Art Passport #7: Reconnecting and Reflecting

By Barbara K. Stump

When was the last time you went on a trip with a friend, or with a group of friends? In my younger years, before children, I didn’t think twice about packing my bags and heading out for an adventure with my gal pals. However, later, as a mother, and a single mother at that, carving out time for meaningful bonding with friends was a challenge. Nevertheless, whatever time I had available to share with my friends was rewarding in many ways. It filled my soul up, renewed my faith in myself as a human being, and recharged my internal battery. Psychologist, Alisa Ruby Bash, states that,“Research shows that women, (possibly) more than men, need to maintain those connections. It increases serotonin (which affects mood, sleep, appetite, learning, and more) and oxytocin (the bonding hormone)” Additionally, Whitney Fleming, co-partner of the site parentingteensandtweens.com, shared in 2016, researchers found that friendship is key to extending life expectancy, lowering chances of heart disease, and even helps us tolerate pain better. Hence, the need for making an effort to self care and spend time with other adult friends is vital in remembering who you are, and it allows you time to focus on your wellbeing. 

“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, and the other is gold.” The origin of  this familiar phrase is linked to one of the Girl Scouts’ mottos, and a song the Girl Scouts sing. True confession: I was actually a Brownie dropout, much to my mom’s chagrin, but I do find this motto valuable when discussing friendship. As a matter of fact, this past fall I was able to take a bucket list trip with a childhood friend to see the US Open tennis tournamentin New York City. This friend is none other than Dr. Julie Galvin, founder of the Galvin Growth Group. We both loved playing tennis while growing up, and we were also on the same high school tennis team. Fortunately, we have lots of good memories from those years, and we also admire the same tennis legends from that era. A couple of years ago, Dr. Galvin and I reconnected, and we began talking about taking this trip. Having that foundation from our youth experiences made it an easy friendship to reunite. It also fueled our desire to take this trip and plan together our bucket list vacation.

Do you have a bucket list vacation you would love to take? Have you planned a friends’ trip before? To be honest, Dr. Galvin and I live four hours apart, so it did take some effort from both of us. If you are up for taking a girls’ trip, or possibly a guys’ trip, you may be wondering: how did we go about planning our trip? To assist you in planning for your own 2025 Friend Adventure, here are a few helpful steps:

1. 1. Choose a destination -Brainstorm many options and figure out the pros and cons for each before selecting your destination. What sounds good to both of you, or your friend group, and why do you want to go there?
   2. Pick a date – If you have school-aged children, you will need to plan around the school year calendar, and possibly find a relative to help care for them while you are gone. Also, depending on the location of your destination, consider seasonal changes and if a “shoulder season” might be a possibility. This could save you money, and there would also be fewer travelers visiting that destination at the same time. We chose a long weekend, Thursday to Sunday, to accommodate our family and other obligations.
   3. Research and plan – Search for flights and compare prices. Learn as much as you can about the destination. What neighborhoods are safe? Where should you book your stay? What is the main objective of your trip? For us it was to attend the US Open. 
   4. Pick your activities – Since we knew we were going to NYC to spend at least one full day watching tennis, we planned our other days and activities around this event. The first thing we did was determine our budget, select tickets for this event, and then plan other excursions around this main event that fit into our schedule/budget. Some of the other interests we shared included seeing a Broadway play, going to the Museum of Modern Art, walking through Central Park, listening to jazz music, and going on a sunset cruise to see the city skyline. In addition to all of this, we thought we would try to get tickets for the Today Show’s Free Summer Concert Series. 

• Plan for the unexpected – Some of the unexpected things we experienced were getting off the subway too early on our way to the US Open. We had to take an Uber the rest of the way to make it to our event. We stayed until the very last match, and it was almost 2 am by the time we got back to our hotel. So, although we were excited about scoring tickets to see LL Cool J on the Plaza at the Today Show, there was no way we were going to be able to sleep for only three hours and make it to the NBC check in by 5:45 am. We struggled with this decision for a bit, because we made signs in anticipation for the concert. We also packed bucket hats to wear like this musician wears! In the end the need for sleep won, and we decided it was ok to watch the concert from the comfort of our hotel beds…lol. Maybe next time, LL Cool J! Another unexpected event was the weather. On our final day, it was raining on and off, and we were somewhat disheartened because we booked a sunset cruise for that evening. Fortunately, we were well prepared by packing rain coats and compact umbrellas for this event. Luckily, by the time we boarded the ship, the sky cleared up and we saw the most spectacular sunset and city skyline! 

• Pack like a pro – keep your shoes to a minimum number, and roll all of your clothes when you pack them. This will allow you to have more room for any possible souvenirs you may decide to buy. In our case, we both found a few gifts to save for Christmas presents. Now that the holidays are so close, I’m excited to give these special gifts away to family members.

5. Take lots of pictures! – Record these memories that will last a lifetime. Below are some of my favorite photographs from our friend adventure to NYC.