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This is my #1 absolute all time favorite activity. If you have approximately 2 hours (ideally in early fall or early spring) with nothing in particular to do, take a walk around the city with no destination in mind and see what happens. Maybe youâll make eye contact for a moment with an attractive person in the crosswalk on 17th and 3rd and see your entire lifetime together flash before your eyes. Or you could catch a glimpse of yourself in the reflection of a Chase bank and remember that you are indeed a person who is alive and on planet earth. Maybe you get an overpriced coffee for some human interaction, drink 2 sips and throw it out while feeling bad about yourself. However you choose to spend that time, itâs yours to waste, and a way to experience the city without the errands and dramas one usually faces in New York. And itâs a great way to hyperfixate on a guilty pleasure song. Recommended tracks for this activity: âBittersweet Symphonyâ by the Verve or âI Had a Dream That You Were Mineâ by Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam.
Dec 29, 2022
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it's my goal to walk down every street in new york before i die. whenever i have an hour so to kill i go walk in a direction i haven't been in and go see some new stuff! feeds the mind and soul and most importantly the feet!
Feb 1, 2024
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when I was 18 I got dumped HORRIFICALLY and I moved to New York for a summer because I couldn't bear to be in London where I might bump into her. The relationship was super codependent so I hadn't been by myself basically since I was 15. I was terrified of being alone because I didn't want to be sad, and I wouldn't have anything to distract me, but it ended up turning me into someone who values my alone time so much more now.
You are supposed to go for walks in nature I think but I would spend days of my life just walking up and down Manhattan. For post-breakup solitude training you should do both:
1. Headphones walking in city. Pick whatever song you need to hear, but something that has big emotional payoff, and lipsync very obviously. No one walking past you will notice and it feels illicit and liberating. Practice your aloneness by going into shops (you don't have to spend any money) and interacting with people by yourself.
2. Nature walking by yourself. Rawdog it - no headphones, map, whatever. Just roam. I do this on the heath when I have Big Thinking to do. It's nowhere near as boring as you're worried it might be because you are busy trying to calm your anxiety and then your mind is able to wander to interesting thoughts.
I think it's the best way to practice being alone. Just roam!
Mar 26, 2025
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especially if itâs one of those cloudless, sunny winter days. even if itâs colder out donât let it stop you, layer up and find some nice park or pretty street to walk down. emphasis on layer up though, once you get walking and warm up you can shed a layer but if having cold hands will turn you back make sure youâre as cozy as possible going into it. I find it helps your mind to be idle and grounds you in the world for a bit. you donât really even need a destination in mind, maybe youâll just find a part of your city you didnât know or take in a nice view, maybe youâll even bump into a friend. put on some good music or just take in the sounds around you. I did this pretty regularly around brooklyn during the pandemic and along with being some good excercise it really does plug you in to your surroundings more
Feb 18, 2024
Top Recs from @julia-cumming
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Inspired by Billy Jones' use of oversharing in his list of what heâs into, Iâm gonna put forward undersharing. Iâm tired of showing my heart to people in conversation and expecting them to understand what I mean or who I really am. Iâm ready to be seen and not heard, conversationally. Or maybe, not seen and not heard? Or to start speaking exclusively in riddles. Or to disappear into the ether and come back someday, in some undisclosed era, more frightening than before. After all I have indulged in this piece, I can firmly say that indulging is out, and mystery is in.
Dec 29, 2022
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In the past year I have developed an extreme love for amphibious and mollusk-esque creatures. I donât know where this comes from, but I have seriously considered purchasing a tank for either a pet frog or a giant snail. If it wasnât for my touring schedule and the fact that my amphibious tank would inherently become someone elseâs problem, I would already be a frog mom by now.
Dec 29, 2022
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I love chaotic evenings full of loud music, ill fitting shoes, and drinks that are too strong. Need I say more? The time of over intellectualizing and prophesying is over. The time of partying, loving, experiencing, and forgetting is upon us. No more thoughts.
Dec 29, 2022