tourist in my hometown
I feel like I’m grounded. Now that I’m back working a full-time shtick, I’m slowly and painstakingly accruing PTO (which is just a simple way of saying, your sick time and your vacation time is the same darn thing) to blow on a trip to Prague in the fall. It’s freaking torture. Spending those many weeks abroad in October and November only made my wanderlust stronger - kinda like hawking a loogie on the Hulk when he’s already green and angry - and I want out.
I want to museum, and eat new things and wear out a new pair of sneakers on unfamiliar sidewalks and trails.
And I’m going to.
Right here in Dallas. It turns out, people come to Dallas as tourists. On purpose. I have no idea what they do here, but I’m going to find out and do it. Sculpture garden? Okay! Cowboy art museum? Sure. Botanical gardens? Yes, please.
I think it would be kind of awesome if you wanted to play along. I want to hear about the treasures your hometown has to offer. Like, say you live in… Iola, Kansas. You’ve got a famous historic town square! That’s pretty great. Or you’re within driving distance of Burlington, Vermont and you haven’t been to the Ben & Jerry factory. That, my friend, would be a serious shame.
Next stop, Nasher sculpture garden.
I don’t have anything to add right now about my town, but I just wanted to say hey! It’s so cool that you mentioned Burlington and the Ben and Jerry’s factory:) I live in Vermont and I have been there a few times. I just think it’s cool when someone mentions my state in their blog. It makes the world feel all that much smaller and connected:)
I love being a tourist in my own city. I also frequently use guests as an excuse to go somewhere I have on my list of things I want to see or restaurants I want to try. I live in Philly (still fairly new), so there’s no end to the historic sites, museums, and things to explore.
My favorite way to explore is to do a walking tour, preferably self guided and free like those from National Geographic (http://www.ngeo.com/walkingtours/index.html). Most city visitor guide websites have a few free walking tours listed. Every time I move to a new city I also buy a few tourist guides (travel books) to give me some ideas.
I walk around with my camera snapping pics like a tourist freak. And I’m ok with that.
We have a lovely historic hotel here in Riverside. The Mission Inn was never a mission, although parts of it’s architecture will lead you to believe it. The owner Frank Miller traveled all over the world collecting art and antiquities and continually built new wings on the hotel to house his collection and reflect the places he had been. It’s a must see if you’re anywhere east of LA.
http://www.missioninn.com/
It’s pretty much breathtaking and is the #1 spot for weddings in town too.
I love this idea. I lived in Dallas for two years and left without doing the touristy things (I did go to the Nasher and the DMA, though, for a special exhibit.)
Now, I’m living in Hong Kong, and, though I’ve been here for two months, I’ve made it off the island only once. Because I HAD to leave so I could get my visa activated. Other than that, I’ve been splitting my time between home and work.
So I’m going to high tea this afternoon. And maybe later this week I’ll take the ferry across the harbor. Just so I can say I’ve gotten off Hong Kong island…
Hi Fish,
I will be visiting a friend who just started going to NTU in Denton, this August. She has not been able to get out and do new things around the Dallas area (b/c of school), so her & I are going to go out and find some fun stuff to do while I’m visiting. If you could pass along the “touristy” things you’ve found I’d really appreciate it.