the art of staycations
this year, I chose to find joy and rest in my own city - here's what I learned and why I recommend you do it too
For years I thought rest meant leaving your city. Flights, itineraries, and a work inbox set to out of office. And sometimes it is. But this year, I stopped flying toward rest and started finding it closer to home.
I think familiar places can feel new if you change how you move through them. When you slow down enough to explore your city with a traveler’s mindset by booking a hotel, walking without destination, eating breakfast somewhere different, you can often realize how much beauty hides in familiarity.
Staycations normalize the idea that rest can exist within your everyday life, not as a reward after burnout, but as part of your routine.
They remind us that joy doesn’t need to be big, it can be accessible and local.
Recently, I came across a phrase from a creator, Jaz Turner that’s stayed with me called a “Higher Self Weekend.”
It’s the idea of giving yourself a weekend your best self would design: thoughtful, calm, a little luxurious. No busy plans; just presence, beauty, and care woven into your own life.
So instead of booking a flight, I tried something new. I spent a few weekends exploring how New York could hold the best version of me.
Here’s where I went:
Equinox Hotel
My experience here was the definition of rest as performance. The Equinox Hotel is built for people who take rest just as seriously as work. I like to call it a LinkedIn Lounge (lol). It’s quiet, deeply intentional and there are so many opportunities to network. It’s a space where wellness feels engineered; From the blackout shades, the soundproof rooms, the chilled air, everything is designed for maximum recovery.
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge felt like the pinnacle of nature and warmth. The design has reclaimed wood, greenery, and plenty of sunlight.
The customer service was amazing! I arrived at 7am (way before the 4pm check-in time) planning to work in the lobby, but they not only let me check in early, they even upgraded my room. I saw that as a little blessing from God :)
I loved staying here and it’s very close to Timeout Market which is a food hall full of famous eats.
on the radar:
Wildflower Farms
Last on my list this year for a Higher Self Weekend is Wildflower Farms. It reminds me of a place where luxury meets farm life. It’s definitely the reset I’m saving for when I need to remember who I am away from the city, plus I have always wanted to live out my Hannah Montana (city/farm life) dreams as a kid (lol).
A very insightful read - I love this line used in your writing “you can often realize how much beauty hides in familiarity”. I can relate to this phenomenon ❤️