Travels in the 2nd half

I love walking around a city. It is the only way to really understand its life and rhythm. You see how people live. You feel the passage of time, both in the changes in architecture and in the passage of people on the street. When I travel I spend days walking neighborhoods, both touristy and homey. I also have pleasure of living in one of the most walkable cities – New York. It goes beyond cliché. Manhattan is the center of the city, and it is a compact collection of neighborhoods. It is where I grew up. And I still spend hours walking around its streets. I walk in all weather, because New Yorkers don’t let rain or snow stop get in the way of what they want to do. On the streets of New York, my eyes are often captured by signs. Not the new flashy LED signs with words and pictures moving around, changing images faster than you can process them. My eyes settle on the old signs. Some are for businesses that have been in the same place for decades. They still have their...

There is really only one way to truly get to know a place, and that is to walk its streets. If you want to know what is happening, or see how people are living, walk the neighborhoods. The city of Mérida, on the Yucatán peninsula of México is a beautiful place and its colonial center is a great place to walk. The Doors of Mérida Maybe it was my coming of age in the early 1970’s but I have always loved the old Aer Lingus and The Irish Tourism Office advertisement “The Doors of Dublin”:   http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ALandmks/2Pic/PosterImage.jpg When I walk around any city I am entranced by the door ways. I look to see if they are old or new. I notice if they are being maintained or allowed to decay. I feel that I can tell something about the condition of a town by looking at its doors. A family might not have the money to paint and plaster the outside walls, but if they are doing well their door is in good shape. If they have extra money it...