On the Side Streets

Staying in a neighborhood 
Where locals live and shop
Gives a taste of life beyond
Where all the tourist buses stop.

Discovering a small cafe
And breakfasting outside 
Opens up a little window
To a place where folks reside.

Of course, the highlights beckon -
The museums and the parks,
The monuments and buildings
From which history still harks.

But there's something very special
When you start and end each day,
On your travels, like a native,
In an unassuming way.