Here is my three-point starter kit for the 21st century flâneur:
1. Plunge Into Chaos.
Go where your heart takes you, but too much structure and order sterilises the art. It sucks out the life. Here are my 5 cities for unadulterated, joyous flânerie:
1. New York (Street beat)
2. Rio (the exuberance of the body)
3. Beirut (a whiff of danger)
4. Barcelona (Viva Guardiola)
5. Manchester (See Silva, de Brujne and Aguero).
2. Feel the Pulse.
For me there are five ways to get the rhythm of a city, to feel its meaning:
1. Read fiction set in that city – from any period.
2. Listen to the music on the street.
3. Eat local food in local bars and street vendors.
4. Visit local art galleries.
5. Watch the local soccer team.
3. Take the Right Equipment.
Woody Hayes said luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Here’s my equipment:
1. An open mind.
2. A ‘Flow’ personality (positive tending on radical optimism).
3. A waterproof chest and a bullet proof back (so if people throw bad stuff at you, it bounces off your front or runs off your back).
KR
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