NY State of Mind?

Yep. Times Square.

I recently felt the need to get out of the quiet din of the west coast suburbs and head back east to New York. The weather had begun to turn so I figured it would be good to get away before it got too cold and too crowded with the holidays. New York this time of year is my favorite...it's a bit less crowded although you would think based on the crowds that no one vacationed anywhere else in the world. New York is crowded but I think we avoided the summer crowds of late. So, generally with the abundance of airports near my home, I thought it would be easy to get a direct flight at a reasonable price. I realized that as I was booking that my efforts were going to be futile and also realized that it was the end of Fashion Week.

Near 49th and Park Avenues.

Our flight was packed. I am getting a little tired of this. I miss the days of having one or two seats vacant nearby but with recent slashing of airline's flight schedules, this is proving to become too hard to experience lately. PLUS, I swear it seems that every flight I take is full of rookie fliers...you know who they are. The ones with too many bags, too many things in their hands, that forgotten bottle of water in their carry-on and of course, the ones that don't use deodorant. Please travelers, let's think this through before you head out the door. You will need to remove your shoes, belts, money, sunglasses, etc at security plus your toiletry bag so get ready when you step up to the line. You also need to use deodorant. Seriously. I mean it. Shower before you go and slap on some Sure or Secret and be on your way. I am trapped with you in an aluminum tube for several hours or even seated next to you and I don't really want your smell to be my souvenir home.

New York was fantastic. We were travelers, not tourists, which to me is important. Don't be THAT person. DO be that traveler. Explore the city. Use the travel and food channels as options to add destinations to your journey. Check blogs or travel websites for unique experiences. These could even be just having tea or coffee at a nearby cafe to people watch. Try a cuisine you normally would not. But also use your manners. Ask locals questions.  There's also no reason to ever buy an "I heart NY" t-shirt. Ever.

How do you like to travel? What tips do you have? Share them and I will reply back.