I've been forgetting to take my sketchbook with me lately. Need to get the habit of taking those things with me wherever I go. It absolutely helps for those times where you might feel like you need to check the phone. Instead you pull out the sketchbook and look around you. Really relaxing with a coffee. :^)
Oh and about those phones: a lot of people have old styled phones here in Armenia. It was interesting to me at first, but it seems they're sold new. So old-but-new styled phones. No touchscreen, no apps, no browser. Just a small phone as it used to be.
I went out without my phone this afternoon, ended up in a bar and then outside some more. No phone on me.
It also reminded me of the good old days of going out on long walks with my Canon 7D DSLR on me and perhaps a MP3 player, instead of just carrying this machine called 'smart'phone that we use for everything. It's still possible ;^)
Would be nice to see a post on those events!
For a while now when I'm outside I really ignore my phone, I don't even listen to music with it. I just much prefer to look around and hear all the sounds. It makes me feel much more present, in the moment. Actually living and moving. It feels much more liberating, like you said in the good old days with that simplicity. The weird side to it though is realising you're the only one not glued to a screen at all times.