101 things about me

Wednesday 16 June 2010

48 Sleeps





















On this day in 7 weeks I will be getting on a plane to NYC, USA.


I will be away for a total of 6 and a half weeks. I can barely believe it is happening! It seems like an age since I have had a holiday and I really do need the break, and 6.5 weeks is bliss.

My Mum (Mom) and I will be traveling together. We have agreed to spend 4 weeks together and 2 weeks 'doing our own thing', so that I can get the escape from 'my world' that I have been craving, and we can hang out together for the rest of it. Thankfully we are good travel companions, so it will be a great combination.

There has been some planning (though this weekend will see more when Mum and I get together) and this is where it stands at this stage...

Arrive NYC, August 5th.
Head straight to Maine for the first week or two. We will hang out with friends and visit Camp Tanglewood where I worked as a summer camp counsellor 20 years ago. I would love to rent a house (or better still be invited to house sit or stay with friends) on the Maine coast.

Picture all those New England postcards you may have seen of little seaside towns with stark white homes and tiny shops huddled around a small bay and that's where we'll be. With luck we will see the Northern Lights.

For those first one to two weeks, my ideal would be relaxing in the summer sun and soaking up good old USA hospitality. No pressure to do anything but grab a book, write a journal, do some drawing, take a walk, sit in a cafe and watch the world go by.

Be still. And breathe. Deeply.

From there it's largely unplanned. At this stage we are going to stay in the northern states as I traveled to California and other southern states 20 years ago.

What I do know... There will be a trip to Niagara Falls. Maybe a few days in Boston. Two weeks of mystery adventures. And then, across the last two weeks I will be in Washington DC for the long weekend in September (where I hope to meet a lovely blogging friend), traveling south to Southern Maryland to visit another friend (due to have twins in the next few weeks) and then ten nights in NYC.

It already sounds busy, but I don't want to over plan as I want to leave some of it to chance. Though I am keen to organise accommodation in NYC so that we can head there and not have to worry about where we will be staying.

I'm expecting there may be some readers who are a little envious (I know this because I know the jealousy I have experienced when reading posts about other blogger's travels) and maybe wish you could be doing the same trip... that right now you are thinking of all the things you would do if you were in the USA for 6 weeks!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you had 6 weeks in the USA where would you go and what would you do?
Is there anything you just wouldn't want to miss?
Have you been to NYC? Would you recommend anywhere to stay?
Are there markets you would like to visit? Stores? Galleries?
Hidden treasures you'd like to share.
Workshops you would like to take?
I would love some specifics. Or just general comments are fine too.

8 comments:

Snooze said...

I don't have anywhere to recommend to stay in NY but I do have places I would revisit ... go to the Sunday Manhattan flea markets (I went to 3 and they were great), Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (do these together), Central Park by rickshaw, make sure you go to Metropolitan Museum of Art (you'll need the whole day). And walk everywhere you can, especially near the Met. The neighbourhood there is amazing.

Lori ann said...

Dear Cinta,

How exciting! and yes, i am jealous, but so happy for you. I laughed when i saw your labels, and I have to say it warmed my heart to hear such nice things you had to say about the U.S.

It sounds like you will see more than many Americans on your next trip here. The U.S. is BIG and there is a lot to see. I'm sorry I can't be more help since i've not spent that much time on the east coast. But when I get to NYC (soon) I can't wait to go to Purl Soho. You may have heard of it, but if not go to purlsoho.com or google it. I read they just moved into a new location.

I think it's great your going with your Mom too!

love,
lori

LesleyG said...

You are going to have a wonderful trip! Fingers crossed I will be able to be a little part of it!

Malcolm Garth said...

Have fun, looking forward to a postcard... :)

PS: The word verification thingy: canski... But I can't... :P

Breathe Gently said...

Sounds awesome! Nowhere in NYC is either cheap or affordable (at least, that's what I found when I was looking..) - but we found a place on Broadway called the Marrakech Hotel and it was lovely. Wasn't too badly priced, and there was a Starbucks next door and a subway stop on the same block which was cool. Took maybe 15 minutes to get into the city?

trash said...

Oh wow! Am loving this plan so very much. Definitely agree with a visit to Purl for yarn and fabric. Are you a paper person? Let me get back to you?

Mark said...

Also, you might like to check out http://www.reanimationlibrary.org/ if you go to Brooklyn

Anonymous said...

Wow, sounds very exciting. If your traveling west, you should make a stop at the Grand Canyon. Its beautiful
Angela