Slow Nature Fast City

Category: Try This

  • Cherry Blossom Viewing in NYC

    Cherry Blossom Viewing in NYC

    An idiosyncratic list of places to enjoy the ephemeral cherry blossoms in NYC.

  • Slow Down in a City That Wants You to Speed Up

    Slow Down in a City That Wants You to Speed Up

    Slow Nature is the idea of cultivating small moments of nature observation in daily life. Here are ways to discover what can be solved by walking.

  • Five Ways to Cultivate Awe

    Five Ways to Cultivate Awe

    Awe may help you think more deeply, be more generous, and boost your immune system. Here are five ways to bring awe into your day.

  • Must. Notice. Spring.

    Must. Notice. Spring.

    If you are feeling nature deprived or need a mood boost, go outside and seek these first signs of spring.

  • Set Up an Imaginary Nature Webcam

    Set Up an Imaginary Nature Webcam

    Try a new technique for noticing nature in the city. Set up an imaginary nature webcam.

  • Count the Animals You See

    Count the Animals You See

    This week’s experiment to count the animals you see is inspired by the marvelous book “Dear Data: A Friendship in 52 Weeks of Postcards.”

  • Notice How Time in Nature Makes You Feel

    Notice How Time in Nature Makes You Feel

    Nitin Das’s “How Forests Heal People” is a beautiful meditative film about how nature affects us. Will a nature break today change your mood?

  • Walk Into the Walden Zone

    Walk Into the Walden Zone

    To truly notice nature, we have to let go of our smartphones. Only then will we, just like Thoreau, find our Walden Zone when we go outside.

  • Put Nature on Your Calendar

    Put Nature on Your Calendar

    If you want to simplify your life and pay more attention to urban nature, put natural events on your calendar. Give yourself reminders to pay careful attention to wildlife migration and plant life-cycles in the city. Seek out monthly prompts to focus your attention and cultivate anticipation.

  • Throw a Dart at a Map

    Throw a Dart at a Map

    It’s not always easy to live a Slow life in a city that wants you to speed up. Try this experiment if you’re out of vacation days, have burned through your budget, or have a bad case of wanderlust. All you need is your MetroCard and a sense of adventure.