Katie Winterbourne

A Gentle Wonder

“Not all who wander are lost” Token

My eldest daughter just came back from her first trip to New York and I was telling her about my first ever trip to The Big Apple back in my early twenties.

For me, New York was like being on the set of a movie. I remember being bombarded by the strong city vibes, the yellow taxi’s, the steam rising up from the ground and the loud bustle of city life.  I had arrived from Canada a mild-mannered cousin in comparison to the brash accelerated Big Apple.

I had come equipped for this new territory with only my wits and a healthy intuitive urge to immerse myself into another foreign place.  No guidebook, no plan and no agenda. I stood fresh off the Amtrak train at Penn station and after the overwhelm wore off I stood still a little longer as New York rushed around me I realised I didn’t have clue which direction to start walking in and furthermore didn’t know what to ask anyone even if I could slow there pace to ask.  So I wondered.  First I wondered and then I wandered in the direction with the will of my stomach, I was hungry after a long journey.  I stood and asked myself “I wonder where I can get the best food in NY on my budget (not much)” and then I followed my feet.  I found myself in a little vegetarian café with the best vegi burritos I had ever tasted.  Maybe this was beginners luck.  The great thing about New York is there is something to see on every street but I was also increasingly aware that one block left could take me into a very dicey area of town but yet I wondered, I wondered “where can I find some peace in this city” following my feet once more I found myself in central park, I sat on a rock and soothed my senses feeling the luxury of trusting my inner GPS, The next three days followed in much of the same way and even to this day if I have the luxury of time I still wonder and the magic never fails me.