Be a Tourist in You Own Town

“A few years ago, I was deep in a funk. Life felt like a blur of work, errands, and laundry. I was craving something exciting, something that would make me feel good again. But travel wasn’t in the cards. My schedule (and bank account) weren’t having it. So one Saturday morning, I challenged myself: What if I spent the day pretending I was visiting my own city for the first time? I made a rule: I had to go somewhere I’d never been and treat it like it was the thing to do. I ended up at a small local museum I’d passed a hundred times but never entered. Inside, I found this incredible exhibit on the region’s Acadian roots, including handwritten letters and centuries-old farming tools. But what struck me most? The volunteer docent who told me a story about her grandmother’s journey to Canada that made me tear up right next to a display of antique butter churns. (I regret nothing.) I went home that day feeling like I’d had a life-changing experience. (A bit melodramatic, you say? Agreed.)”

“I live in LA, and even here, it can be easy to get into a routine and forget you’re in the entertainment capital of the world. What would it be like to spend a day looking at the city with fresh eyes? From new experiences to things I’ve done a million times before, I decided to be a tourist in my own town for the day. [...] Mostly, I wanted to spend a day inviting a sense of adventure and curiosity and anything-can-happen-ness. So, I kicked off my day-as-a-tourist in a not-so-well-known section of one of LA’s most well-known parks, Griffith Park. It’s a weird and wonderful strip of Griffith Park located somewhere between the Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz. Locals know it as Fern Dell, or, alternatively, “that hiking spot/park below the Griffith Observatory”. Fern Dell’s got a little bit of everything and that’s what I did. I hiked the 1.5-mile loop and took the sharp hill up to one of LA’s most iconic landmarks - the Griffith Observatory. On a clear day, the views are amazing. Sadly, it wasn’t a clear day, but it was still worth it. That’s the beauty of living here - I can come back!”