details

Different folk discover cities in different ways.

Some people are mad.museum.ers. They consult guide books, they create a list of must.see.sights and then they vistit.visit.visit: fastidiously marking off the attractions until they have ‘done’ the town.

I visit some Important Places, but only the ones that really capture my attention.

More than museums and galleries, I am held by cafes, shops, parks, streets, restaurants, bars and homes. I am interested in the art that people choose to spray on street walls; in the stuff women say when they bump into each other on the street; in the shoes boys are wearing (and with what length trousers); in the way the light hits the rooftops as the sun goes down; in the shape of coffee cups; in the colour and design of chairs; in the way families hang.out with each other; in the rhythm of the language; in the faces of old men walking their dogs; (in Real Life Stuff).

I think it’s the same with getting to know people. I am not much good at asking others what they do.for.a.living or how their share portfolio is faring or whether they own a house or who they favour politically. I prefer to know if someone likes mushrooms and whether they dream in colour or black.and.white and what makes them happy and if they cry in books and movies and whether they like orange cordial (just like me) and if they have ever gone out with someone who was rude.to.the.waitperson and whether they have a favourite.person.in.the.whole.world (and if so, who it is).

The other stuff may be interesting and it may be important. But it’s the details that make the person.

(And the city).