As I was alone in Washington DC today, I decided to explore the town (and freeze my ass off) and during the course of my 10 mile stroll around the city I realized how much more I do when I'm not in my hometown. I haven't been to a museum, simply walked around, explored random coffee shops or bars in LA in a long, long time. The same thing happened when I lived in NYC. I probably did more when I was visiting NYC than when I actually moved there. This is partially due to the fact that when you live there you find your local haunts. I find myself going to the same group of bars in LA with the same groups of friends. I prefer to sit on my balcony and drink coffee rather than drive or walk to the nearest coffee shop. But the second I'm visiting a place I hit up 8 or 9 new places in a single weekend. The other reason for this is money. When I am at home, I hang out at my place more, I have work, I know which places are worth the money and not worth it. Last night b_b and I walked and found a random place for dinner that I would never normally go to. We were both really, really underdressed but enjoyed a fabulous meal at a price I normally wouldn't pay. But it was worth it because we're on vacation, so to speak. Am I alone in this? Do you all do the same? Maybe I just need more adventurous friends in LA. Or maybe I just need to be more adventurous.
You're not alone! I read somewhere that in the first weeks of moving somewhere, you're busy digging the trenches of habit. I really like that analogy, as you move around the same patterns more often, you dig yourself deeper into habit. Which is exactly why I often just take a different route than usual, for the sake of it. Exploration seems so far away, even though it's often as simple as turning left one street earlier. And as a bonus, you really get a good feeling for your city, which helps to orientate and find my way.