4.27.2013

X is for X-Walks

You like what I did there? Yeah, I know. It's impressive.

Crosswalks are simple. You stop when you get the red hand and you go when you get the little white man. But have you ever thought about how crosswalks could help you learn a city? When I first moved here, my husband almost immediately got hired to go on a children's tour. I was left in a big new city all alone where I basically only knew how to get to my job. So what did I do? I invented the game "Follow the White Man." (I mean to have no racial connotations here, I promise.) On the weekends I enjoyed taking the subway to a random point in the city and whenever I came to a crosswalk at an intersection, I'd go wherever I had the go sign. It really helped me learn the city (well, that and my iPhone, of course).

Could this game help you explore where you live?

6 comments:

  1. That is a great way to explore a new city... or get to know an "old" city in a new way!

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  2. I might try your game, I need to explore more where I am. Only proble I have with X crossings is you don't have very long to actually get across the road!

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  3. That sounds like a pretty fun way to get to know your city. Alas, where I live, there's a pretty limited downtown (40,000). I have to work very hard to stay at a crosswalk that says "stop" but there are no cars coming... sometimes I am not successful at waiting for the white man!

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  4. What a clever idea! I'm an inveterate explorer of new places, although I may take it a bit too far because I tend actually to MOVE instead of just visiting. Next time I visit a new place I'll try your system. Mary at Mary A to Z

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  5. Sounds like a great way to learn a new place! Lots to explore in NYC, too, so every trip is an adventure. Stopping by from A to Z

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