When I ask clients what they want to do when they retire, travel frequently tops the list. But, when I ask my retired clients how they spend their time, travel doesn’t seem to be a high priority. Of course, they take vacations, maybe two per year, but more travel than that doesn’t seem to be a priority.

Granted, it is easier, simpler, and cheaper to stay at home, but I would prefer if you lived big. I have written before about the pleasures of “easy travel” where you don’t have to get on a plane. I find travel much less stressful if all you have to do is pack your car and drive to your destination. Significant trips that spring to my mind are three that I took to Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and New York City with my Mom before she died.

If you have followed this newsletter, I have already written about the joys of visiting Cleveland. Though I usually extend business trips by a few days to hang out in Cleveland, it would be a fine destination just for a vacation. Washington D.C. is another fabulous city with a lot to do and it’s a relatively easy drive. Of course, New York was the hardest trip because we chose to fly there. It was a great trip and after a brief anecdote, I will return to try to persuade you to consider a trip to NYC.

For my Mom, who was in her nineties at the time, going to New York was a big deal. Sometimes people of a certain age set their minds on something and cannot be dissuaded. Of course, my Mom looked forward to the Broadway shows, the concerts, the museums, etc. But she also obsessed about getting a silk scarf at Bloomingdales. She must have reminded me twenty times that was something we had to do when we went to New York.

Our plan was to go to Bloomingdale’s our last day. But I underestimated the time it took to get there, and we barely arrived before closing time. We rushed to the scarf section, and my Mom found a scarf she liked. I was so relieved. Then, she asked the salesperson how much it cost? I violently shook my head indicating he should not answer her, but he did. It was $97. Fearing my Mom’s reaction, I immediately took out my credit card and said, “Great, I’ll take it.” Then, what I feared occurred. My Mom started complaining that it was way too expensive and how could we justify spending over $100 for a scarf. Of course, I said I would be delighted to buy it for her but she would have none of it. She would not let me buy her that scarf. As a matter of principle, that was too much money for a scarf.

They were closing, and we started to walk away. I turned around and said I will be back in one minute, and of course, my Mom knew I was going back to get the scarf. She made it crystal clear I was not to get that scarf. I respected her wishes. Yes, my brothers and I inherited an extra $33 each but I assure you that all three of us would have far preferred that she buy that scarf. If you find yourself of a similar mindset, I would encourage you to buy the scarf…or at least let your kids buy it for you. I know I advocate buying experiences over things, but this would have both.

But back to persuading you to think about visiting NYC. Partly hoping to get some publicity for our new Social Security book and partly because I love going to New York, I recently visited the city. I think NYC is a fabulous place to visit, and I would encourage you to go sooner rather than later. The city is much easier to navigate if you are willing and able to walk reasonable distances.

To start, using www.vrbo.com I found a great place on West 88th Street in a quiet neighborhood one block from Central Park. It had a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a den and an eating area, all for $160/night. The downside is that was a fourth-floor walk-up. I found that to be a nuisance the day I arrived with my luggage, the days I shopped, and the day I left. Otherwise, it didn’t bother me at all. I usually go to Whole Foods or the equivalent when I travel so I don’t have to eat out every meal.

I have friends and family in New York, but even if you don’t, it is a fabulous city to visit. And, frankly, walking is your best mode of travel. Of course, the museums are among the best in the world. You could spend literally days at the Metropolitan and only touch the surface. The Natural History Museum is fascinating and a good museum if you have grandchildren. I really liked the Whitney and the Frick, though obviously two different worlds. The Guggenheim is a hit or miss, depending on the featured exhibit. In fact, picking specific exhibits that you want to visit before you go is a really good idea.

I was less impressed with the Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt–which may be cool if you’re into design and interactive exhibits– and the Neue Galerie which did have The Woman in Gold by Klimt, but not a lot else that I loved. Of course, there are a lot of little museums that could be great, but I didn’t see, like the Museum of Sex, also known as MoSex!

After seeing a great documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge, I definitely wanted to walk across it. One of my guidebooks recommended walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and visiting the Brooklyn Museum. I would partially agree with that advice, though don’t do it the way I did. I started walking on the Manhattan side, over the bridge, and then to the Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Museum is a world-class museum, and I highly recommend going. It was by far the most progressive in terms of displaying art by and about women. From the bridge to the museum was about an hour’s uneventful walk. There are both self-guided and guided walking tours of Brooklyn (and everywhere else) but I didn’t have time that day. But here is my recommendation, if you go, take the subway to the Brooklyn Museum, see the museum and then the Brooklyn Botanical Garden which is right next door. Then, take the subway back to the Brooklyn end of the bridge and walk across toward Manhattan. Later in the day, the light will be more interesting, and your view will be of Manhattan’s skyline instead of Brooklyn.

Of course, there is endless nightlife. I am not into bars, clubs, and fancy restaurants. I ate in B type restaurants and found the food quite good and fairly reasonable. Most of the major museums are open at least one night a week, and I spent some very pleasant evenings in the museums. On Broadway, I saw Kinky Boots, Beautiful (the Carole King musical), and Summer (the Donna Summer musical). My favorite was Beautiful, but I also really enjoyed Summer and Kinky Boots. If you are of a certain age, you will know virtually all the songs for both Beautiful and Summer, even if you didn’t go out of your way to listen to their music. I related to King’s music and story more than Summer’s but still liked Summer. I purchased all of my tickets at a considerable discount on relatively short notice by using the www.todaytix.com app which I would highly recommend.

I tried to get tickets to Hamilton and Springsteen on Broadway, but I had no luck. I could have seen Bruce Springsteen who gives a two-hour, one-man show that includes singing and stories, but I was too cheap to come up with the $1,200 for a single ticket. Though I often encourage my clients to spend more, I still have a lot of my Mom in me.

The biggest surprise is that NYC offers some bicycle trails. There is one, that you don’t share with cars and that only crosses traffic a couple of times, that basically runs from Inwood (just below the Bronx) to Battery Park (the southern tip) on the west side of Manhattan. Most of the trail is dedicated to cyclists, though in certain sections there are walkers also. You can also rent a bike at one place and return it to another place along the trail. Sometimes, biking was almost as fast as going by cab or Uber. There are also places to bicycle in Central Park which are nice, but I preferred the westside trail—the Hudson River on one side and the beautiful buildings on the shore on the other side. I basically bicycled from 88th to Battery Park and then found even more trails to get to where I was going. Another time, I essentially did the same ride in reverse.

For transportation, I walked, bicycled, took Uber and the subway. I found the subway maps more confusing than other major cities like Toronto, Paris, or London. The thing that saved me getting around by subway was Google. Google made the subways very easy to navigate.

For planning, I recommend the Lange travel model. Pick a date, way in the future, book the room and the airline tickets, and put the dates on your calendar. Think later. Then, work your appointments around the trip that is already booked. Otherwise, if you are like me, things always come up and you would never get away.

I went right after Labor Day, but it was still quite hot, so think about NYC for the spring or fall. For winter travel, personally, I love to travel to the southwest—Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, etc. So, be a bit impulsive. Pick a date, book it, and put it on your calendar. You won’t regret it.

A Common-Sense Guide to Heart Health

The good news is that it’s easy to take the right steps to achieve a level of health that will help you be effective in your work and in your life. Kahn highlights six things you can do right away to help stave off heart disease, diabetes, dementia and other major health issues that can knock you down—or out.