Go to the market that is not for you
Most cities have two kinds of market: the photogenic one in the centre and the one where people actually buy vegetables. Find the second. It is usually a short metro ride out, it opens early, and it closes by early afternoon.
Pick a residential neighbourhood and walk it
Choose a district with no attractions in it and spend a morning there. A bakery, a hardware shop, a park with children in it, a bar with a television on. This is the thing people describe when they say a place felt real.
Use the everyday errands
A haircut, a launderette, a pharmacy visit, a supermarket shop. These are small anthropological experiments and they teach you more about a place than a guided tour.
Be a guest, not an observer
Learn six words. Greet people when you enter a shop. Do not photograph strangers without a nod. The difference in how a neighbourhood receives you is immediate.
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