"I really enjoy forgetting. When I first come to a place, I notice all the little details. I notice the way the sky looks. The color of white paper. The way people walk. Doorknobs. Everything. Then I get used to the place and I don't notice those things anymore. So only by forgetting can I see the place again as it really is." -- David Byrne, True Stories.
In that vain, I've attempted to forget as much about the first few days I spent here in order to see this place as it truly is. I'm unsure how successful I've been at this task; but, I feel like there is a certain freedom in this city that doesn't exist in Chicago. It's a freedom that I can't quite enumerate here, in words. Something about the people or the place or the combination of the two. The cool climate seems to subdue the blood. The topography of the streets seems to elevate expectation of what's around the corner. Unfortunately, even though I try, I still can't help but notice the doorknobs and the way people walk.
Or maybe, I'm just externalizing my own freedom. The freedom of traveling alone and away from my milieu.
