Mike had a business meeting in NYC this week, and since I love the city, I tagged along. The weather was perfect. My favorite thing to do in the city is walk, window shop, and yes, shop! This trip was perfect for all of that. While I walked lots (3 hours one day!) I did not buy much. I think NYC is pricing me out of shopping.

This time, more than ever before, I was struck by the cost of items. Although I love nice things, I have a threshold for what I am willing to spend. I am not wealthy, but even if I was, I do not think I could give myself permission to pay the cost for some of the items. Saks Fifth Avenue, which has been my favorite store for many years, no longer has the same attraction for me. The store now caters to the ultra wealthy, to the point that it is no longer fun for me to shop there.

I do appreciate details, and I loved the monogram of the hotel, the Quin, on the toilet paper. And that didn’t cost anything extra! Nor did the orchid on the dinner plate of Salmon at Rue 57. Classy and delicious. Rue 57 is one of our favorite restaurants in NYC. Another of our favorite restaurants is the Redeye Grill, which is where I took the first of the photos of Mike in 2016 and, the one below that, yesterday.

Where but in NYC can Adirondack chairs be found for sitting along the way?

One of my disappointments this trip was my inability to find cappuccino served in a “real” cup. Although it is easy to find cappuccino, in most places it was served in a paper cup. Call me a princess if you must, but I do not drink cappuccino from a paper cup. When I had about given up the search yesterday, I found Mangia at the next corner from our hotel, and it was delicious!

When in New York I always enjoy going to Eataly in the Flatiron district, and not just to eat. It is a food emporium. It is also a great restroom stop along my walk route! I was thrilled to see working water fountains there, which seemed to have disappeared with COVID.

I suppose this blog post proves that my needs are simple. A walk route that is interesting, with seating along the way, and bathrooms strategically located. Cappuccino, but in a “real” cup, not a paper cup. Shopping, but more for looking than buying, and certainly not for buying purses that cost more than $3200! Good food in pleasant surroundings, such as found at Rue 57 and the Redeye Grill. Broadway plays, although not this trip.

Traveling is a pleasant diversion from our everyday lives. If we keep our eyes and ears open to new experiences while traveling, we can learn a lot about ourselves. We can better understand what gives us pleasure, and what we are more than able to do without. Purses that were originally more than $6500 and are now reduced to $3277.80 fall in the “more than able to do without” category. But cappuccino in a “real cup” is a necessity.