The posts from New York looked like a perfect trip, because that’s what three days of good light and good food does to a camera roll. Here’s the version I didn’t post.
I underestimated how much walking this city actually asks of you. By the end of day two my feet genuinely hurt in a way I hadn’t planned for, and I spent an embarrassing chunk of day three’s morning icing them in the hotel room instead of being out seeing anything. Pack better shoes than I did. I cannot say this enough.
Not everything on my carefully planned list delivered. I won’t name it, but one very hyped dinner reservation was fine, just fine, after weeks of anticipation, and I left more disappointed by my own expectations than by the actual food. It’s a good reminder that hype is a trap you set for yourself as much as anyone sets it for you.
The best part of the whole trip wasn’t on any list at all. I got mildly lost near the West Village on purpose, ducked into a bookstore to get out of the rain, and ended up talking to the owner for almost an hour about nothing in particular. I didn’t take a single photo of it. It’s still the thing I think about most from the entire trip.
I came home tired in the specific way a good trip makes you tired, already planning when I’d go back, sore feet and all.
