NYC Survival Kit?
 

The New York Times has a piece today on what you should carry when out and about in NYC:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/n...vival-kit.html

Only item I've carried when visiting is the water bottle, although I also have a lightweight folding umbrella and a shopping bag that scrunches down to nothing. Might add antiseptic wipes instead of the baby wipes as I'm on medication that suppresses the immune system, and the fan is a good idea.

What do you carry?

I carry about $50 in cash, in $5 denominations, for buying dirty water hot dogs and chicken over rice. Also, a pocketful of napkins or paper towels. You never know when you're going to need to wipe something off.

The spare metrocard is a good idea.

Totally “dumb” article. You don’t need an article to tell you what you need - just use common sense.

When traveling in NYC just carry the same stuff you carry when visiting any other major city in the world.

Small denomination bills for tips.

Sigh, can’t view. I shall have to use my imagination on the stupidity given that most travel articles are either product placement or obvious.

My bag: antiseptic wipes, ibuprofen, reusable water bottle, wallet. Kindle if I’m dining out in the evening. So...pretty much what I’d carry at home.

why an extra metro card? I mean if you lose the first one, you can replace it at any metro station.

@mm - from the article:

“I carry an extra preloaded MetroCard, always. When the A train is pulling into Hoyt-Schermerhorn and I’m cursing because I knew my balance was low and didn’t refill my card the night before, that extra prefilled card keeps me from a 20 minute wait or Uber fare.”

i suppose that would make sense if you had an appointment to make. Thanks for the enlightenment lol.

I don't live near any major city so I thought the article was worth a read. It reminded me that in the long ago days all "ladies" used to carry a fold up plastic rain bonnet which I doubt are available anymore. I was surprised not to see some kind of city map since none of us had smart phones the last time we visited NYC and got off the subway at the wrong stop. Name of street was correct but maybe more than a mile from where we should have gotten off. However, in Chicago, a friendly security guard was more helpful with advice about how to get to Navy Pier than friend's smart phone. Never would have thought of ear plugs and probably wouldn't use them since I think it's important to keep eyes and ears open.

Don't play tennis and don't tote layer cakes to picnics, but dental floss is still a good idea, not only in NYC!

Although I do not always carry them, I think gloves are a good idea to prevent germs from subway poles and all else one might touch.. I even hesitate to shut off that annoying taxi music cause I don't want to touch the screen..imagine how often those are cleaned! Just some cheap cotton gloves would be really good to tote along in a purse.

The scrunched up bag for toting purchases is a must. And I always carry some kind of handkerchief aka cotton napkin liberated from an airline meal. Helps me when I get hot. And can use to open bathroom doors in restaurants or museums.

I have never liked umbrellas; difficult to carry around, easy to lose. Wear a jacket with a hood. Just never thought they were worth the trouble.

You would, hilariously, be wrong about that. my mother is hooked on Vermont country store catalogue, but they also sell them other places online. My favorite:
The Bonnit (I mean, I don’t own one. I just like to fantasize about having hair worth protecting from the rain).

Re: cell phone: Nyt publishes some of the most absurd articles I’ve seen, and usually the writers assume everyone has a smartphone.

@eks - good idea about the gloves. Now I am on medication that suppresses my immune system I should do that. I don't have a problem with the umbrella as my day pack has two outside pockets - one for water and one for the umbrella. Although it is small enough to fit inside. A hood may keep your hair dry but doesn't do much for the rest of you or anything you are carrying.

It's not even a travel article. They asked NYC residents (not travelers) what their top 10 list is based on past experience. A tape measure made the list - I stopped reading when I saw that.

well, obviously you never worried about whether the big turkey would fit in your oven. My maternal grandmother was a draftswoman and always measured things.

Thanks for the VT Country Store info. Now I don't have to wonder how a dear family friend has preserved her rain bonnets for decades. She used to teach English and never married. She wear TWO rainhats. One is the plastic bonnit type and the other is the old fisherman's type, I was scarred for life, however, because my cheapskate father bought me a boy's raincoat and hat (it covered the whole head and had a visor) because it was cheaper than the girl's version which came with the cute fisherman's style hat. Young fashionistas wore their hats backwards like a large brimmed bonnet. Dear family friend also never goes without proper hose even to a family barbecue.

ever so handy should you decide to impulse shop at ikea...

Or buying a new stylish collar for your puppy

um, and measuring your foot long hot dog to see if it’s actually foot long?

I dunno. I use my tape measure a lot but not when I’m out roaming around!

I'm a lot older than most of the people interviewed and know quite a few people who have had heart attacks. I always carry chewable aspirin. Also Benadryl in case of an allergic reaction.

The only thing I need in NY is plenty of money (surprising amount of cash is needed for the numerous cash only places), anti-bac wipes/gel, travel insurance with medical cover, metrocard, Uber app, NY Ferry app and enough room in my suitcase for purchases.

Well, let's empty my pockets and see . . .

Tissue (actually a folded paper towel)
Wallet (contains Metrocard, library card, museum memberships etc)
Cash (usually around $200)
Keys
Phone
Reading glasses

In jacket pocket -- Barbour rain hat.

Yet, I survive . . .

Fra, I survive with much less than that! Most often, I walk out the door with just my phone, which has a slot for a credit card, my license and a $5.00 bill. I leave the door to my apartment unlocked, and I can get in the front door via my phone.

You are correct. I have never worried about fitting a big turkey in my oven when I'm on vacation in NYC.

That list is dumb.

For a day walking around NYC, I would carry my usual pocketbook which does have things like kleenex, small makeup kit, etc. I might throw in a travel umbrella if rain was forecast. Or bandaids if I didn't trust my shoes. And a few anticeptic wipes in individual packets are always a good idea when traveling.

I have lived in Manhattan since 1974. The majority of the list made perfect sense to me. I carry most of those items every day in my regular purse in the smallest size available. Most people think my purse is small to average--it is not a tote.

The items:

1. Backup MetroCard - YES - I have extras because friends who visit give me their leftover cards when they leave. I will admit that it does come in handy sometimes.
2. Manual Fan - YES - In summer only. Mine is one of those round ones that twists and folds smaller than the one shone. My apartment building is not air conditioned and the wait by the elevator can be sweltering at certain times. Also comes in handy in the subway.
3. Tape Measure - YES - My Mom always carried one and so do I. It is very handy to be able to measure items (furniture, household goods) before dragging them home to a small apartment with limited storage. Mine is retractable, smaller than the one shone--2 inches round by 1/2 inch thick.
4. Makeup Wipes - YES - Actually mine more at Wet Naps such as you get with fast food. I carry one or two just in case.
5. Nylon Tote - YES - Instead of a big groceries excursion, I stop for groceries almost every day. A fold-up tote saves a tremendous number of bags.
6. Dental Floss - YES - A really small freebie one from the dentist.
7. Deodorant - NO - Too big for me to carry every day.
8. Ear Plugs - YES - Useful for when I dine out by myself and want to read, as well as for long rides on commuter trains and airplanes.
9. Phone Charger - YES - I have a phone, I bring the charger.
10. Water Bottle - NO - Too bulky to carry every day in my bag. I save that room for my micro-mini umbrella which I do carry every day.

I'm trying to figure out why I would need all those things in NYC that I don't need in Seattle? Is it really that different???

Yes to the Benadryl and also to Advil or some kind of painkiller in case knees go out. And always wear nice undergarments in case I get hit by a car. (Joke there) To paraphrase my mother, "Who knows who you will meet??"

Thursday I am going to look into cotton, cheap gloves for just the use I mentioned above. I imagine the risks of NOT wearing gloves would bring more trouble than not carrying some of the stuff mentioned. When I think of all the surfaces I touch every day...I do wash my hands the minute I get home but still.... I do carry tiny washcloth in my purse to open doorknobs but often forget to do that or do not bother to use it.

I don't see the need to carry all that "stuff". When I travel I don't carry anymore with me than I do normally as I go out and about.

Really? I don't usually carry a transport pass, a water bottle, a camera, a map, a guidebook, or an umbrella. But at home I drive everywhere. (Well, these days the map is on my phone.)

Me either.

Well when I "travel" I might have different things, but depending on location.

Not for major cities in the USA where my every-day bag and contents work fine. But Hawaii/Mexico/Caribbean where it's HOT I'd have a small water bottle, dry wash cloth or bandana for sweat, sun hat of some sort, small notepad & pen, etc.

You don't think it's HOT in many mainland US cities in the summer?? Try DC in July.

I think suze's point wasn't that it's hot or not, just that in any major city she'd carry the same things as she carries at home, which might include a water bottle and bandana if she lived in a hot climate.

Did anyone read the article? It had nothing to do with tourists. It was a survey of New Yorkers about what they like to carry when that are walking in the city in which they live.

Yes I read it. But the OP specifically asked us "what do you carry?" So while not the topic of the linked article, I thought that was the topic of this thread.

Ive lived in NYC over 50 years and never go out without a mini umbrella in my tote. Also, something to read. On trains, buses etc you'll always see New Yorkers with their nose in a book, newspaper, Kindle, etc.

One thing I can't figure out is this: When I take the subway, many people around me are on their smart phones, typing, reading, chuckling, etc. But I can't get any service except for when the train stops a minute ot two at certain stations. I don't need to be on the phone, just curious.

According to google, NYC subways got cell service in early 2017.

Typing: you just send as soon as you hit the next station. It usually takes me a few minutes to compose anyway.

Reading: either you load shorter things while waiting for the train, or you just read one longer thing between stretches. I catch up on my magazine reading usually, though, and those are already downloaded.

It could also be they have better connection than you, though. I have internet any time the train is approaching or leaving a station. So I’m not without for very long.