When I was 20, I hitchhiked from Vancouver, BC back home to Anchorage. It took about 3 days, but only 8 rides, because the last guy took me more than 1,500 miles. He was another good dude from Ohio headed to Ak for the summer to work as a
by Dan Flag, Sep 28, 2025
I like to talk to strangers, because it teaches me more about the world, and gives me a little opportunity to try and gently lift people up. The production of positive emotions in humans and animals reduces Total Gross Suffering, and the production of negative emotions increases it. In 30
by Dan Flag, Sep 23, 2025
I've had a string of negative interactions with European families on the west side, many of whom walk around like they're the only people in the world. When you point out to them that other people exist, they act they come up with the dumbest. I&
by Dan Flag, Sep 21, 2025
Should we care more about who says it than what they say?
by Dan Flag, Sep 19, 2025
Wandering NYC is now Sidewalk Alchemy. I consulted friends, family, collaborators, and customers, and the consensus was that this name better describes my mission to teach people how and why to wander, in print and on the streets of New York. When we wander, we subtly change the world around
by Dan Flag, Sep 16, 2025
Yesterday I was in West Seattle kickin it with my other mother. We had a big car wander yesterday, visited an espresso machine museum, drank some green drinks, tried to navigate without maps, got lost, got in a fight over driving, and met a dog in a bag and her
by Dan Flag, Aug 08, 2025
I spent about 10 years thinking about the unconscious mind learning to recognize and influence emotions and complex responses happening inside me and in the people around me. After some lost years and a hard fall I stopped thinking as much about how to influence things and began looking more
by Dan Flag, Aug 01, 2025
I left the house on Friday morning and I was gone for 36 hours and it was delicious fruit.
by Dan Flag, Jul 28, 2025
Native American groups call it Wetiko, the rapacious insatiable ghoul that long ago buried itself in the human heart.
by Dan Flag, Jul 28, 2025
Please read How to Wander first. At different points in your life, you might find yourself wandering for different reasons. One type isn't better than the other, they just indicate different focuses in life. A wanderer might switch between focuses every few years, or a few times a
by Dan Flag, Jul 10, 2025
What is a guide? A guide leads people through territory. Physical. Intellectual. Emotional. Spiritual. A guide is a 2nd grade teacher, a harbor pilot, a backcountry guide, a museum docent, a friend showing you around their city, a math tutor, a mom showing her kid how to wash the dishes,
by Dan Flag, Jul 05, 2025
Industrial Society is fundamentally unfair, so it requires constant propaganda to keep it functioning.
by Dan Flag, Jul 05, 2025
A low-impact, high-ROI strategy for leading people through territory of all kinds.
by Dan Flag, Jul 05, 2025
The great global experiment to find out if everybody in the world can live together in one place. So far, so good.
by Dan Flag, Jul 05, 2025
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
by Dan Flag, Jul 04, 2025
Humans used wandering to explore and settle the earth.
by Dan Flag, Jul 04, 2025
Unconscious cognition+pattern recognition+collective knowledge+kairos+luck?
by Dan Flag, Jul 04, 2025
Of course! Here's your list with each person's name bolded, while keeping everything else the same: Albert Einstein – Fled fascism and wandered through Europe and America. Rode around on his bike while his mind wandered, reinventing physics. Alexandra David-Néel – Disguised herself to sneak into forbidden Lhasa,
by Dan Flag, Jul 04, 2025
A slowly unfurling model for building a better world by learning from the mistakes of the past and present.
by Dan Flag, Jul 04, 2025
We live on the skin of a rock spinning though space at unfathomable speeds. As Evangelista Torricelli pointed out, "We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of air." The organism that you are can withstand the temperature range 81°F to 95°F without technology -
by Dan Flag, Jun 28, 2025
This past afternoon I gave a tour to a cool family from Long Beach. I was waiting for them outside Di Palo's when two 60ish year old women in expensive clothes walked by and started talking about Di Palo's. I encouraged them to go inside, and
by Dan Flag, Jun 26, 2025
Just a reminder for those still inside. Organizations will continue to degrade as energy costs accelerate. Inequality will increase. And cruelty. Workers will be expected to do more with less. And blamed when things go wrong. Some of my friends have expressed discomfort with having well-paying jobs while other people
by Dan Flag, Jun 23, 2025
91 mins. Most of us take debt as a fact of life, despite the fact that it doesn't exist in nature. One of my goals as a writer and guide is to invite people to imagine a better world. But frequently I get immediate pushback citing 'historical
by Dan Flag, Jun 21, 2025
Everywhere I look I see the aggressor playing the victim And the ignorant claiming their innocence And the responsible throwing up their hands And fools finding elaborate ways to pretend they are special and not just meat for the alligator jaws. The coercion Everywhere I look I see the coercion
by Dan Flag, Jun 19, 2025
Whenever I go to Freeman Alley I take a bunch of lazy photos. It makes my camera roll a joy to scroll, because there are hundreds of these images, all clumped together with these enormous bursts of color. Over the last few days, I've been at Freeman 3
by Dan Flag, May 27, 2025
I went to Berlin in October, and took more than 2,000 photographs in 4 days, mostly of architecture and street art. Many weeks ago, some friends asked me for some recommendations in Berlin, but I stalled and stalled because I barely know the place. In contrast to my map
by Dan Flag, May 21, 2025
I was standing at Astor Place last week, just near the cube and this wiry old-New York type walks up to me and says my name. It's Chris Santana. We took a life-changing 6-months-every-other-weekend hypnosis training together back in 2011, when we both lived in downtown Portland. We
by Dan Flag, May 16, 2025
Had a busy month. Lots of tours. Lots of great reviews. Not enough writing. Here's some memes I collected this month I hope you like.
by Dan Flag, Apr 29, 2025
Yesterday I got the email below from my dad, with the subject line True History. It's printed verbatim. I think it's interesting to see how our writing styles are so similar. How I break lines and thoughts in the same way he does. I do wish
by Dan Flag, Apr 14, 2025
To interact with the world is to risk contagion. You can get punched in the face, or catch a cold, or get puke on your shoes, or hear or see something you wish you hadn't.
by Dan Flag, Apr 12, 2025
Having a Big Wander tomorrow at 11am at 108 W 17th Street. Some literal gnomes undertook to make and post flyers for this and some other events so I'm expecting a good time. If you're free. And below the photos are some recent posts you'
by Dan Flag, Mar 23, 2025
The other day I met my old friend Tze at Broadway Junction and we walked up Fulton through Cypress Hills and into Woodhaven. It wasn't on purpose, but we spent a lot of the day under the elevated. First the J, and later, the A. Emerging from Broadway
by Dan Flag, Mar 06, 2025
On repurposing 'freedom' for commercial means.
by Dan Flag, Feb 25, 2025
Below are links to two new posts called Bruxelles WTF (I+II). Before we get to them, some notes. I've changed the name of this publication, so now you'll be seeing INK in your inbox, which is short for the Institute of Not Knowing. On the
by Dan Flag, Feb 22, 2025
Back in October a client/friend flew me to Berlin. We did a few days of wandering and then he went back to his lab and I took a quick train loop around Central Europe. I got knocked out on the 3rd day in Berlin, and for the rest of
by Dan Flag, Feb 22, 2025
Dipping our toes into the corruption, backroom deals, and hypocrisy of the British 'royal' family.
by Dan Flag, Feb 20, 2025
Why Western powers want to ignore the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
by Dan Flag, Feb 20, 2025
You know I'm ambivalent about industrial society, because it will inevitably destroy itself and us along with it. But that doesn't mean I don't love tall buildings. Watch this quick video shot with drones above Hong Kong - arguably the most beautiful skyline in
by Dan Flag, Feb 14, 2025
Wandering is Good For You v2 This post was originally known as Wandering is Good for You For 99% of human history, in the time before agriculture, wandering was a core behavior loop that we used to explore, understand, and influence the world around us. But in the last few
by Dan Flag, Nov 24, 2024
In Offenburg, Germany, waiting for a night train to Prague. Typing in a charmless bar, surrounded by old men silently watching soccer news out of one eye, and the bar maid out the other. Chris Isaak's Wicked Game is on the sound system. A guy with his belly
by Dan Flag, Oct 22, 2024
This is a story about an idiot, a piece of shit, and looong spoons. Yesterday after taking a nice coffee and croissant with my friend Nick, we rounded the corner back onto the high street KurfĂ¼rstendamm, which is filled with fancy clothes and self-care shops. I saw him coming. An
by Dan Flag, Oct 18, 2024
In Berlin. These motherfuckers don’t jaywalk. But they do have crows. And great, if sometimes cheesy graffiti. And beautiful buildings of disparate ages, with little paths wending between them. Magnificent. I left my apartment about 8:30 last night, took 3 trains to JFK, almost missed my 11:55
by Dan Flag, Oct 13, 2024
The other morning I went to the dentist. 4th time in 10 months. Same issue. And because healthcare in America is coercively tied to employment, I've been going to one of the dental schools. The dentist-in-training has been incredible, following up with me and finding ways to get
by Dan Flag, Oct 07, 2024
There’s an Italian guy here in the city who has me stored in his phone as Dan the Vampire. It’s two am, and I’m sitting at 42nd street waiting 13 fucking minutes for the A. There’s a Latin dude on the bench next to me watching
by Dan Flag, Sep 21, 2024
It has bothered me for a long time that big talk is not the opposite of small talk. Big talk... for whatever reason, has come to mean boastfulness, charlantry, and the invitation to folly, rather than the discussion of big and uncomfortable ideas. Big Talk is Big-Thinking. This is a
by Dan Flag, Sep 19, 2024
New York is full of faces. Some are human. Some are made by humans. Some don't have much to do with us at all. But we've evolved to send and receive subtle information with our faces, using the so-called "mimetic muscles". Spend a few
by Dan Flag, Sep 16, 2024
Last night I was out with my boy D. doing some recon in the East Village when we walked past a Thai Dumpling spot on the western end of St. Mark's. We were like 5 paces past it, when I decided I had to go back and look
by Dan Flag, Sep 09, 2024
"There is nothing so strange in a strange land, as the stranger who comes to visit it." Cannibal Tours is a 1988 documentary film about European and American tourists in Papua New Guinea, directed by filmmaker and expert wanderer Dennis O'Rourke. It's top commentary
by Dan Flag, Sep 06, 2024
Just a 2 min speech from the old wizard Gregory Bateson.
by Dan Flag, Sep 04, 2024
I’m helping to organize this music and justice festival on the 14th called Communities Together. It’s ostensibly about protecting beautiful, generationally-interwoven Manhattan from the paws of greedy philistine developers who want to rip out the culture and clutter and people who make the blocks just south of Penn
by Dan Flag, Sep 03, 2024
Sometimes I write at the library at Lincoln Center, or on the big L-shaped couch in David Geffen Hall, right outside of Tatiana, which I hear is a big deal. I like to approach Lincoln Center from the north west, climbing up the travertine steps and walking past the 65th
by Dan Flag, Sep 01, 2024
Please Watch The Society of the Spectacle The Society of the Spectacle. 87 mins. This is Guy Debord's film The Society of the Spectacle, with a dodgy English dub. It's 87 minutes long. If you watch this film, or read the book, this whole wandering thing&
by Dan Flag, Aug 30, 2024
All these shots were taken on or very near the western end of Broadway in Brooklyn, beneath the JMZ elevated track, between Marcy and Montrose Ave. As always, if I've shown your work and you want credit, send me a note. I find excuses to go here, because
by Dan Flag, Aug 28, 2024
One Day at Freeman Alley I took all these shots at Freeman Alley on June 15, 2024. If your work is shown and you'd like credit, please drop me a note and I'll add you. This was a Saturday. The previous night I'd met
by Dan Flag, Aug 26, 2024
There's only 3 types of people in New York City. 1 - Bakers The bakers... bless them... they get up early and get to work. They do it to feed their families, but they end up feeding and supporting the rest of us too. They bake the bread,
by Dan Flag, Aug 24, 2024
Back when I lived in Central America I developed this thing where I knew that if I was really into a song, the song would be interrupted. Happened all the time. Vibing hard, the power gonna cut or somebody’s gonna unplug the Zune or the CD’s gonna skip.
by Dan Flag, Aug 21, 2024
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL WHAT My attention was first pointed at king baby by an art school kid from North Dakota. He texted me once when he heard a hot couple talking about king baby on the train. I asked him if it was interesting. He just texted back, "
by Dan Flag, Aug 19, 2024
By the time I get around to writing on yesterday, today is already happening. Think people mostly make art because they don't get to live, and I'm not having that problem. Threw out all my bedding last week. Stuffed my mattress in the dumpster up the
by Dan Flag, Aug 17, 2024
Consciousness is a Map On Monday I took a group of 8 from the Meatpacking District up to Hudson Yards via The High Line. In the group was a bright young French couple who asked good questions and still had the twinkle in their eyes. After the tour I met
by Dan Flag, Aug 15, 2024
Norman Farb speaking to Hidden Brain. In this episode of the Hidden Brain, Neuroscientist Norman Farb explains how our brains navigate by creating mental maps. He discusses what has come to be known as the default mode network, which is a large-scale brain network that is active when we are
by Dan Flag, Jul 21, 2024
Sunday morning. Went down to 79th to watch Liverpool lose the league title with my friend Y. Tried to go to Crossbar on 86th - bad vibes - and ended up at Blondies on 79th. They aren't open yet but the bartender was there early for the game
by Dan Flag, Apr 08, 2024
A view from the first floor of New York City The other day, the container ship Dali struck a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to quickly collapse into the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore City. So far, there are six known casualties, men who were the best
by Dan Flag, Apr 01, 2024
As a company offering tours in Chinatown, here's why we support the boycott of the Museum of Chinese in America. On one hand, MoCa is a great way for outsiders to get much needed perspective on the struggles and contributions of Chinese Americans. On the other hand, it’
by Dan Flag, Mar 24, 2024
New York and the US have two forms of immigration. A few weeks ago my friend Y and I went to Chinatown to take in the Lunar New Year Parade, which celebrates the arrival of spring, ushers out the old year and welcome in the new. 2024 is the year
by Dan Flag, Mar 22, 2024
On Tuesday I went downtown to buy a guy some shoes. I failed. This is what happened after. * I wandered around FiDi hoping to spot the shoeless dude, but no luck. Ended up in front of the Uyghur restaurant on Beaver Street, which I'd noticed last week. * Caravan
by Dan Flag, Mar 09, 2024
Yesterday. Wall Street. Me and a friend and fellow guide gave a tour to 25 money managers from the mid west. He and I met on Fulton Street at 7am and grabbed bagels and brought them over to the group's hotel, then we walked them down Broadway to
by Dan Flag, Mar 05, 2024
Vampire Cyborgs of Manahatta * You and me are vampires. Our weird, over-built minds are drenched in jet fuel, unleaded gas and coal. The great nights we've had in the far-flung corners of our personal maps were all facilitated by fast travel and electricity. We've sucked the
by Dan Flag, Feb 19, 2024
Wander Report - 11.1.24 * Started snowing on my LES tour the other day. I love the sound of car tires on a wet road. You can't hear it as well when it rains. * This tour was small: a couple from Union City and a family from
by Dan Flag, Jan 11, 2024
* "For mortals, nothing is worse than wandering." - Odysseus. * Odysseus wasn't wandering, he was lost. Trying to get home. Surviving off the land. He was outcast - barely a NOMAD. But wandering is an outbound game. It's something you do moving away from familiar
by Dan Flag, Jan 03, 2024
Wander Report 12.30.23 Tired of not writing and I don't have enough time to go deep so I'm going to experiment with pumping out these short little bullet-pointed wander reports from my rangings around the city. * I struggle to take pictures of people. Feel
by Dan Flag, Dec 29, 2023
Looking Through the Russian Mirror This video was produced by Ilya Varlamov, a technically skilled, brave, and often charismatic Moscovite who travels out into the hinterlands of his country to see what's there. While I appreciate that he's capturing and sharing this footage, much might be
by Dan Flag, Aug 23, 2023
Order & Chaos at Columbus Circle Fuck I can't get a ticket to the 70mm IMAX Oppenheimer at Lincoln Square. Every seat of every screening is sold out. The massive physical film literally decays every time they screen it. Several times I check late at night, squinting at
by Dan Flag, Aug 18, 2023
There are things we can't see until we've left and come back time and time again. 20 years ago I was a bike messenger in Boston, and the summer before I moved to DC, I took a room in a house just north of Harvard Square.
by Dan Flag, May 26, 2023
Trying to understand your unconscious is like trying to understand space. It's impossible to get your head around, and if you go too far, it will 100% freak you out. I think this is why we avoid the topic. Because it refuses the neat and tidy lines of
by Dan Flag, May 12, 2022
