Image: © Chiromancer 2018
Last week, I travelled to New York on business. Lately I’ve been there more often thanks to a super client who is based in the centre of Manhattan. I get to stay local, which means I can walk to their offices. A rare treat given the miles I usually do for work.
You’d think that my good intentions would go out of the window since I was working and living in a hotel, but I decided that my philosophy for week 1 of Project 52 was…to be curious. Open about trying things differently. A bit zen about which side of the road to cross. Which is why on Tuesday, I found myself in a fabulous Japanese place off 54thStreet.
Now I’m no stranger to Japanese cuisine. The Belgian makes his own sushi at home, and my very favourite restaurant in Bruges is Japanese. I could tell this was the real deal since I was the only white girl sipping plum wine at the bar! I soaked up the atmosphere while snacking on sashimi. Delicious, and all because I felt curious enough to take a walk after work.
Image: © Chiromancer 2018
The Asian theme continued on Wednesday and Thursday. One of my rare pleasures when travelling on business is putting on my pajamas and watching trash TV. This is not because I am curious about the lives of Real Cows of Connecticut, but simply because it is a chance to order room service and switch my monkey mind off for an evening.
To add to the ambiance I decided to try a Korean face-pack. That was because I’d read about them in my in-flight magazine and was curious to see if soaking my skin would actually help with the jet-lag. Cue incomprehensible instructions and hilarious Nonglish (English, but not English) translations on the packaging. Which way up is this thing supposed to go? It felt really good, despite the fact that I looked like a serial killer with a serious moisturiser habit.
Image: © Chiromancer 2018
Friday finished with a familiar cab ride to the airport, but the wrong terminal. Curious to see how I would get home, I asked the assistant for help. No problem, he said, there is a shuttle bus that goes between the domestic and international terminals. You can drop your bags here as security is much speedier than the main international terminal at JFK. It really is. It took me 10 minutes to get through US Border control instead of the usual 45. Bonus!
Of course, all this has got me thinking. Sometimes being curious is as much about asking the right questions as it is about taking the road less travelled. Face-packs not included.
What did you discover this week?
Project 52 is my personal journey of discovery. You can find out more here, and if you’d like to join in, please post on the blog.
Pier Point 