#38 The Time Traveller's Welcome Center

I have always been fascinated by time travel. In fact, last year when everyone else was making new year's resolutions about things like eating less and recycling more, my own resolution was to see every movie ever made about (or related to) time travel. I didn't realize at the time quite how many movies there would be, so like all new year's resolutions, I didn't fully complete it, but also like all resolutions, I intend to. But I digress.

I have thought about time travel quite a bit over the years and not in the physics or the hard science parts, but more in the "realities" of living it. For example, when I'm walking around town I often wonder if anyone who's around me is actually here from another time. Like say someone is incorrectly using their metrocard and the people behind them get mad. Well I sometimes wish they'd turn around and say "sorry pal, but in 1249, where I come from, we don't have these silly cards. give a guy a break!". Stuff like that really gets me thinking about their daily life experiences. Like, are they stuck here? Are they just visiting? Who knows?

It got me to thinking, that essentially time travelers are like any tourists in the sense that they are visiting someplace new and likely don't know anyone nor what to do. So, what would these tourists need (besides friendly hosts)? How about a welcome center? Maybe an online forum, like Lonely Planet, as a way to communicate with each other or to share tips. Imagine you were wandering around the back streets of Edinburgh in 1849 and as you turned left from Princes street into a back alley, you somehow walked through some sort of inexplicable time portal and the next thing you know you're dodging traffic in LA. Messed up right? Well I know I sure would feel lost, confused and unsure of what to do next. That's where my idea comes in. All they would have to do is just ask for the nearest time traveler welcome center (we can brainstorm catchy names another time) and all would begin from there. I think this could be great.

And for the record, as time travel movies go, I would say my top pick right now would be either The Lake House or Lost's Season 4 Episode 5 "The Constant" (which I realize is not a film but is awesome nonetheless).

*Funny side note, Keanu Reeves was also in the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure films, which also had time travel. Lucky.