I was thinking about how interesting it is that there is a kind of ‘sensory fingerprint’ that different cities have. Sydney has a particular feeling about it, and it is likely unique to me, with my life history and physiology.
A unique combination of culture, urban form and every individual’s experiential history makes a city’s sensory fingerprint!
It has been interesting coming back this time. I can’t access the ‘sensory memory’ of all the years I spent in Sydney. Maybe because it is winter, and I am still rewriting neural pathways due to Ozempic. Over time, I remembered some of ways that I used to feel here.
But the city has changed so much. The price of real estate has pushed people way out. And so, the grittiness is not as evident anymore. Hell, maybe I could even handle a psychosis here without totally falling through the cracks, but I am not sure.
The big feelings that I experienced when I lived here are intellectual memories now.
A beautiful place, nonetheless. I want to find out so much more about it. Particularly the history of its urban form and the lives of people who have lived here.