Think in the shoes of someone

Question

I want my readers to imagine being at a place. Is this a reasonable way of saying it?

Think in the shoes of a visitor of a mass public event, like the Norwegian Constitution Day.

As an alternative, I came up with

Imagine yourself being a visitor of a mass public event, like the Norwegian Constitution Day.

Answer 1

It sounds more natural to say:

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a visitor of a mass public event, like the Norwegian Constitution Day.

The idiom doesn't work when you put think before it (i.e. think in the shoes of...). Think as if you are in the shoes of... would get the meaning across, but is too long-winded, IMHO.

Answer 2

The second sentence is better. Being in someone else's shoes usually means to imagine experiencing what they are experiencing, but the "thinking" is implied. Therefore you could say "put yourself in the shoes of a visitor..." or "Imagine yourself as a visitor..." but not "think in the shoes..."
Additionally, putting yourself in one's shoes usually connotes value judgements and choices you would make if you were in someone else's position, but is rarely used just to imagine an experience.