Urban Journey – For passionate travelers

For passionate travelers, there is nothing more pleasurable than entrancing one of Europe’s top urban cities. Nothing truly replaces that ecstatic feeling; the breath of different air, taking pictures of outstanding monuments and places one could only see on the internet or in magazines. Travelers most of the time are found touring every notable center in the city and, most importantly, trying out the lifestyle bouquet; which includes visiting top restaurants and bars, looking to be treated to mouth-watering cultural dishes prepared to pitch perfection and varieties of classy and elegant wines.

The question is, what would you do on your urban journey?

The United States has many urban cities, with New York topping that chart. New York City has a population of approximately 8.537 million as of 2016. This makes it a suitable case study for our urban journey expedition. There has always been a negative smirk to urban living. It is a great place for tourism but almost an unbearable place to stay in due to many factors ranging from the high cost of living, congestion, pollution, and high crime rate. But it is only normal to experience some of these in a place where everyone wants to make a home, but that does not take away from the splendors of Urban living.

HOW TO BE A LOVER OF GOOD THINGS IN LIFE

The popular saying that ‘the best things in life are free, to some people, makes little sense but means a great deal to others. Life has given us the power of choice; how we make use of this power determines our approach to things and, ultimately, our perception. There are so many good things we take for granted or do not even notice at all. That pretty little smile on your daughter’s face when you make her happy, the warm hug and pat on the back you receive from a good friend or father when you finally get something you have been working towards, the compliments we receive from family and the feeling of flapping butterfly wings in our bellies when we feel our lover’s touch, all these you will agree are some good things that happen to be in our lives. But this list will be incomplete and inconclusive if I do not include good food and wine!

Imagine having a 9 to 5 job, six days a week, in a very demanding sector that saps your time, energy, and cool. Having to spend about half an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic probably – a life New Yorkers will be able to relate to, it almost seems like your whole life has been taken from you. Below are some ways to still love these good things, despite oppressive schedules or unfavorable circumstances.

• Giving yourself a treat: Trust me, nothing fixes things up more than a spicy, palatable meal, taken along with a bottle of one’s best wine in your urban journey! This act indicates self-love and will open your heart’s eye to other good things.
• Effective Time Planning: Having probably just one free day in a week calls for a holistic time organization. Doing what needs to be done at the appointed time. Sometimes scheduler applications can be used to enhance their effectiveness further.
• Take time to rest: Having properly scheduled your time daily and weekly, you must rest. This allows your body to recover to an extent before going through another bout of the day’s work. It also cools off the accumulated stress and pressure from a very hectic day, making you fresher and able to appreciate the good things in your life.
• Go for Outings: On one of the free weekend days, go out on a picnic or to some nice place with your family, friends, or close relatives. This will undoubtedly make them happy, and making people you love happy makes you happy.

TRANSFORMING AN AVERAGE JOE INTO AN URBAN LOVER THROUGH THE LENS OF FOOD AND WINE

It’s okay always to have people loving the countryside over the urban cities. We hear daily about all the grey areas of urban cities, which have become an ugly frames used to enclose a beautiful work of art. Some of their claims, however, are very pertinent, and others are purely sentimental and laughable. Taking an average man who holds this belief dear and trying to make him see things differently may be an uphill task.

Showing him places around, monuments and historical sites may not help the cause, but two things can surely make him fall in love with the urban life and forget the ‘clean air of the countryside. These two things are good food and exquisite wine!

New York City, our case study is famous fo,r having 5 – star restaurants and wine bars carefully dispersed all over.

An urban journey to The Dutch or the Gramercy Tavern, two top restaurants among the many, is enough to make the magic happen. The latter, being a casual but chic tavern, holds some of the best wines in the country. From the beautiful light red wine from Thymiopoulous in the Naoussa, which sells for $52 per glass, to the pine resin-aged Retsina wine, which goes for $39 – $45. These wines are so good that they shower the tongue with so much better as their bubbles dance all over. Wine writer Jon Bonné even went so far as to pen an essay proclaiming the tongue-changing experience of these bottled ecstasies. An average Joe will fall in love with the urban life to their taste.

A drive-in food expert once said, “…you can taste the passion in meals prepared by New York chefs”. I can’t say how passion tastes, but some mouth-watering dishes in urban cities like New York will send an average Joe into pleasure heaven, literately. A plate of pierogies with sour cream and caramelized onions, the Oyster pan Roast, Mutton Chop at Keens Steakhouse, and Combo over Rice are just a few examples of wonderful dishes served in urban restaurants. They can make just about anyone fall in love with the city. There is no perfect place in the world; only when we truly embrace the good and the ugly side of things will we truly appreciate their beauty. Keep this in mind, and enjoy your urban journey!

Read More: Why traveling to remote places is good for your soul.