New York Bound

Well, I finally managed to convince everyone at work that it was time for me to take a vacation and get rested up. It’s been a long year, and I’m definitely a bit burnt out and cranky lately. The last vacation I took was last summer, and I wasted all two weeks of it working 12 hour days on my thesis. Come to think of it, the last *real* vacation I had was probably camping down the Oregon coast for a week a few years ago. So, I made a conscious decision this morning to make the most of this vacation.

Dustin and I spent some time yesterday walking around and checking out the travel deals. I found a pretty good deal to go to Mexico for a week for around $800. But to be honest, even though I really like hitting the beach and drinking beer, it’s not really something I want to do alone. Plus, it’s probably insanely hot in Mexico right now.

On Friday, Chris and I were talking about how awesome it would be to go see New York ciity sometime. So, this morning, I started checking out all my options on how to get there.. I found a cheap flight on Harmony Airlines leaving Vancouver this Friday at 9am, and booked it a few hours later. So, I’m officially New York bound. To save some cash, I decided to stay in a hostel, which is something I’ve never done before (however, since I stayed in university dorm rooms for 5 years, I think I’ll easily fit in). Total cost for the trip so far including flight and accomodation: $660. I’m going to keep it relatively cheap in New York, but I’m not gonna be afraid to enjoy myself.

I also picked up a new tent and coleman stove today. I get back into Vancouver next Tuesday night, and plan to leave for the Rocky Mountains Wednesday morning for a few days of camping near Banff. I think it should be a pretty awesome vacation. The only problem I see right now is deciding which camera to take to New York. Bringing my digital SLR might not be a good idea if I’m staying in a hostel. But I know I’m gonna be pissed off once I’m there if I don’t have it. Having that camera is like having some big needy dog: you love the dog, but it gets tiring having to schedule your life differently because of it.

*update* – I called my rental-insurance place, and they said my camera is covered for theft (even when not at home) under my current policy.? For $5 a month, I can schedule my camera and lenses so that I don’t have the pay the $500 deductible if they get stolen.? Sounds like a good deal to me.