The following is a guest post by my darling daughter. We were recently spent a few days at the Omni Berkshire in New York City. The Omni loves families, especially teenagers. David, their “Teen Concierge” is on hand in person, twitter, text and e-mail to help teens get the most out of the city. He suggested a day of shopping for my daughter, he clearly knows what teen girls like. I was nervous about letting her go on her own, I had to be at a conference, but she convinced me she would be careful and she had a cell phone. We agreed on a few guidelines and voila, her “Best Day Ever”.
1. She needed to stay within a four block radius. The hotel is conveniently located just off of 5th Avenue, a shopper’s dream come true, this is not hard duty.
2. NO CABS. I didn’t want her in a car all by herself, no matter how “tired her feet got”. ESPECIALLY a livery cab, I went in to great detail on this one, again with the rolling of the eyes.
3. She needed to keep her cell phone handy and text me pics of things she wanted to buy (this was not a carte blanche deal). This ended up being more fun for me than her as I got to virtual shop with her while I was actually stuck in a conference room.
This post is written by her (don’t worry, she was fairly compensated for her time)-
“Planning my Spree”
This was a great adventure that definitely expanded my knowledge of responsibility and privilege. Other teen girls might think going out in the city, alone, with a phone and a map is nerve racking. I was a little nervous at first, but when my mom left me on the street corner I was like, “What 14 year old girl wouldn’t want to be left by herself, on 5th avenue with a credit card and a shopping map?” So it was official, I was ready to start shopping.
My expedition started in H&M, they have everything from dresses to jeans to sweaters. Not to mention how affordable their clothes are. Plus, I knew that I would be fine in a store where every other teen girl shops. I was in there for about an hour and a half and no one bothered me. After I waited in a ridiculously long line I hauled my bag full of new school close to meet up with my dad. He doesn’t work far from where I was so it was easy to hook up for lunch. To be more clear, a lobster lunch, that he paid for. Score! I ditched my over stuffed bag in his office, and then he directed me back to 5th avenue (as if he had to twist my arm.)
H&M
Next stop, Anthropologie. The clothes were more expensive than H&M and I knew that I wanted to save up my cash for cuter stores, so I left empty handed. Lucky for me, there was a J Crew just across the street. I found awesome basics for the upcoming school year. Not only did I find an adorable olive colored jacket that I can only picture going with about everything in my closet. But I also found super cute cashmere sweaters. To all the teen girls out there, offer to share that $200 cashmere sweater with your mom and there is a better chance of you getting the clothes you want, or try the, “What about this for you? I will wear it too.” I texted mom the pictures and she said “yes”, she must have been in a good mood.
J Crew
I would say my journey through the streets of New York was a successful one. It was easy to navigate, I felt completely safe, and I got adorable clothes for the new year. I think that every girl should try doing this on their own, I would do it again. It was also a great learning experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Thanks mom and the Omni Berkshire for your great tips from David, the teen concierge, and the support of your superb PR team.
Ok, back to mom.
There’s clearly more to do in New York than shop, but little that’s more exciting for a girl about to start high school. The teen concierge service is available during summer and holidays and they can direct teens toward fun activities and cool places to eat (things we wouldn’t know about because we’re old). E-mail them ahead of time at: BerkshireTeenNYC@omnihotels.com – they can help you make your plans. If the hotel know there’s a teen in the house, they’ll get a great amenity at turndown. I won’t spoil the surprise, but she ate every bite.
In addition to a complimentary room stay, we were compensated for this post as part of a marketing campaign for the CampOmni program. All proceeds are now in the cash register at H&M and J Crew.
