Final lessons Canada and New York

Today is my first day at the office after spending a week in New York and a small week in Canada. Time to reflect because trips like this are always very instructive.

Never trust the weather report

As you know the happiness of my entire life depends on the weather forecast and I won’t make a single move before I’ve gone over every detail. So when I was packing my suitcase for New York I checked the forecast for every skirt and sock I put in to see if it still promised to be sunny all week. And it did. So with my suitcase stuffed with summery and airy clothes I arrived in a very wet and rainy NYC, it stayed that way all week. Okay, okay I had one good day but mainly it was just autumn and cold. The exact same thing happened to me in Canada. Blue skies, sunny and warm that’s what it said but I got cloudy, grey and chilly. Luckily both destinations are absurdly cool to go to and I didn’t miss out on anything but still an little sunshine would have been nice.

Wellies

This struck me in both Toronto and New York: women in ordinary clothes walking around in huge hunter boots. It was raining so instead of commuting on their ballerinas everyone pulled out the Hunters. Ridiculous but totally normal and I admit rather clever. Heels in your bag, Hunters on your feet and a little switcheroo when you arrive.

Name brands

So not done in New York. If someone says, “ Oh my gosh I LOVE your coat!” You don’t say, “ Oh well thank you it’s Zara,” you accept the compliment and that’s that. I was wearing my beautiful trench coat from the H&M Conscious Collection when meeting up with Nish for lunch, when his colleague complimented my coat and I said it was just an ordinary coat from H&M Nish told me off. “ That’s so typically Dutch, modestly saying it’s not an expensive coat.”

Skip the taxi

During fashion week we stepped into a cab without giving it a second thought, letting them transport us all over town. It’s just the easiest solution as we’re in heels and in a hurry. Working out how the subway works takes up more time than jumping into a cab. This time around I had more spare time so I tried the subway or walked. Walking especially took my fancy leaving my footprints all over New York. I once on a late night did I take a cab. Walking or the sub, both faster, easier, cheaper and more fun. The left over money can be spent in one of these places. If you’re there anyway, why not?

Dutch people are everywhere

But especially in Toronto. Of the 1 million Dutch people in Canada over half live in Toronto. The bond with The Netherlands is a tight one. A fun fact: Princess Margriet was born in Canada, Ottawa to be exact. In 1940 the royal family fled to Canada because of the German occupation. The room she was born was temporarily declared “extraterritorial”. In ordinary English that means it was altered to non-Canadian territory so that Margriet could take on the Dutch nationality. I love those little facts; they’re perfect for impressing you father-in-law.