As you may have noticed, the last post in the "Denver Do" series centered on the crowning Do of all Done: moving out of Denver completely. The Denver Do was intended to be a practical, budget-friendly guide to leisure for those new to/seeking newness in Denver. It is therefore impossible to continue the Denver Do from my new locale, Plymouth (United Kingdom). I gladly invite any curious, word-savvy Denverite to pick up the Torch of Do. I've got a new fire to burn: The Plymothian Chronicles!
After receiving positive feedback about the Do series, I've decided that the Plymothian Chronicles utilize that Do-filled model. They are geared toward the newcomer, the expat, or the generally curious. (It's easy to orient toward the very market from which one writes, you see). As expats, we will explore the city's best offers to it's oft-solo and budget-minded "locals." What is it like to live somewhere, have a free weekend there, and be just a little bit foreign? What does one do when they are alone, car-less, money-shy and staring at an empty day resting before them like a perfectly clean room just before two toddlers arrive? Let the Plymothian chronicles guide you, dear Reader, and you're sure to experience such small explosions and rippling giggles.
You may be thinking, "Gosh, I bet [insert small city name here] is such a boring place. I'm only here for [insert economic incentive or love interest's name here] and will probably leave in a year anyway. Why bother to explore this city when I can go to [insert romantic, unrealistic, and warm destination here]." Well, my friend, because you are curious, stuck, and cultured (or trying to become that way). You know that sometimes the most fulfilling excursions begin and end with the comfort of your own bed. That you love the sound of the keys of your laptop clicking away as you reflect upon your wonderful and miniature discoveries. Yes, you can hike to the top of a Jain shrine in Hampi, India, to view the thousands-year-old ruins dotting the countryside around you. Or, you can stumble upon a Civil War era farm still being tilled using traditional methods on a random forest jog in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Both of these experience incite wisdom, awe, and energy. One of them just happens to end in a home-cooked meal, courtesy of your friend's mom.
At some point in life, I believe that we all feel a bit foreign in our respective city. Maybe we lived there for years. We realize that in our complacency we never visited a new museum or took time to try a Mom-n-Pop corner breakfast bar. I mean, what are we going to do with our friends when they come visit?! Or you may, like myself and so many others, find yourself actually foreign but not travelling. You will be "living" somewhere, maybe for a finite time and or specific reason. You will be local enough to have an address but foreign enough to look, sound, and think differently. In both these cases you will be curious. In both these cases, the microcosm of the macrcosm in which you currently find yourself has wonderful, wacky, and weird possibilities. They are waiting to be explored. All you need is clothes with pockets, a comfortable pair of shoes, and a credit card (just in case).
In the next section of the Plymothian Chronicles, we will explore a brief background of Plymouth before launching into the first travel guide, "Snooze on a Sunday."
