Category: Travel

Planning a Quick Family Trip to NYC

So, I didn’t MEAN to plan a family trip to NYC. But here’s what happened… there is a new musical that just came out and it looks really good. I texted my goes-to-musicals-with-me friend, and she said maybe after the holidays. However, I REALLY wanted to see it sooner than that… which turned into me having the idea to take Jack for an overnight trip to NYC to see a Broadway show.

I asked Travis if he wanted to come too, but he hates musicals and crowded cities… so he said no. But then, when I started planning the trip and Jack and I were getting excited, Travis made sad puppy dog face and it was clear he’d be left out if we went without him. So…. FAMILY TRIP!

Here are our ‘definitely happening’ things:

  • It’s a quick trip – we are going to be in NYC for about 30 hours total. (Which, randomly, is exactly how much time I spent in NYC in 2016)
  • We’re taking the Amtrak train to NYC and back. I’ve done it a bunch of times and it’s super convenient. Added bonus: kids are half-price!
  • We are staying in a hotel near Bryant Park, which is within walking distance to Bryant Park’s Winter Village, the Broadway show, Times Square and lots of stuff to do and eat.
  • Jack and I will be going to see & Juliet on Broadway! (Travis will be entertaining himself)
  • We are super excited about the Bryant Park Winter Village for shopping and eating.

Here are our ‘maybe happening’ things:

  • This will be Travis and Jack’s first time to NYC, so we may do the whole Statue of Liberty thing. There are no ‘crown’ tickets available, but we may do the ferry by the Statue of Liberty, or maybe even visit Ellis Island.
  • There are a couple stores that I think Jack will love, including the M&M’s Store and the Nintendo Store
  • We may add the American Museum of Natural History to our visit list, but it’s a pretty quick trip so we may not have time

I can’t wait!

My Easy Travel Conference Capsule Wardrobe

Last week, I had the opportunity to drive up to Atlantic City for a 3-day conference. The focus of the conference wasn’t in my wheelhouse, but it involved a few of our attorneys at work so I was basically just going to network, take a few photos, eat some yummy food at the group cocktail hours/meals, and work from my room.

Oh, and most importantly: enjoy my nice, quiet hotel room with HGTV and a king-sized bed.

Since my schedule was pretty easy, I thought it might be fun to do a quickie conference capsule wardrobe post.

Here’s what I took:

Just one backpack (the Asenlin 40L 17” Travel Backpack with three packing cubes that I previously raved about here: Travel Backpack Review: This one is the BEST for traveling) and my purse.

In that one bag was: 3 conference outfits, pajamas, comfy clothes for the hotel room, shower stuff, make up, my work stuff (laptop, day planner, notebook, charging cords), and 2 books.

Here’s what I brought for the conference:

Three dresses that don’t wrinkle, one blazer that goes with everything, one cardigan that goes with everything and a fun neutral sparkly pair of comfortable flats.

I kept everything in the same color scheme so it would all mix and match. Conference AC is notoriously freezing, so I wanted to make sure I had some layer options in case I was freezing my booty off.

Also, I wanted the option to be day-to-night Barbie by having a dress go with a blazer during the day and then being able to switch out to a more casual (but still professional-looking) cardigan option for the cocktail party and dinner that evening.

And here are the outfits:

And… my in-room LEWK as well:

For the drive there (4 hours) and back (5 hours), I wore a t-shirt, leggings, sneakers and my tie-dye hoodie.

And that’s it – a whole 3-day conference easily packed in a backpack.

Disclaimer: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Travel Backpack Review: This one is the BEST for traveling!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a full product review and recommended something with flying colors, but YOU GUYS this travel backpack is magical. It’s like a Mary Poppins bag that fits on your back. It’s AMAZING. So, I had to share it with you all in case you were in the market for a magical backpack too.

We tend to do a bunch of little mini trips out and about, so when we can I prefer to just have us each pack a backpack with our stuff rather than big, bulky suitcases. I was looking to upgrade my backpack because it was rather small and we had a 3-day trip to Austin on the calendar. So I did a ton of research and found this one:

It is the Asenlin 40L 17” Travel Backpack with three packing cubes from Amazon and when I purchased it, it was just around $40 (the latest price will be automatically listed above by the photo). The packing cubes are made to fit the exact measurements of the backpack, so they are a perfect little bonus for keeping everything organized.

Source: Amazon.com

I’ve used the backpack three times so far – once for 4 days in Ocean City, once for an overnight at my friend’s house, and once for our 3-day trip to Austin. And It. Is. Awesome.

Some features I like:

  • I love, love, love the custom sized storage bags. I can’t tell you enough how satisfying it is that the big one fits exactly within the backpack’s dimensions.
  • It comfortably fits my back and feels like a ‘normal’ backpack even though it packs up like a suitcase.
  • It has an internal padded laptop sleeve, I used it for my Kindle but it could totally fit a standard laptop too.
  • It meets carry-on requirements and easily stowed in the overhead storage on the plane.
  • Other bonuses: There is a zippered pocket if you want to tuck the backpack straps away, and there is a strap on the back for you to stick it on an extendable suitcase handle if you have one.

And here is a little visual for you. This is everything I was packing for my trip to Ocean City:

And EVERYTHING fit in the backpack. But not Ollie. That would be weird.

To be honest, I could have even squished it down and fit a few more things in there. Including a laptop.

For $40 I am totally blown away and I wish I would have bought this years ago!

Disclaimer: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.