Big Apple Exhaustion

Big Apple Exhaustion: Our First Trip 

Have you ever gone on vacation just to come home and need another one? I’ve experienced this before and it’s usually because I tried to fit too much in. The best example I have of this is the very first trip I went on with my now husband. And in case he’s reading this, I HAD A GREAT TIME! It’s just that, by far, that was the most exhausting trip I’ve taken.

At the time we were on a tight budget because we were both college students. However we cut out Chinese takeout and pizza for a whole semester just so we could take a trip to New York. In February. When it’s freezing there. And I’m from Florida. See where I’m going with this? I know nothing of long johns and wool socks! Even though there wasn’t snow on the ground, the wind whipping between the buildings is enough to re-create the moped scene from Dumb and Dumber. (Such a gross visual!) Back to my story…   

My husband loves New York and we were both really excited about going on our first trip together. I had been to New York once before but there was still a lot I wanted to see. So maybe the story that follows is partly my fault.

Fall 2006

I got to my boyfriend’s apartment and he was sitting on the couch with a legal pad in his lap and his laptop on the coffee table. Now I knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t doing homework. After all, his next test wasn’t for another 2 days. He still had a full 36 hours before he’d start studying. Once I got a closer look I realized he was researching places to go while on our New York trip. “How cute!” I thought. Then I noticed he was writing down a schedule. Not a general list of what we’d do while we were there. Not even mapping out what we’d do each day. Not even by hour… he was making a schedule PER MINUTE of what we’d do while in NYC. If you know him you’d know that he’s more of a “fly by the seat of his pants” guy (aka procrastinator). He seemed really excited so I didn’t say anything.

We laugh at his schedule now. But we kept it as a keepsake from our fist trip together. Take a look…

The trip was fun, but I spent most of it trying to catch up on sleep. I feel asleep in a noisy club in Brooklyn. I feel asleep on practically every subway ride. I feel asleep at the table when we met some of his friends at a diner. Most of those guys were in our wedding last year and probably couldn’t figure out why Ryan liked me. I’m sure I seemed like a load of fun to them!

Even though things didn’t go the way I would have planned, it was still a great trip and I learned a few things.

1. Always add in some time to rest. You don’t have to do everything in one trip. I eventually will get to visit Central Park. 
2. Have a budget. Do some research. You may be surprised at the things you can do for free.
3. Don’t go to New York in February. 

The moral of the story is this… when planning a vacation with your significant other (or with anyone for that matter) it’s best to do at least a little homework. You each need to pick one thing that you’d really like to do on your trip. That way it’s not just one person’s vacation. Have a budget and stick to it. There’s no worse feeling than coming back from a trip just to feel like you have to work hard to pay it off. And finally, have fun! You may see this person everyday, but vacation isn’t supposed to be like “the everyday.” Let loose and bring the camera!