Cities over nature

Often when talking to people about preferred travel destinations or travel plans, I am surprised how different what I like to do is from what most people like do as travelers. For example, I genuinely prefer to take a flight from Toronto to Winnipeg, Manitoba vs going to Niagara Falls or going seeing Belgrade, Serbia vs. seeing a Greek Island like Santorini. These are actual choices I made, with no regrets: I’ve never been to Niagara Falls (despite staying for 6 months in Toronto), and have never seen any of the Greek islands (despite visiting almost every country in Europe, and having been to Athens). And I spent a few days in Winnipeg and Belgrade. I visited hundreds of cities and smaller villages around the world, and very rarely been to typical “nature” or “culture” destinations.

In quick conversations with people (at expat meetups, conferences and so on), I often find it difficult to quickly articulate what makes it more exciting for me to see the most random cities vs. seeing beautiful national parks world-famous or sites like Angkor Wot. Today, when discussing this topic with my business partner I realized that there are just tons and tons of things I like to experience and feel in cities. Things that I’m curious about in my eternal search for the best place to spend time or do business in. So here is a quick list of things that make me curious about new locations, enough to justify taking a trip to yet another “random city” rather than exploring the most beautiful castle, beach or a museum. The list is in no particular order. Just things that came to my mind fast, and I jotted down on an iPad while having an Americano and a Coke Zero at a brunch place (which is my today’s alternative to spending time at a beach).

Questions I (probably) ask myself subconsciously when visiting new cities

• How does the city smell

• Seeing how clean/dirty streets are

• Seeing if it’s easy to cross the street

• How drivers+traffic are

• Are there hoodlums bothering you

• Are thee hordes of tourists blocking the street, or are there mostly locals

• Are there nice coffee shops to work from

• What cars drive on the streets

• How people dress

• What type of people are there

• How cars park

• Is it pedestrian friendly

• Is it bike friendly

• Quality of sidewalks/bike paths

• Is it green? Trees/flower beds/bushes

• Are there roofed pathways that protect you from the rain

• Is it easy to hide from elements in general (e.g. roofed bus stops)

• How easy it is from the airport to the city center (train? Bus only?)

• Are there many homeless people

• Is it very windy?

• How narrow/wide the streets are?

• Do you get the “major city” vibe when walking around?

• What types of roads are there? Cobblestones or more utilitarian sidewalks?

• Are there many events to meet people (e.g social meetups, tech meetups, conferences)

• What type of bars/lounges are there

• Is the city quiet or busy on a Sunday or weekday nights

• What types of clothing/electronics store are thee: tourist trap+mobile repair ones/independent upscale boutiques/chain stores

• Is the life at the street level/underground passages/inside shopping malls?

• Are there zones closed off to car traffic?

• What’s the ratio of bike/scooter/car/bus traffic

• Are sidewalks narrow or wide

• Do you have outdoor patios at restaurants and cafes?

• Do people smoke? Vape?

• Is it easy to find a restroom?

• How easy it is to find public Wi-Fi?

• Are there nice bookstores?

• Are there nice gyms? What kind of gyms are there?

• Do people have pets?

• How people clean up after pets (e.g. do they clean up pee-pee by rinsing it with water?)

• Are there gated communities/condos in central areas that you need to go around, or are all sidewalks available for the general public (do you need to make detours when walking from place A to B, or can you walk in a relatively straight path)

• Are religious institutions a large part of public spaces (churches? mosques? roadside altars?)

• How big part does religion take in the street life: do people were religious clothing? Religious symbols in public? Do people pray in public?

• Are there a lot of street food vendors? What is the quality of street food?

• Is there heavy traffic & traffic jams?

• Are there dedicated lanes for busses or taxis?

• Are there highways running through the city?

• Do you often need to go underground/overground to cross the street?

• What’s the ethnic mix of the city? Is the place monocultural? Are there a few dominant ethnicities? Is it an eclectic melting pot?

• What’s the age mix? Many younger people? Many older people?

• What’s the gender ratio in daily life? Do you see more males or females on the street?

• How many children you see around?

• Do you see children walking around on their own? If so, at what age?

• Do people relax in parks, on benches?

• Are there groups of friends sitting outside drinking/eating in the park?

• How many people play sports outdoors? What sports they play? Jogging, volleyball, basketball, cricket, roller skating, soccer?

• What languages you hear on the street? Where tourists are from?

• Is it easy to talk to locals in English?

• Do people smile or are more reserved?

• How loud are people and traffic?

• What city animals can you see? Many birds? Lizards? Squirrels?

• Are there many stray dogs or cats?

• Are there many security/police officers walking around? Do they walk, bike or ride horses?

• Do you see street scams (e.g. scammy street games)

• Do people decorate their houses or apartments (e.g. plants, seasonal decorations)

• Do you feel safe in the city even after dark?

• Do you often need to go under the unpleasant bridge to get from point A to B?

• Do they have public bikes/scooters for hire?

• What languages are street signs, ads, notices in?

• Can you drink alcohol in public?

• Is there a sharp contrast between a good neighborhood and a bad neighborhood?

• Are thee unpleasant/sketchy areas in the city center?

• Is there much real estate development? New construction?

• Do people show affection in public? Holding hands/hugging/kissing?

• How people greet each other?

• Are the homosexual couples out in public?

• Are green spaces available to public or there are many private/closed gardens and parks?

• Is this a place for more interesting for singles or for families?

• How cash-based in the place? Is it easy to pay everywhere with a credit card?

• How easy it is to buy a public transportation ticket?

• Topography: is the city mostly flat? Do you need to climb hills? Are there many hills, or just one/a few dominant hills? How steep are the hills?

• Are there scenic views? Rivers, ocean, lakes, hills, mountains around?

• What’s the height of buildings?

• Do different neighborhoods have strikingly different vibes?

• Are there luxury brands present?

• Do people dress conservatively or border on nudity?

• Street artists/performers. What do they do? What’s their quality?

• Are there many shopping malls?

• How tired/fresh/polished people look

• At what time the city life is the most busy?

• Is it a 24-hour place, or after certain time things get very quiet?

• If the city has canals, are they actively used by boats? Do people do any water sports in canals and rivers?

When I go to nature or cultural destinations, I don’t really have many questions to answer. I am able to go and enjoy a beautiful landscape, painting, or a sculpture. But without many “research” questions to answer, such experiences get boring pretty fast. And that’s probably I prioritize urban trips so much.