Idea #2: Be impressed with local architecture.

You don't need to go to Rome to be wowed by buildings. Even 1980s high-rise apartment complexes can be impressive, if you look at them the right way. I recently overheard tourists on the Washington, DC metro ooh-ing and aah-ing over the amazing underground florescent lights that enabled plants to grow behind the subway grates. You get the idea: If you want to be impressed, you will be. Notice the way a redbrick storefront glows in the setting sun, or how the colorful mural you pass everyday was painted by someone with some serious skill. It might be almost as impressive, and at least as relaxing, as gushing over those ancient ruins.