BlogHer: A Week Ago Thursday? Avery SocialLuxe Lounge ROCKED!

It seems unreal that BlogHer 2010 started just a week ago last Thursday when I flew into Newark on the red-eye from LAX. It was 6:30 in the morning so 3:30 PST but I wasn't tired, even though I hadn't slept much on the flight. I was just a few miles from Manhattan and the excitement and adrenaline that had been building up all year carried me through the next few hours. I took the shuttle with no problems to Port Authority. Then I walked to the Sheraton on 52nd to drop off my suitcase. I wanted to stop by Zabar's on the way to my friend Donna's place so I walked from Midtown to the Upper West Side, the exact same route I took back and forth to work when I lived in New York. It was so surreal, passing Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center, Gray's Papaya. I couldn't resist getting a fresh sesame bagel at H&H (in your honor KMY!) to eat with my Zabar's cup of coffee. So good! When Zabar's finally opened at 8 AM, I made a beeline for the coffee section. So many choices, but not so much room in my suitcase so I opted for just one pound of their aromatic hazelnut coffee. I took the crosstown bus to Donna's and then CRASHED.

But it was only for a short respite because I had to meet another friend for lunch in Soho. I'm glad I was by myself when I got off the subway because there were so many memories that came rushing back, the late nights at Balthazar, the Saturday treks to Kate's Paperie, spending way too much at the cosmetics counter at Bloomie's, but then I was jolted back into reality by a sight that I thought I would NEVER see in Manhattan, much less Soho. A CROCS store. It was huge and filled with every CROCS shoe you could imagine. I never owned a pair of Crocs before I lived in Southern California so I was shocked to see the store in one of the trendiest areas on the planet. Of course I had to go in and of course I spied about ten different kinds that I wanted to get for H&R. I restrained myself, just barely, since I had just bought them Crocs in the next sizes up and I didn't want to buy for years in advance. I think it was the strong smell of rubber that really woke me up to meet my friend Sharon in a less than comatose state.

After lunch at Famous Ben's Pizza, I walked back up to Union Square, then threw in the towel and took the subway back to the hotel. Afternoon coffee with Jane gave me the energy I needed to prepare for the Avery SocialLuxe Lounge, my first BlogHer 2010 event. I got to the party right when it started, and I'm so glad I did because it meant I was first in line to get the manicures and massages that were offered inside. I absolutely love the purple color I picked for the manicure and wish I had remembered the name of it because I'll probably never find it again. The shoulder and arm massage provided by Aveda superstars was so relaxing that I promptly fell down the stairs after they finished working on me. Totally worth it! Only one huge scrape--and I was able to fix my broken heel so no harm done. I figured I should sit down after that so I grabbed a delicious coffee drink made by Beau, the fabulous International Delights barista. Even before I started blogging, I only used International Delight coffee creamer because of the company's commitment to sustainability and because it doesn't use unfair labor practices like its closest competitor. I was so excited when I saw them at the party! Refueled and ready to go, I checked out the new fall line at Stride Rite and took a Glam photo with some fellow bloggers. After I heard who the 2010 BlogLuxe winners were, I had to run to another event. Literally. In heels. My feet did not appreciate that and it was a godsend when I opened up the SocialLuxe swag bag and found antibiotic ointment and bandaids to put on my feet in the morning. Many thanks to Avery and the other SocialLuxe Lounge sponsors for a fantastic party and the wonderful party gifts!