On hidden worlds

One of my favorite pastimes is to walk around a city. Be it London, Philadelphia, New York, Budapest, Belgrade, Savannah, Paris or Ottawa, there is nothing more pleasurable than picking a street and just walking. Many an hour I have spent purposefully getting ‘lost’ and exploring new places.

Amongst other things, I enjoy looking down alleyways, through gates, into mews, or just picturing what must be behind a window. There is a certain pull and allure to the unknown. Almost a voyeuristic enchantment to looking over a low wall, or through a darkened window. How many people have walked through a doorway? How old is this alleyway and what activities have happened here over the years? Is that window 6 stores up someone’s apartment, an office, or a vacant floor? How many people have looked through it? What has the archway over this mews seen and experienced over the years? Who has passed through it? Did the brick maker of this building think that someone 300 years later would be running their fingers over his maker's mark?

I’m a lover of history, and have a penchant for the seedier side of places. Walking over a cellar skylight, I cannot help but wonder what’s below me. Is it part of a complex of catacombs, or a cellar where people plotted against some leader long since dead? Is it just a storage room that used to be full of kegs? It almost doesn’t matter, the fact that it is still present and unknown is the draw. It doesn’t stop with old places, the same is true for the door with blacked out windows. Is it a safe house or a high-end club? What’s the cover and how would I go about gaining access? What sort of music is played, drinks served? Is it, or more accurately, was it, a speakeasy?

Walking around a city during the day is very different from walking the same streets at night. Every city has multiple personalities; some are comforting or family friendly, others are efficient and fast paced, some are seedy, tacky and dangerous. But all play a role in each city’s fabric and atmosphere. An innocent looking doorway during the day may be a much more menacing place at night. Or it might just be the entrance to the most exclusive spot in town.

It’s almost comforting to not know. A bit like an illusionist’s trick: once you understand how it’s done, it loses all magic. Once you’ve been through the blacked out door, and seen it’s just a normal night club, or looked out of the 6th floor window or your friend’s apartment, it loses its appeal. Wanting to understand the unknown is something we all have as children, it’s how we learn about the world and discover new things. I don’t think I ever fully lost that trait. In my professional life, it’s vital that I understand all details and aspects of what I’m currently working with. Being comfortable not knowing what’s behind the curtain in the real world is a refreshing difference.

I’m not promoting everyone should suddenly start knocking on strangers’ doors, to go trespassing on private property, or walk down any old alley, but maybe, next time you’re walking to the train station, slow down a little, keep the phone in your pocket, and look around. Notice the guard stone you’ve walked by a thousand times. Ponder on what could be behind the velvet rope or across the street behind the wood paneled gate that’s always closed. Look up and notice the world!

PS: If you know what a guard stone is without resorting to Google, give yourself a gold star!