Playing Tourist, At Home

Having lived in New York for most of my life, the allure of the city grew foreign to me.

The auditory, visual, and tactile pollution of billboards, cab horns, and suffocating crowds desensitized me to the glamorized metropolis featured on TV.

While moving across the river allowed me to see the concrete jungle as a glittering skyline for the first time, it was not until I hosted my friend from across the world that exposed me to the grandeur of it all.

Two months after I returned from Europe, my Australian travel companion, who I met in Croatia and parted with in Montenegro, ended his trip in the U.S where I hosted him in New Jersey for 10 days.

Considering he had never been to New York before, we spent most of our time exploring Manhattan where we visited popular sites that I'd normally avoid for being tourist traps.

Going sight-seeing in a city that was familiar to me, however, brought the feeling of traveling back home.

It allowed me to experience things for the first time that I never bothered doing despite living in the area for 25 years. See below:

1.World Trade Center 2.Wall Street 3.Madison Square Park 4.The Empire State Building 5.Grand Central Terminal 6.Bryant Park 7.Rockefeller Center 8.Times Square 9.Central Park

Throughout his stay, I learned that the next best thing to traveling abroad is playing tourist in your own backyard. Watching someone experience your city with a fresh pair of eyes can revitalize the surroundings that lost their luster during your thousandth commute to work.

While I spent much of our time introducing my friend to things customary to American (specifically New Yorker) culture, we exchanged roles when breaking for lunch at a restaurant that served traditional Australian food in midtown.

At 'The Australian' , I learned two things:

1. In Australia, there's no such thing as the 'blooming onion,' contrary to the glorified appetizer advertised by Outback Steakhouse.

2. Kangaroo is a traditional item featured on the Australian dinner table.

Yes, I ate kangaroo; the cute oversized fuzzy rabbits that non-Australians have grown to adore from television. And yes, it was actually delicious. I'm not (maybe a little) sorry if that offends you.

Part of traveling, domestically or abroad, is trying new things in effort to embrace culture- which sometimes means embracing your inner-brave-eater. And the best parts of traveling aren't the meals you eat or the sights you see, but the friends you make and people you meet.

Which is why I'm thankful that when faced with the decision to visit another church or hang out with the Australian traveler from my hostel in Croatia, I chose the latter. Doing so allowed me to extend my adventure months after I had returned from traveling overseas!

Half of the richness of traveling is meeting people from all over the world and comparing their lived experience to yours. Learning the culture, beliefs, and thinkings of others (who you would never otherwise meet) expands the lens through which you see the world.

While it is still important to see hallmark sights that are renowned throughout a city, the most impressionable moments aren't made in the museum or cathedral. They're made through idle time, spent with new friends and an open mind.

Thanks for reading :)