Out and About

Barry Schwartz called it the paradox of choice: some choice brings freedom, but it doesn’t follow that more choice only increases freedom. How many times in your life have you felt overwhelmed by the choices you are presented with? Think about it. I’d be willing to bet it’s an experience you can all identify with on some level. Another paradoxical situation comes up when you live in a big capital city—there is so much to do, so much to see, so much to experience… and yet it’s hard to know where to begin.

Thankfully, we at Suffolk have Silvia, her weekly “What’s on in Madrid” newsletter, and the Disfruta Madrid Club. Through the Disfruta Madrid Club Silvia organizes evenings of tapas, theater, flamenco, or afternoon game days and cooking classes, all at a discounted price to students. My first outing with the Distruta Madrid Club was to a tapas tour, where Silvia marched us around the city to three of the oldest and most famous tapas bars in Madrid, where she ordered us the house specialty. It’s true that going out for tapas is something easy to do on ones own, but knowing what to eat where is arguably the most important part of the experience. It was a delicious evening.
My second outing then was to a flamenco show at Casa Patas. Casa Patas is a famous flamenco destination in Madrid, but it’s down a small, dark road, and I may never have ventured there on my own accord. It was breathtaking, though—a quintessential Spanish experience. Everyone who was there had a wonderful time.

Personally, I also really like receiving Silvia’s weekly newsletter: “What’s on in Madrid”. These newsletters give information on restaurants to try, movies to go see, art exhibits to catch. Of course it’s just a snippet of all that’s happening in the city, but it’s a great place to start when you find yourself presented with a free Saturday afternoon.

I think walking down the street and seeing posters for art exhibits, or riding the metro and seeing advertisements for concerts, shows, or movies is one of my favorite aspects of living in a capital city, a ‘destination’ city. One can easily fill all of his or her time just visiting museums, cafes, parks, restaurants, shops, and theaters… and still miss things. With so many options and so much choice, it helps to have a local to bring your attention to the hidden gems. Thank you, Silvia.