I got back from my NYC trip yesterday. It was a great trip but it is ALWAYS good to be home! Here's 5 things on my mind!
1. Several people commented on my ability to navigate NYC confidently. Even though I grew up in the tiniest of towns (500 people, graduating class of 28), I somehow feel very confident/comfortable in large cities. I find NYC very easy to navigate, though, since it's on a grid system. Plus google maps makes it so easy to use the subway - it tells you what lines to take/where to transfer. I messed up on the way back to Midtown on Tuesday night but I was thinking I'd be getting off at the 42nd St/Times Square station but the station was labeled 41st St. I should have known that was the same as 42nd St but oh well. I got off at 50th instead so it wasn't a big deal and resulted in a 20 minute walk back to my hotel.
2. I think I'm also confident navigating cities because I traveled by myself quite a bit in my 20s/30s. I took 3 trips to Paris by myself in my last 20s/early 30s and feel like that experience has helped me feel confident getting around in large cities. I had also asked my NYC co-workers if the city felt safe to them and where I should go for dinner/where would be safe for me to walk around. Several said I'd be totally fine at the time I'd be out and about. I am very careful when I am walking in a city. But I felt really safe in NYC overall and didn't see anything that raised any red flags for me.
3. My busy Tuesday really did a number on me, though. I woke up on Wednesday morning with a really really hoarse voice. I guess 4+ hours of talking on Tuesday was just too much for me. I was glad I didn't have any client meetings on Wednesday. I had intended to walk around the office and meet everyone but I didn't want to have to explain to each person that I sounded worse than I felt. It sounds like I'll be back in NYC in March to do client meetings again so hopefully I'm fully healthy on that trip and can meet more coworkers in person.
4. I had a great dinner out with 2 portfolios managers on Wednesday night. I feel incredibly lucky to work with such nice people. One of the PMs gave this really nice toast about me at the start of dinner. It was really touching and if I was a crier I might have teared up a bit! For several years, I was in the fog of new parenthood and while I was working hard, I was kind of staying a bit under the radar at work. But this year I've really made an effort to get on more calls, get more entrenched with our sales group, etc, and it's nice to see my work being recognized.
5. All that said, I am SO happy to be home. I missed Phil and my kids. 3 nights away is definitely the max amount of time I can be away right now. Phil had some tough nights and mornings with the kids so he was very happy to have me back home! When I was waiting to board my flights at LaGuardia, I saw a couple of toddlers and it really made me miss my kids! Paul was all about cuddling with me last night and told me multiple times that he missed me. It feels good to be missed but I am glad that was my last work trip until January!
What is on your mind today?
12 comments:
Awww. I love when you get kudos because I can tell you are just an incredible worker and...it's also nice when that get's noticed.
I love NYC and think it is the nicest city to navigate because of that grid system. I have to admit, when we visited this year I never fully got a handle on directions because I was distracted with keeping the kids with us at ALL TIMES and because now we had Google Maps. When I first visited NYC, I had a paper map and within a day or two felt so confident navigating. It made me a bit sad I never fully got my sense of direction on this most recent trip.
I also grew up in a small town and really like to travel via public transportation in cities because it generally makes more sense than if I try to get around on my own! LOL. You talk about how NYC has a grid system, but it you have no sense of direction (like me), it really doesn't help. The map of the subway system does make sense, though. I also spent a semester in Washington, DC when I was in college and the Metro there is amazing and it really helped me to develop my confidence in maneuvering around cities.
Glad you had a good trip and made it home safely! I can see how little bits of work travel could be kind of exhilarating- maybe because I don't actually do it, but it seems a little glamorous, to me! BUT, I can also see that it would need to not be very often, or it would lose its appeal real fast. It's hard to deny though that dinners out, adult happy hours, time alone in a hotel room...that all sounds pretty nice! Especially for a busy mom. :) So I hope you can appreciate the positives and balance the negatives/ keep travel to a level and frequency you are comfortable with. It will be nice to not have any work travel on the schedule now through the whole holiday season!
I'm so glad you were recognized for all your hard work. Yay Lisa!
NYC is awesome for me (I've only been twice) because my sense of direction is so bad, but having the grid system in place is fantastic. Downtown Calgary is also a grid which means it is one of the few places I don't get lost. I am turned around so easily, which means I very much appreciate an obvious and logical system!
Glad the trip went so well! It's nice that you're being recognized for doing such good work- that's something that doesn't really happen with your other job (taking care of toddlers.)
I see that I somehow missed the last post about your day in NY (how did that happen???) You got a Starbucks holiday cup! Of course you had to go all the way to NY to do it. I hope the Starbucks in your town has them this year.
I would say I hope you have a relaxing weekend- but I have a feeling it's going to be jam-packed with activities. I hope your cold is all gone though.
I am such a better traveler now that things like gps are in my hand!! I suck at directions soo soo bad. But if I have my trusty side kick telling me to turn or do something, so much easier!!! I can look ahead and everything and think I have it but I cannot transfer what I see on a map into real life. But soooo much easier now!
I love nothing more than when people get recognized and get the credit at work that they deserve - I feel like that sometimes positive feedback is so hard to come by!
I also feel very comfortable navigating big cities - esp. when they have public transportation options. I usually "look at a map" before I travel to a new place and then I already have a pretty good mental picture in my mind that helps me navigate the real world.
My husband always says the same thing about NYC -- "It's on a grid." For some reason, that doesn't make it easier for me, LOL! But I am very impressed by your confidence. And that you traveled to Europe in your 20s/30s! That is very cool! I think I have very poor sense of where I am, which makes me feel turned around easily, and so I feel out of sort and panicky in a city -- party because it is complex and partly because it has a lot of distracting/overwhelming visual/aural stimulants and partly because it is different. So I really admire people who find big cities easy to navigate.
Glad you are home with your boys! That's a wonderful feeling!
it's a great feeling to be recognized at work for the hard effort. They are more important than financial rewards.
4 hours of talking will definitely make me exhausted afterwards, hope you get some rest once at home.
being with the family feels extra nice when coming back from a trip. enjoy. hope you get some rest this weekend.
It sounds like a great work trip, AND great to be home! I always think that is the best... when you can enjoy time away and still be happy to get home too. And a trip now and then not another until March sounds like a pretty ideal kind of pace too.
I'm so happy you got appreciated for your work, too. How special.
I've only been to New York once, back in 2005, but we also found it really easy to navigate because of the grid system. I'd love to go back one day.
It sounds like a good and megabusy work week but I can see why you'd be glad to be home. And don't you love it all the more after a break?!
Hooray for getting kudos at work! I also LOL-ed at this line: "It was really touching and if I was a crier I might have teared up a bit!" ;)
I'll just take you along on my trip to NYC. I am still so nervous about using public transportation because I screwed up so badly when I went to Ireland. When I went to Boston, a friend navigated their public transportation for us and it was so nice!
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