The Meanderthal in the Dromosphere

I stole both those words but not for evil ends. I recommend the flaneur as a temporary street mode. Maybe you have an errand but not a deadline. Fine. Walk there, not texting.
Be ready to offer directions to strangers fumbling with maps. My favorite approach line, "Are you finding your way okay?" lets them assert competence or accept help.
Notice changes. It's harder to notice the unchanged, but have a shot there, too.
After a bit of this, you'll have new bases for art and politics or just a good chat, but the walk is its own payoff.

Augusta GA on foot

The South. I'm just back from Augusta (I walked to South Carolina and back from there, just across the Savannah River), San Antonio, and Little Rock. Everyone was gracious and wished I would come back soon.
Especially hospitable was the bellman at the Augusta hotel. I wanted the nearest grocery store, so I could be fortified against the Deep Fried South. But when they found out i was going to WALK! Oh, you can't do that. Take you about a half hour, thirty-five minutes to Krogers. But this guy gamely took me out to the driveway to tell me how to get there.
The short instruction would be, "Walk down Jones five blocks to Fifteenth, take a left, keep going after you cross the tracks and Krogers is on the left."
Instead, he acted it out.
Big gestures for which way to turn, and miming little steps in place as he turned that corner. When he said keep walking, he kind of pranced in place.
It was a fifteen minute walk. Oh wait, maybe that's thirty-five minutes for them.