Bright Lights, Big City

I didn't really plan this post, it just sort of happened, the way some of the most fun and memorable things sometimes do. My cousin Gina, who has been by my side since I was born (she lives a state away but we still manage to see each other pretty often), is getting married in a little over a week! I'm the matron of honor and Carrie is the flower girl. A few months ago, I met her in NYC to accompany her to Kleinfeld to look for her dress (any Say Yes to the Dress fans? Camille was her attendant!). She found the one, and yesterday she invited me to go with her to her final dress fitting. After confirming that my in laws were available to hang out with the girls, I bought my bus tickets and found myself in the middle of the big apple in a little under two hours. 

First we walked to a couple of shops and then hopped on the subway to grab some lunch at Eataly before the appointment. Nothing will make you feel like a country bumpkin quite as much as sliding your metro card about 4 times before realizing that it's charged you $2 each time and you should've pushed your way through the metal spinner. Not my finest moment (and I should know better -- this is far from my first time in the city), but I digress. ;) Lunch was delicious: fresh bread, a tasty salad, and a (generous) glass of prosecco to celebrate the occasion. After lunch we made our way to Kleinfelds. If you've never been there, it does look very much like it appears on the show. The lobby is pretty grand and, of course, the dresses are to die for. As we waited for Gina's appointment down in alterations, the owners walked past us, clearly in the middle of some sort of business meeting.

The dress appointment went well, and afterward we had just enough time to grab some coffee at Starbucks before she headed to her train and I headed to my bus. On the drive home, I reflected a bit about being in the city. I'm from a small town but I live in the suburbs of a pretty big city now, and growing up I always had dreams of moving to NYC to work in the magazine business. I've traveled there for work and play quite a few times and have had the chance to see some pretty cool places: the New York Times building, Wall Street, the New York City ballet, the offices of some major lifestyle magazines, and more. I've learned over the years that I don't think I'm made to live in the city, but I love to visit. I love that all around you are people from every walk of life, every age, every stage, with every type of style and personality you could dream up. It's kind of nice being part of a sea of people -- it takes the pressure off of you and makes you realize that you really are an individual piece of a massively large puzzle.

Until next time, New York!