Get Lost

When I travel I like to wander off the beaten path or go somewhere that I don't need to go on the way to get where I've planned to go. That may be just taking a longer route to see more of an area or specifically intending to go out and get lost as a form of entertainment. Getting lost on back streets in foreign countries is particularly fun, a window into the real culture of day-to-day living. The Maps application on my iPhone, a combination of GPS and Google Maps, opens the opportunity to wander when I have shorter windows of time. Last weekend in Seattle when I showed up at Kari's house she wasn't home from work. I started driving in the direction of the most beautiful view, Puget Sound and big fir trees, then found myself at the water’s edge after walking over a pedestrian bridge spanning the train tracks. The sun was setting in glorious orange, there were crystals forming from freezing temperatures on the grass near the water. I watched a guy in hooded sweatshirt doing tai chi silhouetted by the sunset. The less creative option would have been sitting in my rental car in a residential neighborhood for an hour. When I got a call that Kari was home I just plugged in her address and routed myself to her place. As a map geek I love it! It’s a new toy and great way to find my way around a city I don't know. The iPhone makes it safer to wander but sometimes I prefer the adrenaline of the possibility of getting lost and having to talk to strangers to find my way.