Notes on going back to the same places
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” – Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom
My boyfriend and I spent last weekend in Providence: to celebrate our third anniversary and because someone rented our apartment on Airbnb, but mostly because we went last year and really liked it. We spent the last year reminiscing about the muffins at Kitchen and chatting about how fun it was to catch up with my boyfriend’s cousin and her husband (who live in Providence).
Instead of just leaving that soft, snowy weekend behind rose-colored glasses: we decided to go back again! As soon as we arrived, it felt familiar and yet strange. The city itself is quite small and walkable, and I quickly fell right back into step as I wandered the narrow streets. But last year, we visited in the heart of a major blizzard: the city was mostly deserted, and the adorable houses looked even quainter under a blanket of snow. This year, it was all bright blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. Cars buzzed by, pedestrians crowded the squares.
We went back to Kitchen two mornings in a row. I was a little concerned about expectations. We were pleasantly surprised by the tiny one-man show last winter, and raved to countless people about the fresh grilled muffins with butter and thick slices of bacon. Side note: the concept of having a muffin starter at brunch is GENIUS. That alone is worth raving about!
But the wait was worth it (both the year leading up to the trip, and the 30 minutes standing in line outside!): the muffin of the day was raspberry surprise on Saturday (incredible) and carrot raisin on Sunday (surprisingly delicious). There was coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice and omelettes cooked just the way you like them and bacon hash and sweetbread French toast. I’m pretty sure we inhaled more calories in an hour than we usually do in a week!
I took a long walk through the beautiful Brown University campus and the houses that surround it on College Hill, popping into the Athenaeum and enjoying the view from Prospect Terrace. It was fun to retrace my steps from last year, to recognize the same buildings without a layer of snow.
We went shopping at the mall (such a small suburban joy!) and caught up with my boyfriend’s cousin and her husband over dinner at New Rivers. Since we’d already done the “touristy” things in Providence, it was relaxing and liberating to just be able to hang out in the city.
There are so many places in the world that I go to once and absolutely love, and then spend the rest of my days talking about when I’ll go back (see: Sydney, Montreal, Munich). But honestly, I don’t know if I ever will! At the very least, the question of if is just as pertinent as when. There are just so many places in the world to see and discover, so many new cities I want to experience and so many beaches to swim in. It gets hard to justify going back to a place.
But I feel like that’s something my boyfriend has taught me: it’s OK to go back to the places you love, and it’s nice to have travel traditions (see: the Berkshires, Avalon), and you don’t have to constantly be searching for the next best thing. There’s something just as special in being able to enjoy the moment, even when it’s not perfect and photogenic. And sometimes it’s nice to just go back to a place that you love, to just be there without all of the “new place” pressure.
Are there are any places you love going back to?
