The Art of Wandering
Is there a best way to experience a city?
I've seen many alternatives. A guided city tour in a large group. A hop-on-hop-off bus that flashes by all the highlights. A mobile-guided escape adventure that lets you try to get out of town before you even feel you've entered it.
And me? As I leave the train station and enter a city for the first time, I let the flow guide me. I walk toward that tall church in what seems to be the town's center, just to be cut short by some sign that leads to a place that seems even more interesting. I rent a bike and cycle around aimlessly, only bounded by the city's borders.
This unsystematic system often leads me over the same pathways more than once. Inefficient? Maybe, but I see something new every time. After a day, I almost feel like a local.
Is there a best way to experience a city? Probably. But my way seems to be what I need.