The Intersection of Travel and Permanence
Words & Images by Katie Rodriguez
As people who seek knowledge about place, culture and self, we are, in the simplest sense, explorers.
As explorers, we’ve learned how to discover the idiosyncrasies of unfamiliar areas.
We collect data through experiences that teach us about a city’s signature quirks.
Some of these are subtle, like the faint smell of Pine-Sol at a local taqueria in Tijuana. Some more overt, like the rare November sunshine on the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Whatever the signature, if it remains in our memory long after visiting, it has had a great impact on us in some way. These moments are the color to our paintbrushes, enabling us to create our unique visual identity of the communities we’ve ventured into.
What travel has taught me is how to notice and appreciate the peculiarities of any place, including that of my own home. It’s shown me how to apply this paintbrush, a tool that often feels more exciting to use when traveling to some place far away, and paint with the colors of my city. Colors that might not have felt quite as vibrant, just because they are familiar.
Leucadia is the small, sleepy beach town I've called home for the last few years. In my time here, I've roamed its streets for miles and miles over, greeting the same clerks at the same small markets fronted by Pacific Coast Highway.
Like many of the places I’ve traveled to, Leucadia has also had a great impact on me, and it is largely due to these distinctive quirks that give the town so much character.
Much of the town feels proudly beholden to the 70s and 80s. Many of the establishments along the two-mile long strip are outfitted with retro signage, bougainvillea, bizarre antique items and some variation of a VW bus or vanagon nearby. To me, the resilience of these establishments is evidence of small but hard-won victories in this town. It shows the persistence of character throughout time, a homage to Leucadia’s funky past. It feels authentic. It evokes nostalgia. Smells of incense spill from the stores and homes. Sounds of the train running along the nearby tracks shake the air. Murals adorn the city walls. Springtime brings an explosion of flowers that brighten the town with frenetic abundance.
I’ve learned the ins and outs of all the alleyways and neighborhoods, yet somehow discovered something new with each walk. I’ve familiarized myself with the faces at the farmer’s markets and with the wonderful family that runs Just Peachy market. I’ve learned to cherish this familiarity, because it forms a community I’ve taken the time to learn and love with open eyes and an open heart.
As travelers of the world, we can see the benefit in using the concept of novelty to be the bridge that helps us educate ourselves about place and self. Travel enacts a child-like wonder, that when I applied to home, granted me the ability to experience travel without ever leaving. There are infinite things to explore every day, everywhere - how will you discover it?
