I’m currently in New York City, for all of one day so far, but it has made me think of what makes a city great.
It isn’t about the skyscrapers. It isn’t about the huge banks. It isn’t about the prestige of the city.
It’s something much more subtle than that, which makes a city an amazing site to see. And this applies to all cities, from Manila, to Paris, and beyond. It’s a very special trait that not even just big cities have, but even smaller ones.
See, what makes these places so extraordinary to visit are the subtleties. The first time you visit them, you go through the usual motions of being in a new and wonderful place. The beautiful cathedrals, the famous restaurants, the world-famous landmarks. We all visit them. The Eiffel Tower. The Empire State Building. The Sagrada Famila in Barcelona.
These are all tourist things that everyone goes through. And, to a certain extent, they are a necessary diversion. They are famous for a reason. The wonder, the grandness - they have these reputations for a reason.
But there is something eternally deeper that lay behind these.
The reason why these places are so wonderful is not because they house the tallest buildings or the most intricate structures. It is because of the subtleties. When you return to an amazing place, it isn’t because you want to visit the Empire State Building a second time. Cities, and even other places, are magnificent because of the depth of them. The idea that you have discovered things that nobody else has before. The idea that you are a local. The idea that you get a glimpse into what really makes the place tick.
That’s why I’ve always believed the most exciting cities are often the most boring ones at first. Sure, you can go to Osaka in Japan, or Florence in Italy, and experience immediate gratification and excitement. They are glorified theme parks. But when delve deeper into those so-called boring places, and you really make an effort to discover, you understand all the subtleties of what makes them great.
You begin to discover the things that you believe that no tourist had ever discovered. The museums, restaurants, churches, stores, and most importantly the people. The subtle art of what makes a place incredible.
And from there, we learn something about ourselves. We come to these places knowing who we are. We know what our goals and dreams are. What we want to accomplish in life. That it is simply a vacation and a diversion to get away from the reality of life. But reality is the only thing there is. And if we delve deep enough into these places, we start to discover something magnificent: a glimpse of what we could be.