Looking for ideas...

What do you carry when you're being a tourist in a walking city like New York? And what do you use to haul said stuff around?

I usually use a backpack but mine is getting ratty. It also is awful to wear on hot days- can you say 'sweaty back'? I don't want to carry my life with me; credit cards, cash, driver's license, hotel key- are easy; what weighs me down are the printouts from Websites and guidebooks I simply have to have. Add in a camera and bottle of water and I'm back to a backpack. Help me think out of the box!

Get free maps from your hotel concierge and use the cut and paste options (ctrl C and ctrl v) so that you can have itemized printouts with only the info you need from the websites.

Same goes for the guidebooks - type something up with the place name, address, phone number and a short little blurb about what it is and leave the guidebooks in the room.

Cross check your printouts with your guidebook each night to make sure you go where you want.

Also, are you a woman or a man? If a woman, then carry a shopping tote (make sure it has a zippered top). I like these from Longchamp http://tinyurl.com/2evw3x as they hold a lot and don't scream tourist.

you might find this recent post interesting

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...4&tid=35002189

Messenger bag always works for me. I like Manhattan Portage. http://www.manhattanportage.com/

Backpacks, tube tops, and wife beaters don't work on the streets of Manhattan.

A family from Kansas walking down Park Avenue in tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops is a sight weird to behold.

A nice microfiber black bag looks better than a backpack and can organize your stuff well. Here is an example:
http://www.travelsmith.com/jump.jsp?...=8363&sortBy=0

I carry some type of messenger bag when touristing in cities. They come in different sizes, and always look snappier than a backpack, or a purse stuffed to the gills. They're easier to get into on the fly, too. ebags.com is a good website.

Pisces-

Are you a man or a woman?

I'm female, and I just carry a medium-sized purse (with shoulder straps) with me, like what I would carry in my home city. It's big enough for my wallet, compact camera, a small bottle of water, and certainly a smallish guidebook.

I carry it over my shoulder, and tucked it under my arm and elbow. Never had a problem in NYC.

I like a messenger bag I can wear across my body to distribute the weight.
Works for male or female.
You should not wear flip flops because the streets make your feet filthy... NOT because it is a no-no.
As far as 'fashion' goes, don't worry about it. There is a huge percentage of locals in NYC that dress poorly or in last years (or last decades) style.
Business people are typically dressed smart but if you look at locals on a Saturday morning you will see little difference. Even if you do dress different, SO WHAT!?

If you're a dude, don't carry anything you can't fit in your pockets ... put it all in your wife/girlfriend's purse.

Repay her by holding her purse while she shops or tries stuff on. Don't stray too far from her, however, and don't look too comfortable holding that purse, Sally.

Enjoy!

Oh man, Gekko, are you my BIL??? ;-)

He ALWAYS tries to saddle me with his keyring, which is HUGE and weighs about 10 pounds!

(sheepish look) "Uh, can you put this in your purse?"

No! No! A thousand times No!

Lots of NYers use backpacks. And totes. And messenger bags. Really, anything goes that you're comfortable with. Except fanny packs!!

My bag of choice these days is my gray Manhattan Portage messenger bag, which has lasted almost 10 years of hard NY commuting and overstuffing. Brooklyn Industries and Timbuktu also make good NY bags.

I'm personally not a fan of totes unless it can zip shut - but I've always been a bit paranoid about dropping it and having everything spill out, no matter where I am!

My BF occasionally carries a "man bag" - smaller than his old messenger bag and worn only on one shoulder. It accomodates a book, umbrella, etc. His current one is Eagle Creek (I think?). Jack Spade also makes great men's bags; I've been seeing them around a lot recently.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how dangerous backpacks can be on the subway. In a crush, you can wind up creaming someone in the face with a regular backpack (not to mention the already mentioned lack of security). There are also places (like Yankee stadium and some museums) that don't allow back packs in at all. The Bink one on the thread that escargot linked would not have the same problems as it's not so bulky and can be made to look like a handbag. Assuming you're a woman, should you decide on another backpack, make sure to have your valuables in a separate smaller case that you can lift out.

The Longchamps nylon bag Pomme posted is a good (and popular) option. It comes with 2 length of handles (and many sizes). On their website, you can even design your own. There are also 2 Longchamps stores in Manhattan and the bags are also sold at dept. stores. You may even find some knock offs sold on the street.

Buy cargo pants or capris with a million pockets, that is what I do. And I carry:
1. very small card holder w/basic cc's, ID, cash.
2. one lip gloss
3. tissues
4. pocket camera
5. index cards with touring info that I chuck in the garbage once we are done with that particular site.
6. cell phone

You couldn't pay me enough to lug a backpack anywhere in the summer. If you MUST tote water all over the place, get a runners belt that holds it or find one of those cute mesh holders on a strap. Otherwise, just buy water when you need it--plenty of deli type places sell small bottles that you can finish on the spot.

For years I carried a Prada backpack and a couple years ago I traded it for my Prada messanger bag.

Works perfect.

I either use my camera bag or a backpack. Really, nothing beats a backpack. You don’t have to carry the big schoolbag type. I have them in 3 different sizes. Just remember to slip it off when you get on the train and remember your “clearance” in tight spaces! I definitely wouldn’t use anything that only hangs off of one shoulder.

I work/live in NYC, and my commuting bag of choice is a nylon Longchamp tote. It zips on the top, it's durable, and it fits my gym clothes and lap top. I usually wear flip flops into the office in the summer, and ballet flats in the winter (or boots).

I'm female- don't care too much about fashion (although I wasn't planning on bringing flip-flogs- not sure where that tangent in the thread came from!), but I've had some shoulder issues that necessitates some distribution of weight. I love the index cards idea! Thanks for all the tote suggestions- maybe I can find something while I'm in NY.

I agree with Bugswife -- you couldn't pay me to lug around all that stuff. Just spent a week in NY and carried a smallish (two compartment, 9"x10") over the should bag each day. Inside are two credit cards and some cash (bills only, I won't carry coins) in a little silk zip pouch, small cell phone, a pen, two bandaids, tiny tin of aspirin, one lipstick in a lightweight plastic tube, a little pak of Kleenex, clip-on sunglasses, hotel keycard, subway pass. If I need a map, I tear the page out of WHERE mag in the hotel room. If I need water, I buy it and consume it. If I need directions, I ask. I don't carry a camera, but could get a small one in my bag if needed. The box you must think outside of, is the one convincing you that you "need" so much stuff along.

OK- unless it's sweltering, the water can probably go. I will admit it's my research materials weighing me down, but I always, 100% always, have to check my guidebook at some point each day. If it's hot and we get a craving for ice cream- or we finish a site early and want to see something else- or our planned restaurant falls through- I like to have alternatives and access to information. Anal, I know, but when time and money is limited, I like to make the most out of it.