Good Morning New York City!

Ever had those days when you’re forced to wake up insanely early, before the sun has even risen? Maybe you have an early class?  Or a badly scheduled meeting. Whatever it is, you curse the reason as you drag yourself out of your sweet slumber to get ready for the day.

In the morning hours leading up to whatever has made you wake up so early, coffee has never tasted so strong and the sun has never shone as obnoxiously bright. As you stumble out of your apartment, squinting at the morning’s brightness, you see one of them trot passed you. A morning walker.

“Good morning!” She says, smiling. You attempt to muster up a kind greeting but all you can do is smile bumpily and grunt.

What the heck is she doing up so early? Why is she so happy? And I want her legs. I don’t know about you, but these are my usual thoughts during groggy, morning interactions with walkers. Well, at least these were my thoughts three weeks ago.

Pony Hair Coin Bag

Two weeks ago I became the lucky owner of a lovely little leather purse from  Clutch NY, called the coin bag. With this little leather bag came big changes to my life. The biggest of these changes being that I am now a walker. Yes, it is true. I am one of them. I wake up before the sun because I want to, not because I have to. I smile “Good morning” to unnatural early risers as they drag their feet to the bus stop or subway station. I take confident strides down the FDR because I know that I have everything I need–and more–wrapped around my wrist,     neatly tucked away in my handy, dandy coin bag.

Black Tumbled Leather Coin Bag

When Clutch NY handbag designer, Laura Dotolo, first gave me the bag to “test handle”, I was super excited to have it but not too sure how I’d use it. Laura suggested a number of activities, “You can take it with you when go on walks, run errands, or even when you go out at night.” Bingo! If my recent five-pound-weight-gain wasn’t a reason to start walking in the morning, writing this review certainly was! So I planned it out my strategy really well: I set my alarm for 6AM and laid out everything I’d need for my morning walk–cell phone, iPod, and wallet. The next morning, my alarm rang, I packed my coin bag, and I was off!

I’ll be honest, at first I had trouble getting into the walk. My legs felt like jello and I was cold. But after about ten minutes, I really began to enjoy myself. The coin bag swished from side to side at the same rhythm of my strides and never bumped me in the torso or upper thigh. Soon my legs felt more stable and I welcomed the East River’s morning breeze.  I had found my groove. Although I struggled waking up on time the next few mornings, by day five I felt like a Bona Fide, brisk walker!

The “little friend” Coin Bag fits into other bags and works great solo too!

Though this “pony”-haired-tumbled-leather mixed breed has been my walking companion every morning for the passed two weeks, it’s been my sidekick for a number of other adventures. For example, last week I had a friend of mine visiting from England. On her last night in NYC, we went to Ninja–one of my favorite restaurants–in TribeCa. That night I was using the coin bag as an intermediary bag between my wallet and my Longchamp. In it, I stored my smaller valuables: my cell phone, my iPhone, my hairbrush, my makeup, my perfume, and my wallet. This way, I wouldn’t need to rummage through my large purse to find my smaller essentials.

After dinner, my friend decided that she’d like to spend one more night out on the town. I decided that the Meatpacking District would be the perfect place to take her on her last night in NYC. Unfortunately, it was the wrong setting for my Longchamp purse. Since my friend’s hotel was near Ninja, I decided to leave my large purse in my friend’s room and return for it at the end of the night.

I walked the cobbled streets of the Meatpacking District effortlessly, as I felt weighed down by nothing. When we arrived at The Top of the Standard for a drink, I felt good not having to dig through my bag for my ID or wallet. Needless to say, besides ordering the Miso Salmon earlier that night, going out with the coin bag on my wrist was the best decision I had made.

Wristlet Coin Bag is a perfect fit

Whether your schedule is compact or flexible, the coin bag, or make-up bag as we nickname it, is the perfect bag for women on the go. It’s ability to transition from being your oversized wallet to your wrist-dangling purse can sometimes be necessary and always appreciated. If you’re looking for an everything-and-a-little-bit more bag, I suggest you take a look at the coin bag! Not only has it made my life healthier, it has made it easier to transport.

About:

Nandhi is our Clutch NY blogger at large who spends her days observing and her nights reporting.  Imported to NYC from Mozambique, via McGill University, Nandhi dreams someday of becoming a screenwriter.  For the moment, she is keeping the Clutch NY audience up to date with what’s up today in fashion, trends, news and inspiration.