Part of the fun of traveling is the unexpected detour a journey takes. No matter how well I may think I have planned my itinerary, something always comes up. Which makes packing light a bit challenging. After all, I need to have appropriate footwear for the impromptu hikes, random boat rides (for some reason I find myself on a boat on just about every trip I’ve taken), and evenings on the town on top of the business meetings if it’s a work-and-play trip. Tack on clothes, bags, and other accessories for all kinds of climates and I’m already close to my luggage weight limit before I even pick up a single souvenir.
On a long trip, I check in one large and one smallish suitcase. And by smallish I mean a chubby medium. I just can’t bear to confess that I’m not that light of a packer. My carry-on is a rolling computer case that’s roomy enough for my laptop, purse and necessities. This or the medium suitcase is particularly useful in case of spontaneous short trips in between that involve trains or commuter planes. I love the notion of trains but there’s nothing worse than maneuvering a big suitcase across the platform then on the train during rush hour. Or cramming it into a tiny cabin on an overnight train; luxurious and roomy are two words most commonly lost in translation:
Did I mention that I whimpered in my bunk cot that night while hugging my purse the whole time? I’m usually resilient but that night was not a proud moment. I’m not good with sharing sleeping quarters with strangers eyeing my bags, but I digress.
As much as the fashionista princess in me revels in the luxury world of shopping and couture, the wanderer in me more often practices less comfortable, off-road traveling. Yank me out of my element (aka the designer salon at Bergdorf), let me bring at least one luxury item, then put me in the middle of the desert with nothing but blind faith in a Berber shepherd and you might find my two worlds colliding:
I know, the blue Merzouga headwrap did nothing for the Gucci bag or Prada jacket in that look above. It just seemed right at the time to match my guide…and then not so much once I got home and downloaded the pictures. I will admit this whole look is a fashion disaster but after some dusty days in the desert, my purse was the only link to my other life back in LA. Who was going to cite me for a fashion infraction out here anyway?
But truth be told, I was exactly in my element having tajine under the stars that night, even with no prospect of a warm shower (did I already mention I HAVE to shower every night before going to sleep?). A little bit of rum passed to me from a stranger’s flask helped ease the fear of scorpions and spiders lurking in the sand around us. OK fine, I whimpered that night in my tent as well.
Getting out of my comfort zone is that unexpected detour I mentioned at the beginning of this entry. Can’t wait to see what happens on this next trip. I promise to do better in the fashion department though, now that I’m supposedly blogging about travel and fashion.
A couple of years I got to spend a week in NYC completely unplugged. No business meetings, no family obligations. Zero agenda. It was glorious. A week of roaming the island at leisure was one of my most memorable trips anywhere. I’d wake up and decide on an Uptown day for visiting Museum Mile and strolling through the posh neighborhoods. Central Park made a perfect muse for my photography.
On another day I’d hang out in Midtown to take in all the sights and sounds of the touristy Chrysler Building or Empire State Building. After grabbing a quick lunch I’d loiter around Saks Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center and work my way to Bergdorf, leaving a trail of destruction at shops in between.
But as much as I loved the serenity of the Upper East Side and the buzz from Midtown’s daily grind, it was not a complete NYC trip until I got in some Downtown time. Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, Soho, Tribeca…all these neighborhoods–each with its own funky, hip vibe–were exactly what I loved most about this town. If I were a New Yorker, I’d definitely be a downtown girl.
This time around, I take a day out of diaper duty and hop on the 1 train downtown from 96th to Houston. I pop out on the street and head for the shops…
I have to confess that I do think about trading my LA home for one of these while walking through soho:
I make a quick stop into Kidrobot; I know I am much too old to like toys but I have a thing for cool packaging, and if there’s a bird of some sort involved then I’m definitely in! So I make a small contribution to the economy:
The little birds stay on her hat from the magnet:
At Prada I meet a charming sales associate who offers to stash a couple of dresses for me till sale hits in a few weeks. At Chanel another nice person takes an hour to go through all the new buys with me. I know for a fact the economy is still a stinker from all this attention. Is it wrong that I get the same high from shopping as from running a couple of miles? I tell myself again that I’m just helping the economy.
Sometimes the last thing you want to do is have a long, laborious lunch when you’re just hitting a stride somewhere. So when in NY, I grab a fast lunch at a chain called Così (http://getcosi.com/), and I believe I have been in all of its locations. The bread is that good. On this day I have the grilled salmon salad at the location near NYU:
On my way to work off lunch this is what I see…
But what stops me dead in my tracks is this Strand Bookstore–they’re not kidding about the 18 miles of books. You could just lock me up in the store and throw away the key:
Their art section is nothing short of amazing. I still can’t find the book on Francesco Clemente that I’ve been looking for but I make out like a bandit anyway. I’m not sure how far I can walk with a bunch of heavy books but I can’t help myself. Today I am a one-woman stimulus package!
Tags: Bergdorf, Cosi, Downtown, Empire State Building, Manhattan, Midtown, Rockefeller Center, Saks, Soho, Strand Bookstore, Uptown
