When most people tell me they’re planning a trip to New York City, I imagine their itinerary looks something like this: Times Square, a Broadway show, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, maybe a carriage ride through Central Park.
And I get it. I’ve done all of those things. Including the carriage ride.
But these days, when I start planning a trip to New York, my list looks a little different.
I’m looking for the tiny independent boutique tucked between two restaurants. The coffee shop where everyone seems to know the barista. The bookstore with creaky floors and handwritten recommendations. The stationery shop filled with beautiful things I absolutely do not need but will spend 45 minutes admiring.
I want the New York that exists between the landmarks.
Next week, Cory and I are heading back to the city, and I’ve been happily doing one of my favorite things: researching where I want to wander.
Honestly, researching small businesses is almost as much fun as visiting them. I can spend hours looking through neighborhood guides, Instagram accounts and shop websites, making little lists of places that catch my attention.
And then there are the outfits. Naturally, I’ve already started planning what I’m going to wear. I have my neighborhoods mapped out, my favorite shops bookmarked and a mental picture of myself strolling through the West Village looking very New York chic.
We’re staying at the Arlo SoHo, which puts me within reach of some of my favorite neighborhoods. And while we have a few things planned, I’m especially excited about having two days to explore.
I like to have a loose plan. A few neighborhoods I want to visit, a handful of interesting small businesses I’ve read about, maybe a coffee shop or bakery to aim for.
And then I like to hit the pavement and let my curiosity take over.
A fabulous window display? I’m going in. A line outside a bakery? I need to know why. An interesting side street? Well, let’s see where that goes.
I can spend hours researching the perfect little boutiques, coffee shops and bakeries, only to abandon half my itinerary because something else catches my eye.
I’m meticulously planned and happily distracted.
Come to think of it, this isn’t just how I travel. It’s how I live.
I’ve always been a YOLO kind of girl. Life is short, and I want to leave no stone unturned. I love having a plan, but I’m perfectly willing to abandon it when something more interesting comes along.
And while my plans might go completely out the window, there’s one thing I’m remarkably disciplined about: documenting the experience.
I’m currently on my fourth travel journal, all kept in stylish notebooks, naturally. I document where we went, what we ate, the shops we discovered and all the little nuances that make each visit memorable.
But it doesn’t stop there. I organize my photographs into albums, create photo books and preserve the details of the experiences I love.
Meticulously planned. Spontaneously lived. Beautifully remembered.
After owning Clothes Minded for 13 years, I can’t help looking at independent shops through the eyes of a former boutique owner. I’m noticing the window displays, the merchandise, the atmosphere, the little details that make a business memorable.
But I’m also a customer who simply appreciates beautiful things. Beautiful clothing, interesting interiors, clever merchandising, thoughtful packaging. I love seeing what creative people dream up.
New York is full of that kind of inspiration.
I’ve already visited places like Goods for the Study and Greenwich Letterpress, two stationery stores that make me ridiculously happy. And certain boutiques, including Mottive and Golden Bar, have become regular stops on my visits.
I also love researching Sarah Jessica Parker’s favorite New York spots. She’s practically synonymous with the city in my mind, and I’m always curious about the shops, restaurants and neighborhood businesses she frequents.
This trip, I’m especially looking forward to wandering the West Village, exploring the streets around Washington Square, revisiting a few favorites and discovering some new ones.
John Derian is on my list. So is the Union Square Holiday Market. I’m hoping to find more independent shops with interesting clothing, beautiful objects, books and paper goods.
And then there’s the possibility of stumbling upon something you couldn’t possibly plan.
A fashion photo shoot happening on the sidewalk. A movie crew taking over a neighborhood street. Maybe even a celebrity sighting.
I’ve heard Zoë Kravitz is filming in the West Village right now, and I have to admit, the possibility of wandering into the middle of a movie set makes exploring those streets even more fun.
You just never know what might be happening around the next corner.
And, of course, there will be coffee.
Lots of coffee. And pastries.
One morning, Riley and I are planning breakfast together, which might be the thing I’m looking forward to most. I love that New York has become part of his everyday life, and that I get to experience a little of his version of the city when I visit.
I think that’s what has changed about the way I travel.
I used to feel like a successful vacation meant checking off the famous sights. Seeing everything. Doing everything. Making sure I didn’t miss something important.
Now I’m far more interested in finding the places that make a city feel like itself.
The neighborhood bakery. The shop owner who remembers her regulars. The unexpected little store you stumble into because something in the window catches your eye.
I want to see how people live, where they shop, what they eat and what makes their neighborhoods special.
And I want to leave room for the unexpected.
Because sometimes the best thing you find in New York isn’t something you planned to see at all.
I’ve done my research, planned my outfits and made my lists.
Now all that’s left is to get to New York, hit the pavement and see how much of that carefully planned itinerary I completely ignore.
And you can bet I’ll write it all down.