Can I replace the word "looking" here with any other word?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes, you can replace "looking" in this case with other verbs. "Looking" here implies that it was their goal to spend some cash in town. To express the same meaning of having a goal, you can use the verbs "trying", "wanting", and "hoping". Each of these have slightly different nuances, however, the general meaning remains the same.