About Me
Who is The Open Suitcase?
I’m an early morning kinda gal who uses the wee hours for digital content creation and SEO research. It’s more fun than it sounds and a bit of a tightrope walk until I’ve slurped my second cup of coffee.
Why do I get started before the birds? Although writing and the rest feed my soul, a girl’s gotta pay the bills. So, I’ve got a full-time gig as a municipal finance officer. For the past 20 years, I’ve managed a staff of 5 and balanced an annual $6 million budget.
I’ve started thinking about the “R” word ,but I’m afraid to jinx it at this point. If I am fortunate enough to **whisper** retire in the next couple of years, I hope to be able to indulge my inner hobo and hit the open road until the money runs out.
Just kidding. I’m an accountant after all. So the dream is to pack up and go for 6 weeks at a clip to a modest, furnished apartment somewhere that’s not home. And explore every pore till there’s nothing left to see.
I’m not a travel snob. I like to hit the big-name attractions when I visit a new place. I learned long ago that although you always to hope to return, your first visit to a city might be your only visit. And I don’t want to go into that long good night and regret never having seen the Eiffel Tower or Times Square or the Blue Lagoon.
But after the greatest hits, I do like to get down and dirty and find the places where the locals go. I consider a trip a success if I find a town’s best breakfast dive, shop its street with funky boutiques and learn enough quirky fun facts that I can sweep the category if it ever comes up when I’m a contestant on “Jeopardy.”
Going home at the end of a trip makes me happy. Not only because I get to start planning my next adventure, but also because I live in one of the prettiest places in the world. I’ve lived my whole life just north of New York City in the Hudson River Valley. If you haven’t been, put it on your list. National Geographic Traveler did…it’s been named one of their Best Places in the World.
Hubby and I sold the home where we raised our 3 kids on the west side of the river and moved to a mountaintop (3+ acres!) on the east side. I was originally terrified the house would kill us; we needed to learn the ins and outs of septic systems (tanks must be emptied!), wells (they do run dry!) and wildlife (watching a coyote take down a fawn will kill a backyard bbq!).
We’re used to it now…and the train station to NYC is only 10 minutes away.
I was definitely tired of recreating my old house and yard. The new place is a fresh canvas and I like to try to recreate the feel of my travels through my decorating, gardening and crafting.
That’s enough about me. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for visiting and I hope you’re interested in working together. Here’s a bulleted list of fun facts. If we’re a fit, fill out the contact form or reach me on one of my social platforms.
- Founded The Open Suitcase in 2012
- TravelingMom contributing writer and SEO/Content Strategist
- Graduate of Colgate University
- 20+ years in municipal finance
- Married so long I’ve lost track of how long
- Mother to 3 kids old enough to remember Hannah Montana but young enough to still drink White Claw