When I received the package, my first surprise was that it was pocket size. It was my fault of course, for not checking, but I just assumed that with all the maps and stuff, pocket would be too small. So my first reaction was disappointment. That's because I never buy pocket moleskine. Large moleskine is my definition of compact journal, so that's just about the right, portable size for me.
However, despite the disappointment, I knew that I would get over it. So after a couple of days, I looked at my NYC moleskine again, and slowly, I got fond of it. Now, I am really looking forward to using it for my upcoming trip.
BUT said that, I will be using this because it's cute. It's moleskine. And it's a novelty factor.
I will not be buying any more city moleskines. Half the pages taken up in maps, with legended pages etc. I just don't believe this journal is a good value for money. There is not enough room to write. It's far too expensive for what's there. I will also be sticking my normal, large moleskines.
But to end with a positive note....here are pictures of my NYC moleskine, which in about a month's time will be filled up :-))
Ah, yes, well ... I remember, you having the London Moleskine on your wishlist, which I wanted first to give you for Christmas ... but it wasn't available - which was obviously a cue of fate back then.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wish you lots of fun with your journal and that the space is enough for all your trip entries! :-)))
Of course, I'm hoping to seeing one or two FILLED pages?!?!
Nice looking notebook. I have never gotten round to buying one of these as I've never had an upcoming trip to a city which is included in the range.
ReplyDeleteI usually find it easier to buy a notebook and then fill it myself with the research I do before making the trip. More effort (and doesn't help if you don't know about things) but still makes for a good use of a notebook.
Karin,
ReplyDeleteYes, I will definitely post some of my travel journal pages :) I will just have to make sure that I write small.
notesinabook,
Usually I buy blank journals too, and I make my own travel guides, since I don't find other travel guides perfect. :P But because this was a new moleskine, I wanted to try it. All the maps and stuff are probably bit of a waste in here, since I am more of a stop and ask for directions kind of gal ;)
ha ha. I am the same (that and google maps printout in my own notebooks work well too).
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to NYC? Hope you have a great trip and get good use out of the notebook.
Yes, I like google maps too. It's much easier to follow directions that say...turn left here :P
ReplyDeleteI am going to NYC at Easter. Thanks :-) It's my favourite city in the world, so really looking forward to going there again
I'm a fan of the City notebooks and have used them on trips to London, Paris and Istanbul, and have one waiting for a trip to Amsterdam someday. I think they're great for building your own travel guide with notes and tips you pick up as you're planning a trip, and jotting down favorites while you're there. I wouldn't try to use one as a travel journal with long entries in it, though.
ReplyDeleteI live in NYC and have the NYC notebook too, with notes about my favorite places to recommend to visitors. My only concern is that the transit maps are out of date. I don't know if Moleskine ever updates them.
Notebook Stories,
ReplyDeleteYes, I can see how they would be useful as guidebooks. But I prefer to carry just one journal around, and have other things in A4 pocket, so all reservations, print-out maps etc. can go in that. I can see the beauty of city notebooks, and really glad I bought one, but you are right, it is not really suitable for a travel journal
I for one like this moleskine. But I use it more as a reference than as an “in-the-moment” jotter. I have the San Francisco and Las Vegas journals and use them throughout the year to note possible locations I want to visit when I get there on my next trip (usually Ideas from newspapers, blogs and Sunset Magazine). After each trip, I use the blank pages in the moleskine to receive my edited notes from the spiral notebook with my real-time scribbles, along with some favorite sketches and a little collage of tickets, pictures, etc. It has some scrapbook flavor to it, but I like it that way. But it is very bulky. I now make copies of the original ephemera and transfer the image with Sheer Heaven™ or similar products- all the color and none of the bulk. Great for little Google Maps too.
ReplyDeleteHacks and Cheats – renamed some tabs (of course), added 1” durable tabs to reinforce several key pages, made a liner sheet to help keep my handwriting straight, added a foldout page for the 6 degrees diagram and mind map, keep a list of favorite adjectives (in my spiral really), list of notes from Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals by Dave Fox on things to think about when composing travel notes.
I know that some people would recommend keeping one journal, but quite frankly, I don’t like looking at my scribble journal- I’m not much of an artist or speller and it seems ugly to me. I prefer to jot down ideas, feelings, notes and sketches quickly so that I remember them and then clean up everything after the trip. In closing, I love my San Francisco moleskine journal, but would not recommend the Las Vegas one for multiple visits, as the maps become outdated so quickly.
Alice S.
Alice,
ReplyDeleteFor your purpose, it makes perfect sense to have City Moleskine. I love having everything in one journal, and notes about my experience along with guide book bits combined. For places where I would go on semi-regular day trips like London, I keep one on-going journal until it finishes. But I still feel that so many map pages with moleskine just doesn't make it worth it. SO for that sort of thing, I think I would get just plain pocket moleskine.
By the way, do you have pictures of your journal anywhere? It sounds very interesting, and I would love to look at them.