According to Baudelaire, a flâneur is "a person who walks the city in order to experience it." I love this concept. I think I have always been, at heart, un flâneur.
I love walking the streets of this city. When I first moved here and didn't know hardly anyone, I would spend every weekend wandering aimlessly, no destination in mind, taking in the sights, smells, sounds, and random encounters that make New York beautiful. Leaving the house around 11, sometimes not returning till 9 or 10 at night. I was homesick and confused and poor, and the only thing close to comfort was found in these long solitary walks.
Even now, I hate taking taxis. People think I'm crazy, but I'd much rather walk ten blocks in subzero temperatures than pay someone to drive me that very distance — even in uncomfortable shoes. It seems like such a waste, not only of money, but of experience. I'd hate to miss out on something horrifying or beautiful or, perhaps, a bit of both.
