned really fast there were only a few place I could live in the US due to by European background. There were things I needed in a city for me to be happy. I needed the city to be international and diverse, walking city, great restaurants, outside café’s, great produce, and then water and mountains. After years in Boston I couldn’t take the winter anymore and wanted to go to a place that had milder winters. So after looking around I ended up in Seattle, WA. Again not as perfect walking city as Boston but milder winters. But it has everything else I want in a city. For me a city has to be what I am about. I could never live in certain place in the US because the culture is too different from who I am and I would not be happy. But Chicago – I love Chicago. My only problem with Chicago are the winters , I have been several times there during a cold winter day and I was not a happy person. But as far as everything else a city needs to make me happy Chicago has it. Awesome post and I could talk about this for hours ?.

Yay! I win! :) But I can’t imagine anything at Navy Pier is half as cool as the domes in the Cultural Center…

I’m pretty impressed by your attitude about LA traffic!

And I think you’re totally right on your last point, too. I have favorite restaurants, sites, etc. that I’d certainly count as favorites—and that I’ll always recommend to visiting friends—but that I won’t return to because I feel like I know them so well. Which is no way to keep the flame burning, of course.

Sometimes the cheesiest things are so, so true. Like your point: “To approach the world with wonder is to live in a wonderful world.” That’s why I travel, and it’s why I decided to leave a not-for-me city—because I wanted to keep my heart open to new experiences, not to settle and become a bored cynic.

(And I know…Ted is pretty adorable, right?)

I’m so interested in your reply—I’d be really curious to hear more about life in European cities versus American ones. You hit on some big points that differentiate the two, but I’ve heard about so many other cultural intangibles that separate Europe from the U.S.; it’d be fascinating to hear more about that divide. (As someone who’s traveled through Europe, but hasn’t lived there full-time, I can only imagine.)

I’m glad Seattle fit the bill for you!

Hi, Maddie. I enjoyed the reminders about the Cultural Center – which I visited often when I worked nearby – and the Pedway (the latter of which I’ve not given a thought to in nearly 20 years, but it was helpful during the nasty winters while working in the Loop). Of course, I really like your introspection and beautiful writing – as ever.

For a variety of reasons, I think of myself as an “outsider”, irrespective of where I have lived or live. So the dislocation for me is not a function of moving – of which I have done plenty. But relocating is dislocating, whether it is somewhere unfamiliar or a former home. I always have enjoyed the sense of discovery or re-discovery with moving or returning, nonetheless. Am I just contradicting myself now?

Living in a more rural area makes one notice smaller things, rather than more obvious ones in urban areas, e.g., changes in shops or billboards. Modest changes are more natural and noteworthy on the island, while I am finding cities to have so much sensory overload, lacking the same kind of subtlety. Oh, I do think I’m rambling now….

Thanks,

Dan

The big thing i miss about Europe is the walking around everywhere. I never used to have to workout the way i do here because i used to walk everywhere. To the store, restaurants, school etc. If you didn’t want to walk the public transportation was awesome and separate bicycle lanes if you wanted to bike. Here i feel so lazy i drive almost everywhere. And because of these problems you have cyclist on the roads, people running on the road, buses just stopping in the middle of the road, drive troughs and the worst drunk driving. Things that good city planning could fix but most cities in the US are build around cars.

Love the green in your river! How cool. It’s lovely to discover new things.

And your boy is very cute! :)

Maddie you are so brave, and truly are an inspiration. Your wonder and curiosity are going to help you so much, a rare quality to find!

You’ve got me wanting to buy a one-way ticket abroad; the lack of walkability in some cities here is depressing. I tried biking to work a few times in Northern Virginia, but it was pretty traumatizing.

Hopefully Chicago is a little better…I’ll report back once I live downtown!

I’ve always been pulled to more rural settings (I think I’ll settle somewhere quieter eventually) but often worry about romanticizing the pleasures of small-town life. So I like your thoughts on sensory overload vs. the ability to begin noticing small things again, especially since you’re speaking from real-life experience!

I’m also curious about those feelings of dislocation, though I suspect that’s a bigger and more interesting conversation than we can have in the comments. :)

Why thanks, Emma! And about the green river…apparently the Obamas have brought the tradition from Chicago to D.C. by dyeing the North and South lawn fountains, too. :)

You’re too kind, Melinda! I do hope you’re right—there’s a big world out there, and I definitely want to find my own place in it. And travel it, too, of course (starting with a trip to Seattle!).