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I was on a 10 day long work trip to NYC for a hearing last month. Do you understand what the preparation for this was like for me? I hate NYC! It's just too much of everything. The cupcakes are too big, the people are more plentiful, and cab drivers don't scold you for not having cash. It simply isn't natural. I actually saw a bird die on the sidewalk the day after I got there. A crash landing, pitiful attempt to keep moving, and then eventual death. I was really, really upset about it. I thought it was an omen that I, too, was going to die in NYC.

So, where does this city-mosity stem from?

Although I grew up in nearby New Jersey, NYC was for Broadway plays and Broadway plays ONLY. I dabbled in Washington Heights a bit with the Dominicans--but other than that I wasn't sold. I like breathing, my personal space, and green areas on which to run (Central Park doesn't COUNT). New York City offered me none of those things. 

Regardless--I was able to appreciate a few things about NYC while I was there this time: 

I can live off of 3 hours of sleep per night for 10 days
Spending extended periods of time in the city that never sleeps is an issue for the girl who loves her sleep. I can be out at a bar with friends having anywhere from a decent to swell time, but when the clock strikes about 1 I am totally ready for my bed and a trash mag.

Thanks to NYC, I learned that some of life's most magical moments can occur late at night. If I hadn't made the decision to continue my night out with co-workers, I would have never been able to sing a raucous version of "Summer Nights" from Grease with my boss and Kathy (Hi Kathy) at this piano bar. In that moment I was famous, and thanks to NYC I now treat everyday as if it is the day that I will finally be discovered. 

Visiting H&M can be an enjoyable, even memorable experience
Okay honestly--H&M is my go-to place if I have 10 minutes and $20 to get myself dressed to go out. I've completely forsaken Forever21 because midway though 2010 I reached a fork in the road of my life and Forev decided to bear left toward ghetto-fab whilst I bore right toward mostly-clothed. One time I actually told a window display to chill out. ANYWAY..

So during my last day in NYC I had 3 hours to kill, and I decided that my time would be best spent wasting money that I don't really have. That day seemed like as good a day as any to throw caution to the wind and head into the big H&M on 5th Ave. (I was headed to see my Grandma so I obviously felt like letting loose/doing something crazy). 

I walked in, closed my eyes, and for a moment I felt like I was back at Syracuse at a frat party ankle-deep in Natty Light.  The beats were plentiful (there was a DJ and my mind was blown) and the people were boisterous. I knew I hadn't been transplanted to 'Cuse because very few people were crying or throwing up--but I still felt that I had the best of both worlds. I browsed and ended up buying nothing--but I left the store with an extra skip in my step and the urge to shake my tail feather with strangers. I really appreciated H&M in that moment--thanks to NYC.

Hangovers in NYC are easily treatable. 
So although I had an awesome time making my aforementioned pseudo-debut into the Broadway world, I woke up pretty busted and "late" for work (when you're at work for 20 hours in a day the term 'late' seems harsh.) It happens--but I'm finding that my ability to bounce back after a night of drinking is dwindling in my old age. It is with this medical reality that I had to hand it to NYC--this grilled cheese was, no IS, the best hangover cure in the history of hangover cures. If you live in the NYC area, do yourself a favor and get to Melt Shop. 

So..I no longer despise NYC. I admit it has redeemable qualities. Regardless, I was ecstatic to return to my DC homebase and normal cupcakes.