Tuesday, April 9, 2019

When You Feel You're Really There

Sorry, but I forget the Web site that inspired this post.  What it did was present the idea of being someplace and thinking "Wow, I'm really here!"

I got that feeling many years ago during my Army days when I'd get a weekend pass and go into New York City.  Just seeing the skyline would trigger that reaction.

What does the triggering is strongly related to characteristics of the place and, usually, their fame.  Moreover, different aspects of the place will trigger different people.  And of course the person normally is primed for the reaction to the degree that the place is of passionate interest.  For example, for some folks viewing the Eiffel Tower yields the "Wow, I'm really in Paris!" reaction.  For me it's being along the Seine in the vicinity of the Ile de la Cité which happens to strike me as being even more Parisian than the tower.  Results vary.

Citing the Eiffel Tower suggests that being near a particularly famous structure or place is probably the most common source of the "Wow, I'm here!" reaction.  The "I'm really in Rome!" reaction is probably usually set off by viewing the Forum, Colosseum or St. Peter's.

On the other hand, I think that for places such as San Francisco or Seattle it's their overall settings that do the trick.  Which does not totally rule out being triggered by being at Fisherman's Wharf or seeing the Space Needle.  I suspect the general settings of Paris and Rome are far less likely to evoke strong, positive emotional reactions than the more focused sites noted above.

Regardless, the strong, positive emotional reaction is one of life's pleasures.

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