Stepping outside, Ariel took a deep breath of New York. She loved it—
had always loved it in a way usually reserved for tourists. Ariel had
lived on the long thin island of Manhattan all of her life, and yet it
remained an adventure to her. The sights, the smells, the sounds.
Dual Images
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No doubt
about it, discovering other cities is an unbeatable experience - but a
stressful one too (think traveling for hours before reaching your destination,
packing your things or dealing with airport security).
So why leave for another
place, when there's so much yet to discover in your own town?
Because staying
at home doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to have a good time.
Here are
a few tips for spending a day exploring your hometown that will help you see it
with fresh eyes!
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He'd never pictured himself biking along the
oceanfront—much less enjoying it. The fact was, Nathan rarely even came to this
section of town. It was for tourists and teenagers. Being with Jackie made him
feel like both. She was showing him new things not only about the city where
he'd lived for nearly a decade but about the life he'd had more than thirty
years to experience.
Everything about her was unexpected. How could
he have known that the unexpected could also be the fresh? For a few hours he
hadn't given a thought to Denver or penalty clauses or the responsibilities of
tomorrow. He hadn't thought of tomorrow at all.
This
was today, and the sun was bright, and the water was a rich blue against the
golden sand. There were children squealing as they played in the surf, and
there was the smell of oils and lotions. Someone was walking a dog along the
beach, and a vendor was hawking nachos.
Across
the street, beach towels waved colorfully over rails, making a tawdry little
hotel seem exotic. He could smell hot dogs, he realized, and some kind of
colored ice was being sold to children so that it would drip sticky down their
arms as they slurped it. Oddly enough, he had a sudden yen for it himself.
When he
looked up, he spotted the black-and-yellow colors of a kite shaped like a wasp.
It had caught the wind and was climbing. A light plane flew over, trailing a
flowing message about the special at a local restaurant.
Loving Jack