A question I've been asking myself is whether I can actually picture the area Perec is describing. I'm not great at visualizing things but surely, if I took a few notes I'd be able to make a rough sketch that was broadly correct.

I stare at my notes (which resemble something between a logic problem and a conspiracy). It feels like I'm either moments away from a complete picture or fundamentally wrong about even the shape of the area being described. And it feels like a success.

I might not have the space right, but I've made it more real. I'm starting to see the differences in the locations Perec observes from. How have I never noticed that the Friday afternoon café has no view of the bus stop?

It gets me to think about the places I know that I substitute into Perec's descriptions. To the extent that Perec is writing about anywhere, it let's me appreciate them in ways I've overlooked. And in the way Perec is writing about his place, it lets me appreciate the mundane things that make my places familiar and comforting.