Comments on: When Can You Say You Know a Place? http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/ Nomadic Matt's Travel Site Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:42:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: GarethLhttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-19148 GarethL Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:11:19 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-19148 This is a great post. I actually just moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina from Upstate New York for 1 year to try and see how long it takes to actually become a part of a foreign community.I created a blog to talk about all my trials and tribulations.http://www.tourist2townie.com/Keep the great posts coming, I check out your site on a daily basis! This is a great post. I actually just moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina from Upstate New York for 1 year to try and see how long it takes to actually become a part of a foreign community.

I created a blog to talk about all my trials and tribulations.

http://www.tourist2townie.com/

Keep the great posts coming, I check out your site on a daily basis!

]]> By: Roberta aka @citytravelbughttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-19006 Roberta aka @citytravelbug Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:58:59 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-19006 Hey Matt, great post! When I stay for awhile - usually a month - at some point I get a feeling that "the city is mine". I even exclaim to myself, "Ah, Paris now feels like it is mine." This happens, I find, when I have seen a few main sights, when the grocer and barrista at the coffee place remember me (much as others have described), when I know my local neighborhood, and I feel I have a really good handle on the transit system. I get that feeling when the place I am staying starts to feel like home and I can find myself around to whatever I want. But there's also a special moment I've referred to myself as when the city is "knitted together" for me. I have felt this in Barcelona and Paris, where I each stayed a month, and am getting close to that feeling in Berlin (where I've been 2 weeks so far), but I didn't get that feeling from Rome, even though I was there almost a month... why? Well, in that case, I was staying well outside of the city centre and as the metro is marginal there, I never really "knit the city together for myself"... I made many trips into the heart of Rome, wandered for hours, and went back home... But these trips were like pieces of a puzzle that never got fit together. I didn't get that sense of direction where I knew where I was in relationship to other spots and it took studying to figure out how to get from A to B, even if I had been to both A and B and C and D previously. As a result, I didn't fall in love with Rome, even though I really, really liked it. I suspect my experience would have been different if I'd been living closer to the city centre and/or if I had better public transport in and out. I also suspect that if I go back, and can have a couple more weeks to put those pieces together (and stay in a more central spot), I will get that feeling that I've gotten elsewhere. Roberta Hey Matt, great post!
When I stay for awhile – usually a month – at some point I get a feeling that “the city is mine”. I even exclaim to myself, “Ah, Paris now feels like it is mine.” This happens, I find, when I have seen a few main sights, when the grocer and barrista at the coffee place remember me (much as others have described), when I know my local neighborhood, and I feel I have a really good handle on the transit system. I get that feeling when the place I am staying starts to feel like home and I can find myself around to whatever I want. But there’s also a special moment I’ve referred to myself as when the city is “knitted together” for me. I have felt this in Barcelona and Paris, where I each stayed a month, and am getting close to that feeling in Berlin (where I’ve been 2 weeks so far), but I didn’t get that feeling from Rome, even though I was there almost a month… why? Well, in that case, I was staying well outside of the city centre and as the metro is marginal there, I never really “knit the city together for myself”… I made many trips into the heart of Rome, wandered for hours, and went back home… But these trips were like pieces of a puzzle that never got fit together. I didn’t get that sense of direction where I knew where I was in relationship to other spots and it took studying to figure out how to get from A to B, even if I had been to both A and B and C and D previously. As a result, I didn’t fall in love with Rome, even though I really, really liked it. I suspect my experience would have been different if I’d been living closer to the city centre and/or if I had better public transport in and out. I also suspect that if I go back, and can have a couple more weeks to put those pieces together (and stay in a more central spot), I will get that feeling that I’ve gotten elsewhere.
Roberta

]]> By: NomadicMatthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18940 NomadicMatt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:25:04 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18940 I'm not thinking about myself. I'm writing reflective travel questions to spur discussion and contemplation. I’m not thinking about myself. I’m writing reflective travel questions to spur discussion and contemplation.

]]> By: NomadicMatthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18939 NomadicMatt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:22:59 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18939 Most people don't even see their own city! Most of my friends here in Stockholm have yet to see any of the "touristy" things I have. But in America, when we are little kids, we get taken to all the historic sites. I remember being taken around to learn about America and walk the Boston freedom trail...a very touristy thing to do but nonethless, giving me a good sense of my city's history. Most people don’t even see their own city! Most of my friends here in Stockholm have yet to see any of the “touristy” things I have. But in America, when we are little kids, we get taken to all the historic sites. I remember being taken around to learn about America and walk the Boston freedom trail…a very touristy thing to do but nonethless, giving me a good sense of my city’s history.

]]> By: NomadicMatthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18938 NomadicMatt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:19:07 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18938 I agree with emma. great insight! I agree with emma. great insight!

]]> By: NomadicMatthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18937 NomadicMatt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:58:52 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18937 I'm not running away from anything. I'm running towards everything! I’m not running away from anything. I’m running towards everything!

]]> By: NomadicMatthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18936 NomadicMatt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:57:25 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18936 amazing quote! amazing quote!

]]> By: Nomadic Matthttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18935 Nomadic Matt Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:56:23 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18935 It was the history museum! Lots of artifacts, no story or explanation! It was the history museum! Lots of artifacts, no story or explanation!

]]> By: Tanyahttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18934 Tanya Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:53:50 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18934 You can say you know a place when you have your go-tos: your go-to restaurant, your go-to park, your go-to coffee shop, your go-to shopping district. If you don't have go-tos - places you don't have to look up in a gudebook or get shown to by friends - then you've only just passed through. You can say you know a place when you have your go-tos: your go-to restaurant, your go-to park, your go-to coffee shop, your go-to shopping district. If you don’t have go-tos – places you don’t have to look up in a gudebook or get shown to by friends – then you’ve only just passed through.

]]> By: Emmahttp://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/when-can-you-say-you-know-a-place/#comment-18929 Emma Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:35:55 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3089#comment-18929 Great comment, agreed! Great comment, agreed!

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