Leaving my phone behind...To some extent...
 |
| Provided by my Iphone sc |
After receiving the on/off experiment, I knew I wanted to leave my phone behind, specifically the map apps on my phone. After moving to Manhattan, I have been relying more on my phone to get me to places. Then I started to wonder how my experience living in a new city would differ if I didn't have the convenience of a phone navigation. After seeing numerous of tourist navigating with maps, I decided to do the same.
Conveniently on the day I decided to do the experiment I ran out of data on my phone. So instead of just turning off data for maps, I turned off my data all together (no Google to tell me what streets certain place is located). Unfortunately I couldn't turn my phone off because I was meeting friends from out of town. To start the experiment my friend and I planned out our whole night. Where are we going to meet? Where are we going to eat? And most importantly, how do we get there? I drew a map with all the points of interest and the routes I needed to take.
Getting to Mid-town from Upper West Side was simple because it was a route I've taken handful of times. Then next step was to get to Bryant Park. With my map labeled with which street and intersection the park was located, it was easy to find the park. It also helped that it a major public park covered with people. After successfully finding my friends, came the difficult part of the experiment. Although we decided on a place for dinner the night before, our food cravings changed. So I ran into the problem of finding a place that wasn't labeled on my map. Without knowing much of the area, we decided to just walk around and hope to find a place with soup dumplings (requested by one of my friends).
It would of been easy for my friends to look up places on their phones but we were up for an adventure. And of course it helped that New York City is a place with every stores/ restaurants imaginable. So without having to give up on the experiment I met up with my friends, find a new place to eat, and just wonder and take-in the city environment. I think the fear of not knowing has taken over my life. But after the on/off experiment, I realized it was okay to get lost and wonder. It helped me experience the city with open eyes and mind.
Conveniently on the day I decided to do the experiment I ran out of data on my phone. So instead of just turning off data for maps, I turned off my data all together (no Google to tell me what streets certain place is located). Unfortunately I couldn't turn my phone off because I was meeting friends from out of town. To start the experiment my friend and I planned out our whole night. Where are we going to meet? Where are we going to eat? And most importantly, how do we get there? I drew a map with all the points of interest and the routes I needed to take.
Getting to Mid-town from Upper West Side was simple because it was a route I've taken handful of times. Then next step was to get to Bryant Park. With my map labeled with which street and intersection the park was located, it was easy to find the park. It also helped that it a major public park covered with people. After successfully finding my friends, came the difficult part of the experiment. Although we decided on a place for dinner the night before, our food cravings changed. So I ran into the problem of finding a place that wasn't labeled on my map. Without knowing much of the area, we decided to just walk around and hope to find a place with soup dumplings (requested by one of my friends).
It would of been easy for my friends to look up places on their phones but we were up for an adventure. And of course it helped that New York City is a place with every stores/ restaurants imaginable. So without having to give up on the experiment I met up with my friends, find a new place to eat, and just wonder and take-in the city environment. I think the fear of not knowing has taken over my life. But after the on/off experiment, I realized it was okay to get lost and wonder. It helped me experience the city with open eyes and mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment