This past weekend, I got the chance to become a tourist in my own place. The idea of Long Island never really interested me. For one, it is where I grew up, so all Long Island to me was just the suburbs outside of the city. While scrolling through Facebook, my mom had come across an ad for Vanderbilt Mansion, which not only had the physical mansion, but also a museum full of mementos from the travels William Vanderbilt, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s grandson. It was rather interesting. The grounds itself was very large. Literally getting from one building to the next required a significant walk outside the scorching sun. As we walked, we kept joking about the convenience of small houses rather than big houses. What was the use of multiple houses if you had to go outside in order to walk from one room to another. In the end, it was an enjoyable experience. It was the first time in a while where we went out as a family and explored a new place. The excitement of going outside is slowly creeping back in and I am welcoming it fully.
