New York City wins as most exhausting destination in my book.
It’s also a place so full of everything you can’t help but love every minute–though perhaps some more in hindsight, like the time you and your husband argued about which subway line to catch and decided not to talk again ever.
New York City. You delight and horrify me.
If you’re planning a visit, here are five things you need:
1. Comfortable shoes.
Forget heels, forget fashion, forget anything but having feet that aren’t throbbing with intense pain from all the walking you’ll need to do (and even with comfortable shoes, good luck.)
Noted: I don’t walk enough in Wisconsin.
2. Headphones.
I’m pretty sure the only way introverts survive NYC is by wearing headphone all of the time. New York is noise. The subway is a damp, screeching place. Headphones make it all go away.
3. Transit app like HopStop
This app “provides door-to-door transit, walking, biking, taxi and hourly car rental
directions in over 300 cities.”
I’m pretty sure it saved my marriage. (Love you, Babe!)
4. A sense of humor.
Someone else’s junk can be part of your daily amusement, like this half-demolished bicycle heavy-chained to a street pole (someone’s prized possession?).
Or this safety reminder that poles are “not for your latest routine.”
5. A sense of wonder.
Sometimes it felt impossible to be present in a city with so many distractions. Thankfully, there were a few times I stopped myself and said,
Look up.
Pay attention.
You’re really here.
