A personal methodology...
Between January 8 and 16th, my husband and I were in New York for a week of visiting friends, going to museums, walking a lot, and hanging out in one of our favorite cities in the world. To save on hotel bills, we’ve often stayed in Brooklyn or even across the river in New Jersey, and sometimes we’ve stayed with friends, but the last several times we’ve rented hotel rooms in Manhattan, and really enjoyed it. The thing is, you have to go when the prices are low — which means the dead of winter, after the holidays, or at other low-peak times of the year.
The view from our window.
This time we were in the Flatiron District, on 26th between Broadway and Sixth -- a good location for transport, services, and walking easily to both lower Manhattan and midtown. While the streets were cold and windy, it was nothing like the temperatures or weather we’ve had in Montreal, so it felt like a break for us. A couple of days even got up into the 40s! We had a room in a high-tech hotel with little staff, where you do everything with your phone. It had a kitchenette with a fridge and microwave, so we were able to prepare our own breakfast and make sandwiches or simple dinners when we weren’t planning to eat out. We easily made up the extra price for those amenities by not spending as much in restaurants. Even slices of pizza, that staple food of New York, have gone up a lot in price!
Sketching in bed.
I thought I’d share some notes on packing, in case any of these ideas are useful. We had traveled (by car to Albany, then by train, but it would be the same by air) as we always do, with just carry-on bags and a tote bag (for me) and camera bag (for him). Winter travel requires more thought and potential weight than going in warm weather. Over the years I’ve developed a simple formula for my clothes, making sure to wear the heaviest things on the plane or train. For this January trip, that included just two pairs of pants, no skirts: for me that’s one pair of jeans and a pair of slim black washable slacks. Several washable/dryable layers for tops (I like Uniqlo Heattech camisoles and turtlenecks in two weights and neutral colors), a light nightshirt and a small quantity of easily-washable underwear and socks, plus a pair of cotton-blend tights to layer for cold days; a black fleece zip-neck sweater, two cashmere sweaters (dark blue and greyish-purple), and a dressier black turtleneck sweater.
For this trip I took two scarves: one a bright wool-blend jacquard, the other an abstract silk print. All the clothes go into my rolling suitcase in zippered packing cubes, which then keep everything organized in the hotel’s dresser drawers or shelves. Outerwear is an ultra-lightweight down jacket layer, and a high-quality rain shell with hood, a knitted hat and gloves. A couple of pairs of my vintage silver Mexican earrings and one necklace, plus a pair of gold hoops, are the only jewelry I take. This time I wore my low hiking shoes (Merrell) most of the time, and packed a pair of medium-weight black leather ankle boots for dressier occasions. I take my phone and a small tablet that has a keyboard, and scrupulously avoid taking or buying books. The rest of the weight is taken up with toiletries and medication, in the tiniest packages I can manage. I empty, flatten, and pack my cross-body Baggallini purse in the suitcase, and during travel keep all my essentials (wallet, passport, small sketchbook and watercolor palette, etc) in my carry-on tote, which fits over the handle of the rolling suitcase. Not having to lug or pull heavy bags makes a big difference in how much I enjoy travelling, so I’m completely sold on this method.
We generally walk or take the subway (we love the NY subway) and don’t use cabs, but obviously that requires pretty good mobility and some knowledge of the system. This time we called an Uber only to take us from the hotel to Penn Station/Amtrak when we were leaving the city to go home, but it arrived almost immediately.
On the subway.
I’ll write more about what we did in a subsequent post. It was a great trip!
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