How To: How To Ramble

The guidebook doesn't always tell everything about a place, it is mostly a list of destinations. Fine as those destinations may be, what lies in between those destinations is often as interesting. And the best way to find the in between is to ramble.

Rambling is an art I have learned over the years, starting with the exploration of the wood across the street from the house I grew up in. My mother is English and instilled me with a love for walking from an early age, and I have now joyfully walked through the streets of cities around the world: from where I grew up in Michigan, to my university town, to the streets of Taibei where I lived for several years, to my current home of San Francisco.

San Francisco is where I perfected my art of rambling, delighting in going nowhere, in taking my time to get to a destination, in seeing my surroundings as deeply as I can.

And just what is a ramble? First of all, not all walks are rambles, and not all rambles are walks. Rambling is a wandering jaunt with a mind for exploration and discovery: it could be a walk across town, a walk around the block, a drive through the countryside, an amble along a beach, a slow walk to work, a hike through a park, an aimless bike ride around the neighborhood, it could be a walk through one's own home even. It doesn't even have to be a new route: old routes can hold as much promise -- with changes in seasons, new development, constructions and the myriad things you did not notice the first time around.

Here are a few guidelines (not rules, mind you):

1) Leave the car in the garage, get a good pair of walking shoes, stay above ground, hit the pavement and walk. Walking is the right speed for seeing. If one wants to cover more ground, a bike is a good second choice. Rambling in a car has its own joys, but we spend enough time in cars as it is.

2) Pick a destination, not a route. Make sure it is not too far, and not too close.

3) Don't let a good ramble turn into a slog. Know what options one has have for getting back, whether by bus, taxi or whatever.

4) Have a map, but try not to look at it. Starting out, have a glance for a general sense of where one is going. But on the street, take the path that is most interesting.

5) Look around. Look up, look down, sit on a bench for a while, people watch. Rambling is about taking the time to seeing what is all around.

6) Seek high ground. There are always views one doesn't expect, and they may lead one to new destinations.

7) It's okay if one doesn't reach one's destination.

8) Pack snacks. One's route may not bring one to any food. And nothing is worse than being lost, tired, and starved.

9) Of course, being lost is a state of mind. Remember, one is not really lost if one knows how to get back.

10) In fact, especially if one is in one's own city, TRY to get lost.

What to bring:
* good walking shoes
* rain gear
* clothing appropriate to the degree of change possible in your current location (ex. in San Francisco, any time of the year, wear layers)
* a camera (naturally)
* a street map
* a journal/sketchbook
* pencils and/or pens
* books or magazines for passing the time in a cafe you discovered.
* a bag for the above

On the safety side of things, rambling can lead into places one is not comfortable in, and actively unsafe. Rambling is already largely about being aware of one's surroundings, but it helps to dress inconspicuously, don't wear an ipod, and put one's camera away when one is not using it. Above all, trust one's instincts. If things don't feel right, then find another way.