I have been super busy and not around the forum much lately, but thought I’d pop in with a report on a travel capsule I used this past weekend for 4 days in NYC. My goals were to learn from some past travel capsule mistakes including not being warm enough, not having happy feet, and feeling too casual. I was very pleased with the outcome. I also had a great time, what a great city!

I wore my warmest coat, which is a black puffer. I added a white plaid muffler, a black knit hat, gloves, and on the first two days wore a light puffer vest underneath and was NOT too warm. Parts of NYC have a lot of wind (skyscraper effect) and the first day was in the high 20’s and felt quite frigid but I was fine. I fit right into the black puffer epidemic (a phrase coined by April). I wore my new Blondo boots and my feet were very warm and comfortable, although I could have been ok with sneakers since there was no rain, snow, or ice anywhere.

I brought 2 pairs of jeans, 1 black slacks, 3 pullover sweaters, a faux leather jacket, 1 cardigan, a puffer vest, some underlayers, and 2 “fashion” scarves. I brought a bit more than bare minimum because I felt like it, and wore most of it. The only piece that was not great was the grey bobeau cardigan, which I wore on the flight home. I’ve been on the fence about whether this style feels bit too much like leisure wear….and now I’m convinced that it DOES. I felt a little less polished that I would have liked, but in the Newark airport that hardly made me a standout. I used my black nylon Baggallini hobo bag daily which was perfect although maybe someday I’ll upgrade to something a little less sporty. Same for my backpack and smaller orange Baggallini I stuffed into it as my carryon bag. The only pieces I did not wear were the reiker boots, the black slacks, and the pink/grey scarf. Not a problem at all, just didn’t feel like wearing them

Overall I did not feel too casual, because my jeans were dark and slim, and I had enough variety in tops to work well. I also think NYC is a fairly casual city, at least from what I could see.

We did a lot of walking around, constantly looking up! So much to see and do, especially since DH and I had not been there as tourists in a couple of decades. We had both made business trips there but you just don't to see as much that way. I think the highlight of the trip for me was the 9/11 memorial and museum. They have done a terrific job of building a place to remember and reflect on that horrible day. The reflecting pools are just perfect. The museum lower floors are where the lowest floors of the WTC complex were, so you can see bits of the original construction. The “oculus” which is an underground mall and commuter train station built to replace what was below the twin towers, is very modern all in white marble, something people probably love or hate. I thought it was great, especially standing up on a balcony looking down at all the black-clad new yorkers rushing around against the white floors and walls. And they do rush!