I love to travel and tell stories about what I’ve experienced. My dream job would involve being able to do both. I believe it’s always important not to wait for your job to provide an outlet to do what you love. So, I make travel content! Some of it is on my blog, but I have also been developing filmed content. I’m not interested in reviewing photos and videos of my latest trip- there are a hundred other blogs/vlogs for that. My aim is to encourage and inspire. I’m much more interested in what we can learn while we’re away from home. So, if you’re interested in experiencing New York, and you love travel and hospitality, please check out my latest video. For those who would prefer to read, I have also provided the transcript below.

Enjoy my friend!

New York City.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest cities in the world. 

Iconic is a word that best describes it. It’s a place that demands and receives the attention of the world on a daily basis. There’s a connection to world history almost everywhere you look when walking through Manhattan. It’s also a place you can visit that will almost always live up to it’s reputation. What is it’s reputation? Just ask anyone who’s visited and they will quickly give you a list of adjectives. 

Words like 

“Big”

“Inspiring” 

“Overwhelming”

“Loud”

“Magnificent”

“Beautiful”

“Exciting”

“Exhausting”

“Clean.”

“Dirty”

“Diverse”

“Expensive.  And more”

Having been there many times, I feel like I can confirm all of the above. 

It’s also a city that I’ll always say yes to when it comes to an opportunity to visit. 

I love New York. 

I want to make a note here that I’m not going to launch into a review of New York. I am more interested in Why I think people love New York. 

There are likely thousands of videos out there that will give you a bucket lists of things you should do while you’re in the city. Of course, I have ideas of things you can do, but my hope is that I can provide you some value on how you can come away inspired by a visit to this great city.

But before we get into it, it’s important that I give you a little history….

I made my first visit to New York nearly 20 years ago in the fall of 2005. 

And my first visit could not have been more timely. 

At that time in my life, I was in my first job after college, I didn’t have money and I wasn't in the best place spiritually or emotionally. I don’t think those are unusual feelings to have when you’re young and broke-but that’s where I was. 

The ideas that I had for my future were very limited, and I think I had very low expectations for the opportunities that would come my way. 

My Mom and Dad had been to New York previously, and leading up to that trip, they had been going back and forth to the city often and they wanted to give me to opportunity to experience it as well. So they bought me a ticket and I flew with my Mom to New York. 

I Remember being overwhelmed at the size and scale of everything. New York was so big and expansive. Up until this point, this was by far the biggest city that I had ever visited. 

It seemed like a place that was full of potential.

New York told me a new story about the possibilities of life. A story that says we live in a big world that has enough for everyone to take a chance on their dreams. 

When I returned home, I felt excited about life. So I moved back to Edmonton and started working as a front desk agent at a large hotel in the west end. And so began my journey of learning about the power of hospitality and its ability to unlock possibilities. 

Working in hospitality opened up all kinds of doors for me, and I kept learning and growing. 

And I’ve seized every opportunity to return to New York, which I imagine will continue to be a very special place for me. 

Opportunity is a weighty word for me and if you can stick with me a while, I’d like to explain why.  

My latest trip to New York was a mix of business and pleasure. A very quick 3 day trip where I attended a conference and then I had a day and a half for myself before returning home.

I left Edmonton on an early flight that took me to Montreal and then into Laguardia airport. 

From the airport I was able to take a bus that brought me to a subway station that was able to take me to the hotel I was staying at near Time Square.

I stayed at the Moxy New York City Time Square hotel, a very fun modern hotel designed for Millennials. The rooms as perfect for me as it had everything I needed in a small space. It actually reminded me of rooms that I stayed in when I was in Japan. I loved the designs and creative elements of the hotel and I’d certainly want to go back. The only caveat that I might add is that the bed worked well for me because…I’m short. If you’re a bigger person, this hotel may not be the best option for you. 

After I got myself settled, I changed and took the subway to Greenwich Village on the lower west side of Manhattan. 

The Village is a great place to have dinner, people watch and take it easy. I did all of those three things with Pizza and a nice glass of wine. And you know what? Relaxing, and having dinner while not being rushed and taking in the atmosphere is a great choice. It is time not wasted. 

Once the sun began to set, I walked down Bleeker Street to take in some live entertainment. When people think live entertainment and New York, I think they think of large Broadway shows and performances. That’s certainly true, but like any big city in the world, it’s often worth making a decision to seize an opportunity to find the hidden gem. One of the world’s most famous venue’s for hidden gems is the “Bitter End”. For decades, the Bitter End has been fertile soil for new talent to perform and grow. So I bought a ticket to see whoever was playing at Sunday evening. A girl named Carrie Welling, an artist from Nashville. 

I have no idea if Carrie Welling will be the next Taylor Swift. But It was a worthwhile experience to to listen to someone living our her dream. I’ve never regretted investing a bit of money into someone who’s willing to take a risk in order to practice their art.

After a very pleasant show, I walked my way back through the Village and took the subway back to Penn Station near the hotel.

The following day, I attended a hospitality conference at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the David Geffen Hall. I wouldn’t normally include a professional development event in a video like this, but I will for this reason. Traveling has an amazing way of enhancing any learning experience. I could easily received the information I received from the conference by reading books or watching videos, but there’s something special about being in a room with like minded people who share your values. In this case, I attended a conference meant to inspire all of those who work and serve in hospitality. 

I got to hear from some incredible world class speakers and I nearly filled a notebook full of ideas an takeaways. I felt challenged, inspired and encouraged. I’m glad I came. 

After the conference, I went back to my hotel to change and then I went for a walk.

I spent the evening walking through Time Square. I’ve been there a number of times and it’s one of those places that has a tremendous amount of energy. 

If you’ve never visited, Time Square is everything they say it is. There is always something to see and something to hear. Yes, it’s a tourist trap, but I’ve always walked through it feeling like I’m in movie or some other epic story where I’m a minor character. I like that sort of thing. 

The next morning, I woke up and did what I thought would be a very New Yorker thing to do in the morning. I went and found some Lox and Bagel, which for me, is a satisfying breakfast when you need something quick, filling and satisfying. 

On the topic of food, I was also hoping that I could make a stop this time around at Katz Deli in the East Village and order their famous Pastrami on Rye Sandwich. 

Katz is know around the world and I knew in advance that It could be very busy so I went a bit early. When going to Katz’s there are a few unwritten rules that one should follow in order to have a great experience.

1. Know what you want. In most cases that will be Pastrami on Rye with mustard

2. Remember to tip the meat cutter and you’ll get a better sandwich 

3. Cash is preferred and speed is key.

4. Eat your food and get out in order to make space for the person in line. 

5. Remember to bring your appetite. The sandwich is huge. 

I ate the whole thing- and as you can imagine, I was very full and I had a few calories to walk off. I didn’t plan on it originally, but I took a quick look at the map on google and decided I’d go for a long walk. 

I walked all the way from the East Village and across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and spent a wonderful afternoon walking through Brooklyn. 

I’m really glad I did. It was a beautiful day and walking is one of the best ways to experience any city.  

On the last day of this trip, I woke and quickly reviewed how I wanted to spend my time in New York which was quickly about to Expire.

I decided I would pack my luggage and to my favourite place in this great city. Grand Central Station. 

I think it’s a beautiful space and a powerful metaphor for New York and….. life. 

What I mean by this is that when I’m standing in the middle of Grand Central; I’m reminded that there are so many places to go. So many things you could do…but you can’t go everywhere and you can’t do everything you want. 

I’ve been to New York a number of times now, but I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. You can’t do everything you’d like to do when visiting. 

It’s the same thing in life. In the words of the writer Oliver Burkeman  

“Time is too small a container for the all the things we want to put in it.”

We only have 24 hours a day. No human is entitled to more. Ideally, all humans on average have 4000 weeks of live to live. That’s it. 

So it’s important that we make decisions about how we choose to spend our time with the understanding and acceptance that we can’t do it all.

The decisions we make take us to places. 

The choices we make put us on tracks to a destination.

Places and destinations take up time in our lives

So it’s important that we choose well. 

Being positive is a choice. It’s a track you can ride and it makes an impact on how enjoyable your journey is. 
You want to be negative? that’s a choice and it will take you places you don’t want to go. Not only that, but you’ll miss out on all the joy you can have on the journey. 

If you had an expiry date printed on your forehead and you were aware of the time of your death, what would you want to get done? I believe there's value in taking stock of how much time we could have left on this earth.  

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." says a verse in Psalm 90, where the writer reflects on humanity's limits and finite nature. That line is a sobering reminder that we only have a short supply of time on earth and we should use it wisely. 

If you’ve stuck with me up until this point, thank you

There’s another reason New York is a meaningful place for me.  The main reason is that it was the last trip my Mom ever took. We didn’t know it at the time, but she would fight a very brief but brave battle with cancer 6 months later. When I think about the age she was when she passed away from cancer, I'm reminded that I'm not that far away from her in terms of my age.

 If I were to live as long as my mom did, I would have about four years left to live. I don't live in fear or paranoia, but I do live with an awareness of the finite nature of life. In the meantime, I do what I can to live healthy and do my best to walk a journey guided by my values.

So I’ve made my choices. Since my first visit all those years ago, I got married, started a family, began a new career, made new friends, I traveled the world, read as many books I could. 

I’ve done everything I know to not waste my time on this earth. I also approach my time with optimism. It’s a big beautiful world out there. 

So I’ll end here by reminding you of something I read recently. 

It’s important to live with the truth that no matter your age or stage in life—— the most important parts of your life is always ahead of you. You can’t do everything, but you can always do something to add value to your life and the lives of others. Use this one wild and precious life well.