Hidden Gems

As you may or may not know, I've left New York City this past June and spent two months immediately afterwards traveling from city to city, exploring. On the list of places visited were Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Denver, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Charleston and Indianapolis. I may or may not be forgetting a few, but that is enough listed for now. In my travels, I've managed to find something unique to enjoy about a particular place. Even a place by itself may be a hidden gem.

I'll leave the title above as it stands. I first thought of it when I was living in New York City and there was talk of the SESTA/FOSTA laws on the verge of passage. Around the same time, there was also the Backpage fiasco. The owners were accused of all sorts of things (prosecutors really went to town on that one). As much as I hated the site, and thought it was full of all kinds of litter, I admired how the owners had stood up for themselves but ultimately lost, because we are not as free of a country as we are taught to think. In the midst of these important events, I remember stumbling upon a place that made me think of it as a hidden gem. Just to think: All that going on, and despite this still, ladies congregate to discuss SESTA/FOSTA, website shutdowns, all the while waiting and doing what they do (whatever that may be, just fill in the blank, e. g. eat sandwiches).

What I thought of as this hidden gem, turned out it wasn't so much a gem as I'd thought. It wasn't even that hidden. It was an interesting experience to encounter, however, and leave behind.

When traveling to specific places or more generally traveling through life, there are many hidden gems upon which to stumble. It may be the Working Lady Cafe in San Francisco. It may be the off-beaten path on a hike. Only hope is that the illusion of the gem does not fade, that it remains luminous and a delight to have uncovered.