While I was traveling throughout Europe, I stayed at my aunt’s house in between my many trips — using it as somewhat of a Homebase. The word Homebase is interesting because it contains the word, “home,” a word that I just could not apply to the tiny town of Scarborough. I absolutely loved living with my aunt, uncle, and cousin for a couple of weeks, however, I just could not shake off the foreign feeling of staying in a town a world apart from the metropolitan city I call home, but there was something about Scarborough that made me wonder why people loved it.

A certain air to the sleepy town that I thought about for days after leaving it, and so I employed my resources and asked around. Naturally, the first person I asked was my cousin. On the night of my departure at 2:30 a.m., at a time when we were supposed to be asleep, she was gracious enough to feed into my whimsy, and give me an answer I was more or less expecting. She loves the greenery, and the history of this town, and I agree, it is beautiful and scenic, and it’s got that lovable small-town feel to it, but she mentioned something that caught my attention and that was that she enjoys that she can’t get too lost in the town.

That’s a strange feeling to me because Houston is so large that every day I’m finding new places to get lost in, and that’s my idea of comfort. Slowly mapping out the city, memorizing the smaller roads through the neon lights and various tattoo parlors, but there is a certain comfort to driving a road you can just travel down mindlessly, and I thought it was so precious that she mentioned that as something she loved about her town.

I asked a couple more people, some new friends that I had made while I was there, what they loved about their town, and their answers gave me a glimpse of the magic of Scarborough that I was not able to see in the biting cold of December. Scarborough is a seaside town, and we drove along the beach a couple times, a sight I was pleased to bear witness to. A stretch of the beach, in an area more colorful than I was used to seeing in the town, it looked like a nice place to visit in the summer.

One of my friends reminisces about the long walks she would take along the beach, where she could wander for miles, spot a friendly face or two, and revel in the relaxation brought upon by the fresh air and foliage. Yet another feeling I’m not used to. Life in Houston is fast-paced, and between classes, work, and errands it would be lovely to take a walk like she mentioned, but that time is usually spent in the car driving to and from destinations, hoping to not get stuck in standstill traffic. Her experiences sound magical to me, and so different from the world I’m so used to.

The beach though, held an interesting sight while I was there, one that I wouldn’t have thought was so interesting if another friend had not supplied me with his own anecdote regarding the town. In the weeks that I was in Scarborough, I missed my pup Charlie so very much, and the shoreline was an excellent place to go cure that longing. An area just full of people walking their dogs. Both human and dog bundled up, slightly muddy, and all round joyous.

What I didn’t know, however, was that the winter time is the peak time for people who want to walk their dogs, as in the summer tourism is high and dogs aren’t allowed on many beaches. Looking at it like that is quite wonderous because, despite the cold, windy weather, people utilize the time they get on the beachside to walk their dogs and spend time with them. There is so much love in that, and I’m glad I got to view this unique sight.

Many people I asked spoke about the beach, and the greenery, and while their perspectives helped me gain a whole new appreciation for the town, what I absolutely adored about Scarborough was how clearly you could see the stars. The light pollution in Houston is strong, and there are one too many nights when the stars are just specs, just barely visible, but that darkness in Scarborough is so prominent that the stars illuminate the sky and scatter in ways that I grew to love. Scarborough is like that, a town I wouldn’t necessarily call home, but one that I feel would be a nice place to experience love in.