Touring & Exploring a New City
BY CLARISSA MAUER
Some of my most memorable experiences came from visiting a city for the first time.
There’s such a rush of excitement to explore, and there’s also a bit of nerves that come from not knowing what you don’t know: from how to get around, to what to see, to what to eat, and ultimately what to do now that you’ve arrived.
I love the idea of traveling with a healthy mix of curation and pure exploration.
When researching a new destination, I like to research the best cafes, the best cheap eats and hidden gems, and usually one nice restaurant. I also research the most beautiful parts of the city. Once I have my must-see list, I drop pins on google maps to get a sense of where everything is located. From there, I can create an agenda for each day by seeing which pins are close together. The plan is to tackle one section per day. First, I visit the “must-sees” from my list, then I spend the rest of the day just wandering through that part of town.
I so vividly remember the Montmartre neighborhood from our Paris visit. I had a chocolate shop I wanted to try and also a few fabric stores on my list. I still can picture the beautiful little parks along my walk and stumbling upon the most delicious restaurant for dinner.
Depending on the length of a visit, this method often leads to feeling like I have a sense of the city and each neighborhood. It also cements my memories.
If you enjoyed this, read When Adventure Calls
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