The word “vacation” often evokes images of exotic, or at least faraway, places. Last month, my partner and I decided to travel to a nearby regional city for our annual summer vacation.
Even though Tacoma is only 35 miles south of where I live in Seattle, it feels quite different. I love its low-key, chill vibe. It has a quarter of Seattle’s population, half its density, and 70 percent of its median household income.
To experience local living, we rented an AirBnB in a residential neighborhood instead of staying downtown. We visited the city’s history and art museums, parks, and waterfront for the first time. Just as I would when I travel to places a lot farther away, I paid special attention to what looks different from home.
- There were a lot fewer people walking on the streets.
- I didn’t see any homeless encampments, open drug use, or black markets anywhere – not even downtown or near freeway entrances.
- The cars people drove are generally much older, gasoline models, rather than electric powered vehicles.
- There were more families with young children.
- There were fewer people of Asian heritage
Here are my two big takeaways: 1) I don’t have to travel far to experience cultural differences, and 2) what I notice says a lot about what I consider to be normal: busy streets; homelessness and open drug use; newer, electric vehicles (Seattle has the third most Tesla owners in the US); more dogs than young children; and a 20% Asian population.
Practicing curiosity can make any destination feel more exotic. As summer winds down, you may consider “vacationing” nearby. If you do, please share what you notice and what it reveals about what you consider normal. I’d love to hear from you.
Also, please consider sharing this email with anyone you know who is about to travel near or far.
Best,
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