welcome to the city.

i think the photograph above pretty much summarizes my thought process in regards to this blog prompt ;P

initially, i thought that attempting to see Edmonton as a tourist wouldn’t be that difficult for me since i know very little of the city, other than my neighbourhood and the university campus (and i guess, High Street and part of downtown, thanks to the map assignment we did). and after reading A Tourist’s Guide to Glengarry, i figured that i could probably do a tour of a small area of Edmonton and just add a lot of fun anecdotes to make it a little more fun and engaging.

however, as i thought more about it, i realized that it would actually be rather difficult. which points or areas of the city would i – or should i for that matter – include on my tour guide? do i include the “tourist attractions” that the city always promotes or simply the points of the city that i find interesting? it was a similar thought process as i was configuring my map assignment – what points do i include and what should i write/say here?

it’s kind of funny though because as a child, i used to give my parents and their friends a “tour” of the house (i apparently was a very precocious and attention-seeking child) and i don’t remember even considering what points would be attractive in the house or whether people would actually want to know about this particular object or area i would point out. it’s interesting because i think as a child, everything seems interesting because you are exploring the space around you and you want to share that experience regardless of the audience thinks. as a tour guide, you are not only presenting a shared experience, but you also want to engage your audience in a way that not only makes them comfortable but gives them a good impression of yourself and of the city you are representing.