When the first inklings of spring arrive after an unbearable winter, New York City is a madhouse. You know it’s happening because all the crazies come out–in the best and worst way possible. The streets are suddenly alive (although it’s possible I feel like that because I’ve finally rejoined the streets after months of hibernation). Whatever it is, I feel like I’ve never seen so many people wandering around. (I swear New Yorkers will stand on random street corners looking up at the sun, eagerly trying to soak it in.)
You also learn, quickly, that any thought you have is unoriginal. In a city of 8 million or so, with a (lot of, but) limited selection of outdoor hangouts, you can expect to see your neighbor, and your neighbor’s mother, and every tourist imaginable at every location that feels like a great idea. Like, that brunch spot near the park. The Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Sheep Meadow in Central Park. Yea, someone else thought of that.
So how do you enjoy the warm weather without being overwhelmed, as a tourist or native? Read on… (and share your own tips, if you dare).
When I was feeling antsy this month, it occurred to me that every year for the last several years I’ve taken a vacation in April. Three years ago it was our engagement trip to Paris. Two years ago it was a friend’s birthday trip to New Orleans. Last year, it was a group trip to Austin, Texas.
We called it a friendcation, and it involved 5 couples from across the country. We had friends coming from the west coast, upstate New York, Philadelphia and New York City. Somehow, we coordinated schedules, flights, and even airport rides from our various starting points and ended up in Austin, Texas for a long weekend. It was so. much. fun.
So how did this all come about, and how can you plan your own successful friendcation? Read on for my tips.
*This love letter refers to a very specific point in New Jersey, arguably more well-known for the Pennsylvania city across the river
**I’ve actually been in New York 9.5 years, which is about 6 months short of the 10 year mark that, according to urban legend, makes you a real New Yorker, so I’m slightly jumping the gun
Full disclosure: I’m an Airbnb addict. I’m one of those people who logs on just to see the places I could visit. I have 9 semi-organized wishlists, with over 300 possible rentals. I talk about it constantly to all of my friends.
Although Airbnb is definitely more mainstream these days, I am always surprised by the number of people who haven’t yet given it a chance. Hopefully these tips will be helpful for your next trip and maybe give you that extra push you need to try it out if you haven’t yet!
Our rental in Stockholm, Sweden (lovely place, but definitely a 20 min walk to the metro, not 10!)
1. Stay at a place with 10+ reviews
Especially for newbies, I recommend filtering by number of reviews for your first few stays. Airbnb isn’t exactly juried, so it’s good to have the support of the community behind your first several picks, until you become more confident in your choosing ability. Whenever possible, I still prefer to stay at a place with ample reviews!
2. Take ratings seriously
Those little yellow stars? They matter. Each listing has an overall rating for things like “Location” and “Cleanliness”–and, in my opinion, these two are the most important. I like to think of it like when you ask your boyfriend how many beers he drank and he says 2. You know he really means 6. Same thing here, in reverse. Only 4 stars? Expect a 2. Things go downhill much more easily than uphill. Play it safe and demand 5 stars–it’s very possible!
Our midsummer escape to a place with a pool in Warwick, NY
3. Pay attention to photos
In a similar vein, I put a lot of weight in a listing’s photos. If a host cares enough to have immaculate photos, plus they have good ratings and reviews, chances are they care about continuing upkeep in general. Some red flags? Places that don’t look lived in at all. Interestingly, I try to stay away from super sparse places, or hosts with multiple listings. Those signal a host who is doing this in bulk for money making, rather than a genuine host who cares about the place they’re putting online because they actually live there. (Plus, you might not get great tips and tricks for exploring the ‘hood if the person doesn’t even reside there!)
4. Be realistic in your searches
And I mean whatever is realistic for you! So far, I’ve done Airbnb mostly in cities where it is quite popular–like Hudson, NY, Paris, Lisbon, Stockholm, Copenhagen. It’s important to figure out the amount you’d like to spend per night prior to beginning your hunt to narrow down what is feasible. In Copenhagen and Stockholm, I filtered below $150 for an entire home, and found plenty of options in very central areas. The search function can be a little funky, so you may not find all the best fitting options if you’re not really honest with yourself. Plus, remember–one of the perks of this type of travel is more bang for your buck–so try to make sure you achieve that!
Our huge spacious apartment in a hip neighborhood in Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Don’t limit your location
I almost never research the best location to stay in prior to looking at my Airbnb options. With such an active community like this, I prefer to see what the other guests have to say about the location of the listings. One of the fun things about apartment rentals is being able to somewhat assimilate into the community, and see a different part of the city. Don’t be afraid to stay a little bit away from tourist-central if transportation is easy and the ‘hood is unique! Disclaimer: Much like the ratings call out, don’t trust the host’s estimate of the “walking distance” to major landmarks. Whenever someone says “10 minutes” they really mean at least 20. Think about the beers, man.
Our homey kitchen in a huge apartment in Lisbon, Portugal
Hope that helps! Would love to hear about your travels and favorite Airbnb stays. (And if you’re so inclined, check out my wishlists here!)
(p.s. this is an entirely non-sponsored post, I’m just that obsessed)
Eat: Portuguese pastries, plenty of red meat, and home-cooked meals during holidays
Drink: Portuguese wine from Douro Valley (and maybe do a port tasting, although the servers here really seem to hate tourists)
Do: Visit the Feira da Ladra flea market and Principe Real neighborhood for shopping, Sintra for a day-getaway, wander extensively in Alfama, and suss out a good place for Fado (we went to A Tasca do Chico and loved it–but make a reservation!)
(this is the 4th & final post in a series, make sure to check out post 1, post 2, & post 3)
It probably won’t come as a surprise to most of you that my favorite way to explore a city is often through… shopping. That can sound bad, I know. I don’t mean heading to the outlets or the mall, or even the 5th avenue equivalent, and spending away an afternoon. I like going to the weekend flea markets and strolling through quaint neighborhoods to check out the local shops. It’s a way to check out the locals, understand some of the city’s history and, oftentimes, get a better idea of the youth culture. I never truly feel like I’ve discovered a city until I find the neighborhood that speaks to me–which just happens to generally mean the one with the cutest front doors, vintage shops, local boutiques filled with jewelry and clothing made by local designers, etc… (I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise why I’m so obsessed with Etsy, then.)
between cities 
