Seducing a City

Getting to know a city is quite like seducing someone. It's an unusual comparison, I know, but if you really want to know a city- to feel the rise and fall of its breath and listen to the unique beat of its pulse- you need to give it time to respond to your touch. It's a gradual process, and you need to tread softly as you trade the boulevards for hidden alleys and the shopping malls for gardens. Go to the places where most don't tend to go, where the city is herself the most. Go to the corners, find old lamp posts, look at the cracks and you will find her. Seek the nooks where beauty lies but isn't perceived. They are essential- they are the city's beauty spots. Discover them, caress them, covet them.

Wait and you will see the city come alive to your touch. Hear her sighs as the leaves rustle in an abandoned park. Hear her pleasure in the lone musician's violin notes. Hear her haste in the constant rumble of engines and footsteps and the taken-for-granted chaos of everyday life.

Then hear her sob when she is torn down, ripped apart and sold to those who do not care. Console her as she whimpers in pain. Embrace her and let her know you love her, as she is, warts and all.

Do this and before you know it, She will be yours.