Showing posts with label Rowsbelle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rowsbelle. Show all posts

Pack It Up, Pack It In



Before we left for NYC, Meredith posted an entry on packing, which set off a personal mental-firestorm for me. I'm a recovering over-packer - you know her. She's:
~ the woman known for bringing two bags on an overnight trip,
~ the one who carries toiletries she that doesn't normally use at home, simply because they're cute and travel-sized, and
~ the one trip-mates can rely on to bring that extra shower cap, toothpaste, and the full-size bottle of lotion.
Yeah - that was me. I was on the road to a bad-back or shipping box-loads of stuff back home on every trip.

But, a lifetime of travel (multiple flights yearly, international trips, & countless road trips, etc.) plus the disintegrating quality of the travel-experience has forced me to get better. That's right - I'm no longer in princess-mode when it comes to packing. I pack-light, like Erykah Badu said.



I had a strategy for New York - pack what you can carry, carry what you'll use, use what you bring. It required me to reaffirm my faith in list-making. I wrote down, in detail, what I wanted to wear each day. Then I broke it up into categories and quantities, editing and pruning during the days leading up to the trip. Then, I printed it out and stuck to it when it was time to pack. Not easy, but it saved me from dragging luggage the size of a small refrigerator along the NYC blocks. This was really helpful as we were dropped off a shuttle bus in the middle of a busy intersection and had to walk a little ways to our hotel, full luggage in tow.

During the trip, I wound up carrying large totes, like this one, on the city streets to facilitate my shopping and literature-collecting.

I did wind up packing some toiletries I didn't use and wound up rejecting outfits I'd planned, in favor of the more comfortable, functional pieces I'd brought. My only failing was shoes. I brought too many pairs and wound up relying on my flip-flops too often. The city streets and all the walking beat my poor little tootsies up in those flip-flops. But, even in that failing, I learned something. I'm about to start shopping for cuter, more functional travel shoes for walking. I've noticed that Japanese tourists are good for wearing shoes like that.

By trip's end, I was happy with my packing skills, but it's obvious I've got more growing until I'm as savvy as the chronic business-traveler, who's used to getting everything into one bag, not checking said bag, and who prides themselves on being to carry everything him or herself.

Anyway, I'll be posting my recounts of trip goings-on in the next few days. Mer's first ones got me excited to get crackin' on this project.

-Rowsbelle
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I'm Back in Brooklyn, the Bronx, the Bottom, the Bowery, the Big Apple...



In our unabashed excitement, we're both going to explain why our upcoming NYC trip is a big frikin' deal.
Essentially, it's like this: though we've both visited New York before (multiple times, in fact), we've never seen it in this capacity - as an extended girlie-getaway. The mission (which we've accepted with gusto) is simply relaxation, inspiration, excitement, and supporting each other's adventures. Meredith wrote a wonderful vision statement in our Google-Doc, which I re-read whenever I'm feeling blah or bored. It's reads like the standard business mission statement, but with our own travel philosophy infused.
I've been to NYC twice before - once as a child, and the other as a teenager. Both were short family affairs (my parents, my aunt, a sister or two, and - for the teenage trip - my best friend at the time).

My NYC Debut
At ten, my family went to Manhattan for a Christmas getaway. If my parents were on a budget, I didn't know it. We stayed at The Beverly Hotel (since, renamed the Benjamin and refurbished), went to FAO Schwartz, the Empire State building, and the Holiday show at Radio City Music Hall. It was the type of magical, fantasy holiday tradition I hope to maintain when I have children of my own. I don't remember many other details, except cold temperatures, my little sister Tracee crying a whole lot, and my aunt cracking jokes.

The Second Time Around
The more recent trip was the spring of my junior year of high school. We went just as the city was waking up from winter. We were there for four days and did tourist-y stuff. That was a year before the much ballyhooed "Disneyfication" of Times Square. We went to some tourist traps, saw our first subway rat, and stayed mainly in our hotel's neighborhood. My mom let my then-best friend LaToya, whom I've since grown away from, come along and let us do big-girl things like walk around by ourselves and spend our own money.
I harbor a serious Broadway love affair, which was, at the time, stunted by my having never actually been to see a show. So, naturally, the focus of this visit was to remedy that. My parents took one night to see Chicago on their own. The next day, my mom took me and best friend to see an Annie matinee.
But the best show was once-in-a lifetime, something I feel fortunate to have experienced because of it it's uniqueness. I saw Bring in the Funk, Bring in the Noise, with the singular Savion Glover, Jeffrey Wright, and Ann "The Voice" Duquesnay. I cringe knowing that no sentence I construct will definitively describe this tour-de-force masterpiece history of black hoofing (that's tap-dance, for the uninitiated). I still have my Playbill, soundtrack CD, and T-shirt. It's my crowning memory of that short trip and since then I've wanted to return and do more. I also mourn Funk/Noise and wish it would return. Where is Savion Glover anyway? According to his Wikipedia page, he's still dancing, working in film and choreography. I'm glad. I wish he'd consider reviving this amazing show..

Why do I ♥ NY?
You can't follow American pop-culture (or high or folk cultures, for that matter), without knowing that New York City is one of it's beacons. Despite the vapid TRL decade we just finished, when Times Square teemed with folks on the street screaming up to the funky-glass windows above, I still admire NYC. What draws me is the clash of grit and grime with elegance and excess. Some days this city is everywhere I want to be. It's not place I'd want to live in forever (the claustrophobe Southern Belle in me will never die), either. Sometimes I feel like a New Yorker, raised in Queens, with grandparents from Harlem, a Manhattan job, and a Brooklyn boyfriend.

I admittedly glorify this city, but I'm still open and aware of it's flaws and sprawling nature. I see the way it's children hanker to move away for open space, fresh air, and affordable lifestyles. They've recolonized Florida and have a good stronghold on North Georgia. But I also see why they never let the New York sensibility die and why my city (Atlanta) tries so hard to emulate it. The city is too much to love, then leave abruptly. New Yorkers take their city wherever they go.

So, Third Time's A Charm
This time around, I'm on my own dime, my own time, and with one of the coolest travelers ever. My hope is that I add new favorite spots to MY New York, and that I see it as an adult for the first time. I'm stoked to bite that Apple, again.
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Tech and the City

Meredith and I are huge "Sex and the City" fans, so expect more plays on the title and plot stuff from the story here. Sorry - we'll try not to wear out the welcome. Anyway, Meredith said, "We need to post something about our use of technology on this trip." So, I'm on that.

On technology, my biggest concern wasn't access, but quick and complete reference. As a library-girl, my job is helping people find information. Most often, in my profession, users want info quickly, but wind up having to return to get more because it wasn't what they really wanted or needed.


Like those users, in New York City, I want to have the answers to as many of our questions as possible in my hands. Granted, part of the adventure is getting lost or making mistakes and finding your way out of them. Yet, I feel more relaxed when I plot and navigate my path on my own, not having to depend too much on the kindness of strangers or dumb luck.

Mos Def has a new album out, which has a track called "Life in Marvelous Times". His meaning is partly ironic, but for our travel purposes, I must co-sign. We really do live in marvelous times for technology and communication. Mer and I don't see each other everyday because we're in different cities, but we're constantly on the phone and web bouncing ideas off of each other. We're both Google acolytes and have been keeping our plans for the trip on a shared Google Doc. It holds our visions or mission for the trip, the budget, maps, and other things.

The largest, meatiest part of the trip-doc is our "Desired Stops/Itinerary" chart. We list the place we wanna go, it's address, a web-link, and the reason it's on the list. Lately, we've added a priority ranking system and I'm working on another addition - a new column that lists each destination by neighborhood. The list has dozens of museums, shops, restaurants, and landmarks we're trying to visit, and ya'll, we add new stuff all the time.

I was feeling anxious and tried to get Mer to agree to cease with the new additions, but she brought up an excellent point. It's better to have too much on the list, than too little. That way, if circumstance wrecks any plans, we have alternatives and choices. When the trip's finished, we may share our final trip document, but in true rebel spirit, we don't want other people offering unsolicited, authoritative advice that could make us miss an unexpected adventure. Plus, it'll take away from the blog-narrative, see?

Our other techy-thoughts were computer-related:

Should we bring a laptop?

What about web-access? Will we have to pay for it?

The short answer: We don't want to lug a laptop around, leave it in a hotel, or have to pay for the web. Both of our smart-phones are Wi-Fi accessible, so we're just going to depend on those, hotel concierge, email, and Twitter for quick access to last-minute info. We've discussed getting a GPS unit, but think that might be too extravagant or may prove uncessary.

We're also going low-tech with my NYC guide-book, a easy-to-hold print-out of our Google doc (which is 12 pages right now, without fancy formatting!!!), and probably whatever brochures and paper we collect while we're in town. We're trying to be green and not bring home a lot of clutter and paper, though.


So, that's the haps on our technology game, folks.


Rowsbelle
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Flight Tix Copped

Last night, we booked our flights online, tag-team style. We logged into Delta airline's website simultaneously, searching flight numbers and airfares. We wound up with two round-trip seats for the days and times we prefer. We picked our aisle-seats, clicked "Submit" and - presto - we're officially invested in this trip.


My route is ATL to NYC and Mer's is Charlotte to ATL to NYC. Homegirl's Charlotte flight lays-over in ATL and then we ride the same plane (to indulge her shutterbug urge to take inside plane-pics) . We fly in on a random weekday, go find the hotel, dump our luggage and take over the city.

We chose LaGuardia (LGA) arrival because it's closer to the neighborhood we're staying in (midtown Manhattan). One day, I'd like to see JFK (the other major NYC airport), but you can keep Newark (the step-child of NYC airports). It's soooo blah. I've been inside LaGuardia before, but the convenience thing is key here.

I follow airfare changes and subscribed to Yapta (heard about it from my longtime favorite hometown tightwad, Clark Howard) to follow flights from ATL to NYC for that day. We felt the time was right to go ahead and make the purchase because air fares have been steady for the past two weeks, and will probably increase. I hadn't seen much change in prices and wanted to beat the summer travel rush. So, we put our heads together, made the necessary mouse-clicks, and purchased. There may be some last minute deals we'll miss out on, but it's worth it. There's a certain security to having your flight booked in advance, no?

Why'd we decide on that time and airline? Mer explains it best, "We did our research and everything they had met out criteria. Plus, Delta doesn't charge a fee for baggage. It all came together." I second that emotion, holding my breath that they don't spring in a baggage fee until the summer travel-season has passed. Am I naive?



Ideally, I would have loved to hop a train and roll into Grand Central Station, arriving refreshed after having spent hours lazily napping, reading, and listening to music from a private sleeper-car on Amtrak. I can picture me and Mer popping out of the train-car, smart leather train cases in hand, sashaying down the platform, striking poses and spreading our fabulousness throughout the station. I do love the old-school glamour of train-travel.

But time, budget, and convenience all wrap on the door, and bring me back to a cool, but different reality. Modern ladies jet-set, flying in and out of metropolises with speed and grace. Except for our penchant for hopping into cars and making quick road trips down Southern highways to visit friends and family, plane travel fits me and Mer already. We've done it all our lives and have no time to waste. So, I'll keeping loving the idea of train glamour, while flying into NYC in a little over an hour.

Anyway, yay for flight-plans!
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Greetings and salutations, y'all...

...you coulda been anywhere else in the world right now, but you're here with us! Thanks for that.

So, I'm guest-blogging here because I'm the other half of this travel-duo. Meredith's my best friend, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime - all that stuff. I'm side-kicking on her blog because I loved watching her document her first trip to Asia and naturally cheerlead all her other excursions. I've got my own blog - a rambling, scrapbook-ish, little page, with few readers, but plenty of love and inspiration - so I'm already comfy in the medium. But I publicly thank my homie for inviting me over and sharing her blog.

As we plan our excursion, we bounce ideas off each other and share excitement. During one of our exchanges, the idea came that I'd post over here because Mer's blog is dedicated to this subject. She's got a scrapbook blog, too, but this one is specifically for her travels. I'm not the biggest photog, yet, but Mer inspires me with her shots and images. She'll post plenty of pics from our trip, just like last time. I'm more about words and narrative, so I'll probably hit you with play-by-play stuff during the planning and the journey.

Well, here's the specs of our trip:

  • Where: New York City (Manhattan)
  • When: 3rd week in July 2009
  • Rationale: While we have world travel experience and aspirations, we're both young career girls on budgets. Why not travel domestically this summer? Our pockets may not be large, yet, but we don't have to be stuck at home.
  • Goal: To be tourists in one of our favorite cities (we've both return visitors), on cultural safari. It would be serendipitous if we met cute African twins - one a doctor, the other an IT-guy - on our visit, who swept us off our feet, married us at a dual New York Public Library ceremony and reception and moved us into neighboring Brooklyn brownstones. Then we'd travel the world as a foursome (growing our little families), spreading Brown people love wherever we went. ;-)
  • I'll cover the travel and lodging stuff and many other details in days to come. Our planning process is a story within itself.
But for now, here's the take-away: We have the same initials (M.T.) I'm an ATLien, she's a Carolina-girl. I'm a library-lady, she's a health educator. We're college classmates, sorority line-sisters, cute single sistahs who're trying to live the lives we want -the way we want. We're travel buddies with computers, zip drives, cameras, iPods, dreams, and ideas.

Mer and Mon are definitely trippin'.
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