Staycation: Destination NYC

The increase in travel fees, limited vacation time, and more conservative budgets can sometimes get in the way of a much desired vacation. However, oftentimes a simple change in scenery can provide the temporary escape that you may need.

Infected by the travel bug, I seize any and every opportunity for a new adventure. In this time when we have to be more creative with our time and finances, the “staycation” has quickly become popular. I’d like to share how you can give yourself the joy of a vacay within the boundaries of your hometown (and your budget).

Those of us in New York are fortunate enough to have an endless plethora of things to explore. However, in NY it is also easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the daily commute and the stress of the workday, not to mention overwhelmed by the daily demands of your personal life. With that hectic lifestyle one seldom takes advantage of the opportunity to admire the intricacy of the city that so many others come to witness.

I encourage you, for one whole day, to take a spectator’s perspective on a City Sights NY tour* **. For less than what you would spend on a roundtrip flight, you can view NYC from air (in a helicopter), water (on a Circle Line boat), and land (on a double-decker bus), granting you three unique views. Although you may already be familiar with the city, these tours open your eyes to things you may have never seen before, share information you may have never known, or simply just allow you a whole new perspective and appreciation for where you are.

This would be great for a family outing, a girls’ day out, when hosting out-of-towners, or as a solo adventure. This is also highly recommended for anyone visiting the Big Apple. It is nearly impossible to see NY in a short visit, but these tours do a great job of giving you a broad idea of what this city has to offer.

*City Sights NY offers a variety of tours, any of which are sure to be a great experience.

**If you are only interested in the helicopter tours, go directly to Liberty Tours to save $15.

Staycation Part 1: Cruising My City

Usually around November and December I take a vacation out of New York City. I love the bright lights, great subway and bus system, food, nightlife and the NYC air. This year I decided not to go away but to do a staycation (stay-at-home vacation). Normally, New Yorkers don’t take advantage of the arts and culture. I am not sure we realize that we don’t have to go very far as we have many theaters, museums, art galleries, malls, outlets, bars, clubs and other special interest places right at our fingertips.

I knew that I wanted to rest and paint the town red. Like so many other working ladies, I don’t get the chance to explore the city and sites. Back in July 2009 I finally received my driver’s license. I don’t own a car, but I have a trusty unlimited Metro Card. Getting around the city via public transportation is great, but I wanted to actually drive myself around and go wherever I wanted.

Shopping was at the very top of my list. I wanted to visit the outlets, drive to Queens to visit my family and cruise the city. On November 14 I rented a car from National Car Rental, and it was a journey getting home. I got lost quite a few times because I thought I could navigate my way through Queens; it took me two hours to get home. The last time I got lost I decided to get off at Northern Boulevard and drive until I saw a sign for Brooklyn. I was not sure I was going to find one but I just continued to drive over 100 blocks to I finally made it to the BQE.

However, I got to see parts of Queens I hadn’t seen in years. I jammed to music, and I felt liberated the whole time. It was awesome. Even when I was sandwiched between two monstrous trucks! I made it home to Brooklyn in one piece. Over the next few days, I went to Queens, Mineola in Long Island (Nassau County), cruised Queens and Brooklyn, drove around with friends and visited more shops.

I never made it to the outlets but I had a great time but just being in the car. The car was my ticket to a great vacation. I didn’t relax much but I had an awesome time just cruising. Stay tuned for Staycation part two and three. Who knows what I will do, but I will take advantage of my city!

Desiree Frieson, 24, is a marketing & pr coordinator at Odyssey Networks, a faith-based non-profit media production organization in New York City.

Photo provided by http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/USA/Cities/index.html.

Work and Life Balance

Work can be a high stress factor in many of our lives and contribute too many forms of mental, physical and emotional illness. It doesn’t help that most of our personal lives are just as stressful. How do we escape from these stressful situations? One can easily say try not to be stressed-out, whether work or life related but it’s never that easy. I am not entirely sure we can truly escape stress but I know first-hand that the best way to deal with stress is find a balance—equal or unequal---or middle ground where you can take the time to relax and pamper yourself.

At work, when we have demanding work schedules and workloads, it’s hard to feed the mind and body. When we leave the workplace, we have other factors that contribute to living the stressful life. The stressful life includes worrying about student loan repayment, rent, car insurance, credit card debt and all the countless bills. I know I spend so much time worrying about the problem that it makes me sick. But I’ve realized that I am not superwoman and cannot do it all. I can only put programs and methods in place to lessen the severity of certain situations.

The most important way to deal with stress is for one to find the core problem(s) that is causing many aches and pain. By assessing the many challenges we face at work and in life, we can find specific ways to deal with our problems and ways to reduce stress. I am not an expert or a doctor but I do know that at times, we need to evaluate what we want out of life and if our place of employment or other personal areas are conducive environments to our health. However, at the end of the day, we need to feed our body and soul. That is key and the main message I can provide to you on your journey.

I don’t have all the answers or ways to ensure the mind and body is properly fed. Everyone’s situation is different and we all find ways that work best for us. But we can learn from the experts at the Mayo Clinic, WebMD and other leading sources for mental health.

Thanks to eHow, here are a few tips to maintain a healthy work life balance

• If you can, leave work at work. After the workday, go home, sit back and relax. Or if you have little ones and partner at home, focus on yourself and your family.
• Use your vacation days before you lose them! If you don’t receive paid vacation, take a short trip or go on a staycation.
• Institute a policy of work-free weekends. If you work weekends, devote time to yourself, family and either relax or have much needed fun. Its okay to have fun once in a while.
• If you belong to a gym or attend an exercise program, devote pockets of time in your schedule to exercise. If you don’t belong to a gym, take walks during breaks, walk longer from the subway or bus on your way to work or house clean.
• Last but not least, sleep! Sleep is very important. Most doctors will say they don’t know why but its very important to our health.

Resources
Mayo Clinic- Adult Health

Web MD- Health & Balance

Desiree Frieson, 24, is a marketing & pr coordinator at Odyssey Networks, a non-profit interfaith media production organization in New York City. She is a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women- Manhattan Chapter where she serves as the Chair of Membership and Co-Chair of Fundraising/Public Relations.

Make it a Girls' Night!

Being an only child I was always drawn to groups like The Baby-sitters Club and Best Friends Clubs, and as an “adult” I still long for slumber parties and girls nights. With the prevalence of sororities and female bonding shows like Girlfriends and Sex and the City I find comfort in knowing that I’m not the only one who enjoys sisterly support.

Many of us take our girly gatherings for granted, but time with the girls can contribute to your overall well-being: helping to reduce stress, providing emotional support and extra motivation.

When you’re overwhelmed with your job and you’re tired of forcing a phony smile for your coworkers and boss, what’s better than to convene with your girls who you can shed all of the cordial layers with and just be yourself? Or when you’re fed up fighting with your boo, who just doesn’t get what you’re saying, you need your girls who you can hold a complete conversation without a single word, only grunts and glances. For example:

Girl 1: Spotting a girl whose orange underwear clearly should not be visible through her white pants, “Hmph.” (Translation: Oh no she didn’t! Why didn’t one of her friends tell her that wasn’t a good idea?)

Girl 2: Glances at girl 1, head cocked to the side and eyebrow raised. (Translation: I’m glad you said something because you know I don’t like talking about people.)

Girl 1 and 2: Simultaneous laughter. (Translation: That’s why I love you. You always know exactly what I’m saying.)

No matter what the reason, time with your girls can rejuvenate your spirit and recharge you to face those who don’t really get you once again.

Unlike Joan and Carrie and their respective posses, we do not all have an extensive budget for our social life yet. While a girls night out is always fun, a girls night in can be just as fun and more cost effective. Whip out the calendar and schedule some days for the girls:

Girls Night Out	OR	Girls Night In
Dinner and a movie One of my favorite girls’ nights included Max Brenner and Sex and the City, and that was all I needed.		Invite the girls over to bring a dish and invest in NetFlix or RedBox (DVDs for only $1/day).
Pamper Party Try martini and a manicure at Beauty Bar, sip while you spa at Dashing Diva, or call SPArties to customize a spa package for you and your girls.		Call the Mary Kay lady! They do free product demonstrations. I recommend investing in the Satin Hands set for your at-home pampering pleasure.
Work It Out Try exercise and/or dance classes together. Some places offer free classes for first time customers.		Pop in a workout DVD and work it out!
Dance Party Thankfully, for a night out on the town, we ladies have it relatively easy because there are many “Free before __ for Ladies” nights.		Create a playlist and dance the night away. For you daring souls, try your luck at Dance Dance Revolution (also good for a workout).
Game Night Who said adults weren’t allowed to play? PlayDate US provides just that, play dates for adults in various cities around the U.S.		Dust off the Scrabble board, whip out the Tabu and bust out the Twister mat because it’s on. It’s game time!
Girlfriend Getaways Plan a trip to LA, NYC, Miami, Tobago, Paris, or wherever. You can find great flight/hotel/car rental packages using sites like Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz, Priceline, etc.; Greyhound and Amtrak are also good for a fun day trip, or road trip!		Visit a far away friend to enjoy the scenery in good company without the hotel costs.

When life’s too much, make it a Girls' Night!

What are some of your favorite girls' night memories?

Send a photo of you and your girls to HerJourneyBlog@gmail.com, and we'll include them in a future post!