Just after the calendar flipped to 2012, I stood on a friend of a friend’s balcony in the East Village. I could see the caketopper of the Empire State Building, lit red, white and green. (Thanks to blogger Eriklyn for taking the rad photo of the Empire State Building above.)
A couple of hours later, I was wearing my T J Maxx Michael Kors black puffy coat, patched on the inside with duct tape. My friend Erin, a WanderChic sympathizer, and I were about to leave the party.
“Don’t go. We’re changing the music,” said a stylish woman in glasses.
“Take that off,” echoed a man in a white scarf and black suit, pointing to my coat. “You can go back to Spokane and tell everyone you danced with the Monopoly Man.” He did look like the Monopoly man, sans top hat and white mustache. He pronounced the town Spo-KANE, a common mistake, and told me I was “gorgeous,” which was auspicious start to 2012 even if I felt more schweddy than glamourous after dancing in a borrowed sweater.
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I’m not a pro at generating travel tips, but it’s a new year. I’ll take a shot.
For those of us Socially Awkward Travelers (SAT), we may wonder how we might strike up a conversation with the woman dressed head to toe in gold lame, or the charming couple in well cut sport coats at the olive tray.
One strategy is to find a relevant small-talky question and beat it into the ground. This small-talk opening gambit could focus on a noteworthy feature in your immediate environment, such as “So, this cheese is really good, huh?” Point to any of the gourmet hunks on the around-the-world cheese platter.
The prompt could also be seasonal: “So, do you have any New Year’s resolutions?”
You could also compliment an article of clothing or an accessory, e.g. “Nice boots.” (This one worked especially well for yours truly when I commented on a pair of yellow snakeskin kicks and ended up chatting with a fellow travel writer and essayist for much of the night.) People like to talk about the provenance of their favorite items. Be warned, though, that this one can look forced if played too much. Also the person you compliment may be much less interested in talking about the noteworthy item than you are, in which case you may have to back up and ask about the nearby cheese or lampshade.
The best travel tip I’ve stumbled on so far, though, is to make and keep excellent friends. And visit them.
I was going to write about the holiday pleasures of small towns, but I guess I’ll save that for a future post. How is 2012 looking for you?