In a perfect world, traveling would have no glitches or downsides ... whether overpaying for tickets or being the victim of theft.  Alas, there are strategies and methods that you can take to make traveling less expensive and safer.

I love 2 recent articles on how to mitigate the "glitch" scenario so that your journeys may focus on the pleasurable aspects.  Following are relevant portions which could guide you to a more "glitch-free" experience:

1.  The website Budget Travel recommends the following things to AVOID buying airline tickets:

Shopping at Night

Airlines generally release a limited number of inexpensive coach-class seats in the morning or early afternoon. From a consumer standpoint, that means the early bird gets the worm. If you're booking late at night, you stand a greater chance of finding only the leftover (read: more expensive) seats. Search early in the day for the best prices.

Delaying

It's such a hassle searching for cheap flights, right? It's fine to keep putting it off until the last minute-assuming you don't mind paying through the nose when you do finally get around to it. Sure, sometimes people find a good deal at the last minute, but that's the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, the longer you wait, the more you pay. Start searching a few months before you fly. The sweet spot for finding a good fare is about six weeks ahead of departure.  

Departing in the Afternoon

Want to cost yourself some extra money? Book a flight that departs in the afternoon. That's the travel industry's version of rush hour, and for the privilege of flying when the skies are most congested (and delays are most common), you'll pay more than if you selected an early or late departure. Higher fares and more delays? Talk about adding insult to injury.

2.  The WSJ's Scott McCarthy writes in his recent column (The Middle Seat) all about The Return of the Pickpocket.  Many things can befell us travelers, but falling prey to an innocent-looking(?) stranger would definitely be at the top of my list.  I have a couple of ironclad rules, one of which is to ditch my larger, heavy wallet for a small one which carries a few essentials: 1 or 2 credit cards/photo i.d./small amount of cash/health insurance card/AAA card.  

From 2007!  Still wearing the same bag ...

My travel purse is a sturdy, nylon messenger (cross-body) bag with a strap you'd literally have to cut off of me.  There are inside zippered pockets plus an outside buckle. The only downside to the purse is that for years I'm wearing the same damn strap in every photo!  I'll take a small bag for the evening that carries even less ...

Also, hotels in lots of price ranges have in-room safes.  Use them.  Take only as much cash as you might need that day; lock up the rest.  I might be overboard, but I lock up everything I can't or don't want to try living without -- even medications!  Other things that go in the safe:  Small electronics -- music devices & tablet; obviously Passports but also any tickets for shows; jewelry but I travel with a minimal amount anyway; camera but that's usually always with me; cell phone if I don't have an international calling plan but need it once back in the U.S.  Why take the chance when you have a safety net?

These rules can always have exceptions, but so far - so good!  

Where to go after the Tampa trip?  Well, New York City of course.  When you live on the west coast and travel east, the bulk of the flying time is done.  So we left Tampa on Friday, August 31, which happened to be our 26th wedding anniversary.

Was dinner that night at Daniel? Maybe Per Se or Jean-Georges?? No, it was direct to Shake Shack for burger, fries and, of course a shake!  This is NYC-restaurateur-extraordinaire Danny Meyer's take on fast food.  FYI, he is the man behind some of the city's most popular spots -- Union Square Cafe, The Modern, Gramercy Tavern, etc.  But his idea for this type of food is a cut above the norm -- high quality beef, organic produce -- and the shakes are too die for.  Had previously enjoyed one a couple years ago at the-then new Mets stadium.  Yum, yum (mine was a "black-and-white," an homage to the famous cookie).

That evening we enjoyed a performance of "Once," winner of the Tony for best musical.  If you saw and liked the movie, you'll love this Broadway version about a Czech girl and Irish boy's collaboration.  Love the convenience of staying in the theater district, this time at The Time, a boutique hotel on West 49th. There is definitely an advantage to being so close to the shows and, remarkably, there's a wonderful absence of noise upstairs.

Delish chopped salad at Barneys

Saturday of this Labor Day weekend, my longtime friend Julie and I walked Madison Avenue (the hubbies went to see tennis) and gazed at all the gorgeous clothes we could mainly dream about buying.  Total fun and the stores are very welcoming.   On to the flagship Barneys New York for a late lunch and escape from the humid air. 

Tuna Tartare with Yellow Gazpacho

Saturday evening was a performance of Gore Vidal's "The Best Man" with a stellar cast and very timely subject matter as the setting is a political convention.   On to DB Bistro Moderne for a late supper. Can't go wrong with any outpost by famed chef Daniel Boulud; but, as a prime example of how different NYC is, I'm frequently not awake at 11pm let alone sitting down for a meal!

Blueberry Bread Pudding with B-berry Ribbon

Bruce, Me, Steve Davis & Julie Shuer

Sunday all four of us went to the U.S. Open, one of the main reasons for coming here.  Tix are a lot easier to procure and the number of matches obviously greater this weekend as opposed to the final weekend.  Seeing tennis up close is a fabulous experience -- love having the serve speed immediately displayed (which can reach 130+ mph). Wow.

 

Really good match

Yep, those 2 guys from the scoreboard above left.

Coincidentally, we and our friends both have daughters in NY colleges so that made for a lively dinner with a couple of our girls' friends at Trattoria Dell'Arte across from Carnegie Hall. Daughter Hannah is a senior at Long Island's Hofstra and friends Julie & Steve's daughter Sofia is a freshman at Barnard.  Lucky girls ...

Hannah's Limoncello Tower

Disappearing Pizza Margherita

 

Sofia, Steve, Ariella, Me, Julie, Hannah, Meaghan, Bruce

Hero then and now ...

Labor Day was the last of this travel so we ended with a visit to the 9/11 Memorial. Many of you know that not only were Bruce and I in D.C. on that horrible day, but we had just entered the Capitol when the planes were hitting the Towers and the Pentagon.  I've linked his worthy read of our personal experience and the 2-day drive from D.C. to L.A. with the wish that none of us ever experiences that kind of travel again...

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