It’s a strange feeling when you realize you are a stranger to your own city. I have lived in Edmonton all of my life. In the same house, same community, hell I’ve even had the same bedroom. For something in my life that seems to have remained so constant it’s startling to acknowledge how foreign I am to the city in its entirety.
During a class of my English course on “writing the local” another student suggested that for people who come from small towns, they tend to place boundaries on the city to make it more manageable. Bringing the small town to the big city. I can’t use the excuse of hailing from a small town, but I do this on a daily basis anyways.
If I were to list where I go it would look something like this:
1) Whyte Ave. The general hangout for my chums and me. We go there to shop, have lunch, people watch at Starbucks, and if I’m ever out for drinks (a rare sighting indeed) I’ll most likely be at O’Byrne’s.
2) Downtown/City Centre. I work downtown and am thus obliged to spend a lot of time there.
3) South Common. The boyfriend has moved around a lot exposing me to different areas of the city and I must admit I prefer the south side. The north end freaks me out. Can’t explain it. Just does.
I have found that I can navigate the places I frequent like the back of my hand, but anywhere that deviates from my general route and I’m hopelessly lost (clearly explains the GPS I got for Christmas). I find it strange that when I’m in a different city I enjoy the notion of getting lost. Adventure awaits. Why can’t I feel that sense of adventure at home?
I agree with you on so many of these points. Especially that North Side note, it freaks me out a little too. It's an ominous sort of place.
ReplyDeleteAs for seeking adventure at home, I would offer my humble advice for doing so - I don't know if you drive regularly (I'm assuming you do drive, thus the GPS), but I have my own little adventures by busing to places I wouldn't usually go. The route, needing to find a certain stop, thrusts adventure on you, without the mind-blowing terror of getting lost. Much.
"Ah, I need a pirate hat? Well then, let's find a way to get to Shirley Potter's!" That sort of thing. (THAT was a tremendous adventure. Got off the bus way too soon...)