Ultra Subtle City Notebook

Probably due at least in part to feeling conspicuous as one of a few minority families in our town growing up, I have a residual thing about blending in when I travel. Though I don’t bat an eyelash when I see tourists out and about, you'll never catch me holding up a map at a congested intersection in an unfamiliar city. So on my recent trip to San Francisco, I was thrilled to discover Moleskine’s City Notebook.
Gifted by my gracious hosts in San Francisco (along with an excellent City Walks guide), Moleskine’s City Notebook series includes petite, ultra subtle travel journals for 45 major cities around the world. The San Francisco notebook was utterly perfect, including public transit and indexed street maps, transportation information (air, train, taxi, etc.), and plenty of blank and tabbed pages to chart itineraries or jot down notes about favorite spots (for me, Emporio Rulli and Britex Fabrics).

While exploring the city, I loved being able to nonchalantly consult this little black book to plot my next adventure or reorient myself, all the while simply appearing as if I was jotting notes in a journal or looking up an address or phone number. When I next visit an unfamiliar city, I’ll definitely pick up another Moleskine City Notebook in advance of my trip.