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A lifelong New Yorker, I always jump when touched by a stranger on a crowded midtown Manhattan street.
“Where did you get those shoes?” a sweet-looking woman asked. “Amazon,” I replied. The brand is Flexx (one of our “Best Finds”). The footwear admirer spoke little English but handed me her phone so I could type the name in.

The view from my room
She beamed and walked briskly away.
Walking is one of those activities I took for granted when I lived in New York. I now live in a driving city (Scottsdale) and have to figure out creative ways to get my walking in.
Over the three days I stayed in New York (in a truly awesome room at the Bryant Park Hotel), I walked more than 30,000 steps. I passed by retailers and restaurants I had never noticed before. That’s the true beauty of taking a bleisure trip to New York.
If you have a trip planned to New York this spring, summer or fall, be sure to allow time between activities to walk. Skip the taxi, Uber, and Lyft and just wander. Pack comfortable shoes (and bandages, just in case — although you’ll find many Walgreens and CVS stores along your way).
But be sure to move at a brisk pace, or stay close to the curb, lest you be run over by native New Yorkers (who walk a lot but don’t always pay attention to the world around them…I know, I used to be one of them!)
- An early AM suggestion: Get a take-out breakfast from a local deli and eat in Bryant Park while people-watching
- The amazing room (which I was in when not walking, eating, and meeting)
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What do you think?