Every now and then, when my wife and I leave a place we’ve driven to in our car (rare in the city) we’ll intentionally go out of the way and make a game of finding our way back. You always get to see a new neighborhood with different character.
Since I mentioned biking, thats also another great way to see a place differently and learn your way around.
Having lived in old cities/towns with high traffic, you adapt by finding shortcuts where you can save time on a frequent commute. The bigger the city, the higher average commute time it seems. The longer of a drive you can accumulate those shortcuts too. After getting used to always being on the lookout for a faster route, moving to a smaller metro area, with better, newer infrastructure, it's been an odd mental adjustment. Almost like I forgot how to relax, and now that I can, I still charge ahead. I can see that being a contentious issue in the future with car ownership, vs giant companies just providing transportation, and what sort of greater good compromises will be made to demand safer and safer transportation.
Since I mentioned biking, thats also another great way to see a place differently and learn your way around.