Sober Travel Diaries | NYC in November

Hi! Let’s do a Sober Travel Diaries series!

I travel quite a bit, so I thought this would be the perfect way to share my travels with you and give recommendations, along with sober travel tips and inspiration.

I just got home from NYC Sunday night. This was my last trip of the year – safe to say I ended on a high note. One of my besties moved to NYC almost two years ago, and I made the trip to visit her. We painted the town red. And by that, I mean we saw all the sights and had all the fun and then got amazing sleep and were able to be happy functional adults because sobriety is the best like that.)

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SOBER TRAVEL DIARIES | NYC IN NOVEMBER

I stayed at the Lotte New York Palace in Midtown. The location was perfect and the hotel was gorgeous. It’s older, so the room felt old, but the view totally made up for it.

After checking in, Amy came to get me and we set out of our adventures. First, we stopped for coffee and a bite at Maman, a charming cafe that feels like a little French oasis in the middle of the city.

My faux fur jacket was perfect for walking around the city, and it’s back in stock this year. I’m wearing XS.

These jeans are new in my closet this fall and I’ve been wearing them more than any other pair. I love the lighter wash and medium rise. If you’re in between sizes, I would size up.

Next up, we headed to MoMA. I hadn’t been there since 2001 and it didn’t disappoint. (I have no idea who that guy is, but I loved the composition of the photo and you can’t go wrong with Jackson Pollock, so here we are.) I loved Picasso in Fontainbleau – if you’re heading to NY anytime before February 17th, I highly recommend checking it out.

A quick stop at Ralph’s Coffee for the obligatory photo op, and great coffee. (Yes, there is a lot of coffee on sober travels.)

Off to dinner at Jajaja Mexicana in the West Village. It’s a plant-based Mexican restaurant and was deeeeelish. Plus, their NA beer was so good, I had two. 😉

I’ve been thinking about the highlight of the trip, and for me it was seeing & Juliet. It’s one of the best plays I’ve ever seen – hilarious, heart-warming, with a boy band, Britney Spears, bubble gum pop soundtrack that is just perfect. I can’t recommend it enough and I want to plan a trip back to NY just to see it again.

We took a party pedi cab back to the hotel, and it was (almost) worth the $7/minute price. Lol. It was so fun, though.

I woke up early each morning to grab coffee and work in the empty hotel lounge/bar. It’s my absolute favorite thing to do when I’m traveling. Being alone in silence in a ginormous, beautiful room is the BEST.

Saturday was all about shopping! Naturally. We headed to Bloomingale’s first. Amy and I met when we were managers at the Chicago Michigan Ave Bloomindale’s, and I hadn’t been to the 59th St. store since I was in NY for work in 2010. It was so fun to go back and relive the old days.

What can I say? I love Chanel. Duh.

Isn’t she lovely?

Climbed onto a big rock in Central Park to see the prettiest view of the city.

Popped into The Plaza to see their lobby. Gorgeous.

Had to stop at Saks to see their trim shop. I swear, trim shops make me SO happy.

We headed to Winter Village at Bryant Park. So many cute little shops for the holidays.

It’s the Nirvana-lover in me.

The best part about sober travel? Being able to check in with yourself and figuring out how you feel and what you need. On my last night, I needed a night in. So we cancelled our reservations at a fancy rooftop restaurant, stayed in our robes and ordered room service. It was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

TIPS FOR SOBER TRAVEL

• DECIDE. Don’t wait to see how you feel when you get to your destination (or to the airport). Decide that you want to give yourself a chance to see what a sober trip can be. Get curious about it, and open your mind to the possibility that alcohol was never the magic of traveling.
• DO YOUR RESEARCH. Before your trip, dive into restaurant guides and menus, choosing places that offer a variety of mocktails and non-alcoholic options. They’re out there! You just have to look.
• STAY CONNECTED. Tap into a sober/sober curious community. If you don’t have IRL connections, that’s OK! I created The Sober Mom Life Cafe for you. We have women who connect on our exclusive Discord chat all day long and support each other through Sober Firsts like this one. Also, our Peer Support Zoom meetings are the perfect place to bring up concerns and seek support for upcoming sober travel.
• KEEP COMING BACK TO THE MORNINGS. Plan some fun/relaxing morning activities that you would’ve missed out on had you been drinking. An early morning massage, a run in Central Park, some alone time at the cafe.

LOOKING FOR SUPPORT + CONNECTION IN SOBRIETY?

We would love to have you join us in The Sober Mom Life Cafe! For $15/month, you will get connection with the most supportive sober women on the Internet (including me!). Here’s what you’ll receive as a member:

• 4 Peer Support Zoom meetings a week
• Access to our exclusive Discord chat to connect with sober women all day long
• Weekly bonus podcast episode
• Monthly Book Club meeting