At last the week has arrived which I have been looking forward to all winter. On Monday evening my husband and I are catching a red-eye out of Seattle for our spring break trip to New York City. The main focus and highlight of the trip will be Global Traveler‘s Anniversary Celebration at the Renaissance New York in Times Square on Thursday evening. I’m really looking forward to meeting face-to-face all of the GT staffers with whom I’ve been working and communicating for a year via phone and email. Of course, Harry and I are also anticipating the time we’ll have in the city before and after the event to play tourist. We have each been to New York, but not for a whole bunch of years, and not together. My one visit occurred in the summer of 1979 when my college roommate and I treated ourselves to a graduation gift of a week in the big city, seeing seven or eight Broadway shows, visiting museums and the Statue of Liberty and generally kicking up our heels. Harry and his brother attended one of Wine Spectator‘s “wine experience” events in 1993 (and never fail to rave about the Carnegie Deli ever since). We’re eager to rediscover the city as a couple and know we’ll  have no trouble filling our four days there with all kinds of great experiences. Before we get there, though, I must forge through the one aspect of travel that I least enjoy (yes, even less than red-eye flights in coach): packing. I will admit that I spend an inordinate amount of time dithering over just what outfits to pack and how many pairs of shoes I’ll really need (invariably, I always haul along more than I’ll actually wear). I check weather forecasts for my destination and pray that over the course of a few days I won’t be faced with extremes of snow and 30 degrees followed by “unseasonably warm” temps. That inevitably means I’ll be adding more clothing to my suitcase than most seasoned travelers would pack for a month, knowing even while I’m doing it that I probably won’t wear half of it. I think the only solution for this problem is longer, more frequent trips to more wonderful destinations, so that I can really get the hang of this packing business! Okay, I’ve put it off long enough; back to the closet and suitcase I go. Wish me luck, and if you’d like to weigh in with any suggestions on what we should see or do this coming week in New York City, please leave a comment here (packing tips would also be appreciated!). Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader