Savor Being a Tourist While You’re Settling into Your New Home 
Awright! Your
household move is completed. You’re in your new home and starting to get your possessions unpacked and placed where you want them. That’s a lot to do, for sure. But there is yet another thing you should be doing. And the sooner you do it, the more contented you’ll be. You should be getting familiar with your new city.
Certainly you did some research on where you’d be going when you first determined or first were told you had to move. Now that you’re here, though, it’s time to really get comfortable with your surroundings …
- Walk around and explore your new neighborhood – get to know the “lay of the land,” meet and greet the neighbors, seek out nearby parks and recreation areas, calculate the quickest route to your children’s’ schools (either by foot or by car)
- Find the nearest businesses to meet your needs – supermarkets, shopping malls, gas stations, movie theaters coffee shops, fast food places, restaurants, libraries, bookstores, and so forth
- Visit the closest “Welcome Center” and pick up brochures highlighting local attractions that suit your fancy – art museums, historical museums (particularly those that deal with local history), sports arenas, bike and walking trails, convention centers, and theaters or auditoriums that offer stage presentations, for example
Then again, one of the speediest and easiest (if less striking and personal) ways to explore your new community isn’t by foot or by car – it’s by way of the Internet. Google, Google Maps, Yelp, and Citysearch are among today’s preferred online resources for hunting down local attractions. They’ll lead you to^pinpoint}78} all the most popular gathering places your community has to offer. Don’t just take the word of online reviews, though. Go to the recommended places and judge for yourself whether you like them or not.
Not really comfortable with the Internet or phone apps? That’s no problem, just stick with actual physical exploration. That’s frequently the best way to get to know a place, anyhow. Heading out and chatting with people in person generally leaves a much stronger impression than does picking information off a computer or phone screen. Still, the Internet can at least alert you to what’s what.
Here’s another thought. If you really want to get acquainted with people in your new hometown, find local clubs and organizations that coincide with your interests, your hobbies, or your worldview and join them. You might also think about involving yourself in this or that local community service, making yourself useful to the school system, daycare centers, nursing homes, homeless shelters, rescue missions, government agencies, or whatever might best employ your talents. Funny thing about community service (and you intuitively know it’s true!): what you give to the community has a way “giving back” to you. And it won’t be long before you start feeling that your new hometown is home indeed and you’re a tourist there no more.
