Travel Culture wants to challenge you to rediscover your city during this pandemic! We are well aware that many of us are bummed out because of cancelled travel plans. Now we are faced with so many travel restrictions, it’s even hard to make new ones. On top of everything, we have to try being as conscientious as possible by planning our trips without putting others or ourselves at risk. Yikes!
On the upside, this pandemic allowed us to rediscover the power of standing still. Many of us have started new hobbies, cleaned out things that no longer bring us joy, and used this extra time to be with ourselves.
It has also helped us realize how much we tend to neglect our own cities. Many of us are starting to explore where we live more and planning little local escapes. We are discovering places we didn’t know existed. Some can even visit uber touristy areas that are now emptier. Others are finally taking those day trips that had been on their bucket list since forever!
So if you are looking to join in, get ready! We created a list of 12 tips to rediscover your city. To help you take amazing photos around town, we’ve also published a FREE guide to improve your phone photography skills. In it, we’ve included everything from how to find locations, to framing for better photos, poses, and the best apps to use ON YOUR PHONE to edit your photos.
12 tips to rediscover your city
Try out a new restaurant
Find that restaurant everybody is raving about or ask around. Your friends are likely to know a hidden gem. This is one of the easiest to do on the list to rediscover your city, but we find it to be among the most rewarding (yum!).
The truth is, during these tough times, restaurants are one of the hardest hit industries. So on top of being a delicious getaway, this tip to rediscover your city is a great help to them. Make sure to call ahead though because some restaurants have adopted new regulations. They make ask that you make reservations because of limited capacity. If you rather keep it even safer, order out. You can always enjoy the goodies back at home or make it a picnic! (read on for this tip).
Find a piece of street art in your city
Go out, get lost. Go explore areas and alleys you usually don’t frequent, and you might just stumble on a beautiful piece of street art. Or, go about it more planned. Go on Instagram and follow artists you like to see if they’ve ever come to your city. Or, do a hashtag search for street art in your city. You might be surprised by the amount of hidden works there are. There may also be tours specifically to take you around to different pieces of street art.
A tip here in Miami: finding them is a very easy. Wynwood is a famous area crawling with them. You will find them on walls, floors, and inside stores and bars. I like to get away from the main street. There are just so many pieces everywhere you will find them along most streets. And even cooler, they are constantly changing. Many walls are changed for Art Basel so you will always find something new even if you are a local!
Discover the best place for a picnic in your city
Pack a basket full of delicious treats and set out to your favorite location. Think of a park, the beach, or maybe a place with great views over the city. Maybe it’s even your backyard or garden. Just get out and get some sun. Trust me, you will feel brand new. But please don’t forget to put on some sunblock if you don’t find any shade, and clean up after yourself.
Here in Miami there are plenty of spots. There are a couple of public parks, and then of course there is the beach! But for me, one of my favorite spots is right by the PAMM (Peréz Art Museum Miami). Right next to this beautiful museum there are large areas of vibrant green and plenty of palms for some shade–and even to set up a hammock. What more could you ask for!
Rediscover your city by finding awesome architecture
Just like for street art, go out there and get lost. I find this is the best way to stumble upon buildings I didn’t even know existed. While walking around your city remember to look up. We’ re too used to looking straight on, at our phones, or maybe even down to avoid those little messes pet owners neglect to pick up. But look up. The views can be so rewarding.
Another great way to rediscover your city is online. Doing a little Pinterest or Instagram search can bring up so many new places we haven’t visited yet. But then make sure to get out there. It is never the same to look at architecture through a screen than to see it live. Where you can walk around the entire structure and marvel at its size.
Visit a street that would otherwise be crowded
Well y’all if this is not just the perfect time for this, I don’t know when it would be! There is a pandemic after all, and most people are staying in. So of course safety first, but there are so many areas that are now so empty! You can easily keep your distance and still enjoy places that would otherwise be crowded with either locals or tourists!
For me, this was Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. You see, for the past couple of weeks, only foot traffic was allowed so that restaurants could set up along the street. And that means I can enjoy an otherwise ridiculously busy street while it’s completely empty. Perfect for a stroll and for the pictures I can never get.
Rediscover your city by volunteering at a non-profit
Though this is something we could be doing year-round (should I actually be saying should*), we get so caught up on our day to day it seems time is just flying us by. With this pandemic, it has felt like time is standing still (have you felt the same way?). So now I find myself with a lot more free time on my hands, and not only because I have fewer clients than before. Obviously, if we can’t have plans to go out, go to concerts or other events, we have a lot more free time. So what’s more perfect than to donate some of that time to helping others. A lot of nonprofits that supply food or supplies are especially in need of your help. You can also consider some nonprofits that provide services to kids that may have fallen behind with the switch to virtual schooling.
Find the best view of your city
We love chasing views, and there’s really so many ways to see a city. You can find the best aerial view, the best view from below, the best skyline view, or views from parks. When I was living in Atlanta, GA, I loved seeing a peak of the skyline from Piedmont Park.
Now, living in Malaga, Spain I have quite a handful of places I love to visit for some kick ass aerial views of this seaside city. I get 360 views of the city from Monte Victoria and postcard views from Monte de Gibralfaro. If I want a snapshot of all the towns best historic sites in one view, I visit the rooftop terrace at the A/C Marriott Hotel. So, rediscover your city by finding the best places to see it!
Discover the best spot for sunrise/sunset in your city
Ok, this is kind of like the last tip but not quite. Sometimes the best view of the city isn’t the best place to watch the sunset! In my case, in Malaga, if I wanted to watch the sunset, I could go to all the places I mentioned before but my favorite place is actually down on the beach. There’s a restaurant called Los Banos del Carmen. Part of it faces east for sunrise, and part of it faces west so you have a perfect view of the setting sun. You can also sit out of the sandbars covered in large white boulders and have an unobstructed view of the sun setting over the water, leaving space for the rising moon.
Find the most instagrammed spot in your city
You might already know what it is, and if you don’t perform a quick Instagram search! What spots continue coming up over and over again? Sometimes the most instagrammed places are the last places we visit as locals. Isn’t it funny how that works?
In Malaga, the most instagrammed places tend to be the beach and the Roman theater down in the city center. Interestingly, when I came to visit as a tourist I took tons of pictures at these spots. Now that I live here, I never do. Time for a photo shoot!
Rediscover your city with a travel blogger’s itinerary
While I love visiting a city with a local’s perspective, we thought it would be funny to visit our OWN cities with a traveler’s perspective. Remember how I said the touristy spots are usually the last places the locals visit? Kind of how I beg my dad to take me to Time Square everytime I visit him in NYC, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had been there.
So do a quick Google search like “Weekend in <insert city here>” or “Day trip to <insert city here>,” and then try to complete everything on the list! You might just discover your new favorite spot.
Take a cooking class or make a dish unique to your city/region
If they’re open in your city, this could be a safe way to get out of the house because cooking classes tend to be restricted to small groups. If they haven’t opened back up yet, don’t fear! There are plenty of online options for cooking classes.
Plan to take the class with some family, friends, or partner, and you have a fun night ahead. There are even some live online cooking classes just for kids to get your kids in on the rediscover your city challenge. For an extra kick, we’re suggesting you make dishes that are special to your city or region! Miami is famous for seafood and Cuban food. While Malaga has several soups and pastries that were created in this region.
Take one of the best day trips from your city
For our last tip to rediscover your city, we’re actually suggesting you LEAVE, haha, I know right. Even if it’s just 30 minutes outside of your city, it can make a huge difference. I know I was personally feeling stir crazy in Malaga. Even though I love it here, the traveler in me was just itching to see something new. I’ve been on two of the best day trips from my city, each within an hour from where I live, and it was so fulfilling exploring a new place. Keeping it close also means we can easily change our plans if anything changes. For this tip, check out our article Traveling during Corona to stay safe.
So back to our handy-dandy friend Google. Pop in a search to find the best day trips from your city and TAKE THEM. One or all!
We hope that you have found all of these tips helpful! We’d love to see you rediscover your city. If you’re on Instagram, upload a photo doing any of the 12 tips and tag #RediscoverYourCity_withTC. And don’t forget to download our Guide to Better Phone Photography to take great photos while rediscovering your city.
