Woo, happy Monday everyone! I am BACK from New York! Yes, I’m still exhausted after sleeping only about 15 hours in four days but the Big Apple and BlogHer were amazing.

So let’s cut the crap and get to the good stuff!

BlogHer. This is the third time I’ve been fortunate enough to go for work and each time, I go through the same motions: nerves, extreme nerves, shyness, drinking, fun, wondering why I was nervous.

I’m crazy. This year, the conference was pretty big, around 1,800+ and honestly, it kind of felt big. Sitting in the grand ballroom, looking at a sea of people at tables was overwhelming for a minute, but once you got into breakout sessions and wandered around, it felt more comfortable. I got to sit in on some interesting sessions and learned a lot, plus hit the expo area, where I tried not to take everything in sight.

But I did walk away with some cool stuff, like a Pillow (client), Anti-Aging Eye Roller and pseudo electronic toothbrush. The last one shakes, so you can imagine what the TSA may have thought was in there when it accidentally turned on in my suitcase (wink wink).

Oh and I got to meet Padma from Top Chef. She’s absolutely gorgeous in person but a little dry on conversation. Still gorgeous though. I am a Top Chef geek.

And along with BlogHer, I got to see some of my favorite people in the entire world in New York. Another reason I love BlogHer, it lets me see some of my bloggy buddies in person. Sadly, I only see them a few times a year so makes me so grateful we can be together. I also got to know some bloggers better and meet new awesome people too.

We even got a group together for a 20sb meet up Saturday night. Look at us represent!

Photo courtesy of Katelin

Friday night I got to be Katelin’s date to the Brand About Town Nintendo dinner at the Central Park Boathouse too. It was gorgeous and such a great night. Brand About Town even hooked us up with the best transportation ever, pedicabs with drivers dressed like Mario. I mean, adorable, OMG.

Photo courtesy of Katelin

I won’t go into the stories of pounding champagne or being out until 3:30 a.m. or being locked out of my room twice because someone tried to impersonate me at the hotel, but instead I’m focusing on the great time with everyone and wondering how those four days could go by so fast :(

Guess it’s time for another trip back to NYC this fall :)

How was everyone else’s weekend?

Tomorrow I’ll be on my way to New York for BlogHer and before I succumb to the bright lights and big city, I wanted to take a minute and appreciate the Big Apple.

Sure, I live in the Windy City, the third-largest city in the US, but my lust for the big city started in New York.

The first time I visited New York was a long time ago with my dad and brother. I wanted to see everything touristy and we almost did. I loved the feeling of the city, the people, the pulse and the noise (minus cars honking). I remember waking up in the middle of the night to see if the Times Square lights were still on (they were) and feeling like this was the most amazing place ever.

I’ve been to New York a bunch of times now but there is something about it that still makes me smile. I love Chicago, I love this city, but sometimes, going to New York is like going on a rollercoaster with your hands up in the air. It’s a rush.

So in prep for my trip, below is a little list of things I love about New York:

• Rockefeller Center
• Broadway shows (the music sounds so amazing)
• Street vendor shopping (pashminas for $5? Three please!)
• Food (last time I was in NY, I went to Perilla, Harold’s place from Top Chef season 1, and it was incredible)
• Central Park (Gorgeous bit of nature)
• Walking the neighborhoods (like Chicago, each has such a great vibe, I love watching the scenery change)
• The Met (this place still blows my mind with all the gorgeous artwork)
• Late night tapings (I’ve seen Conan, Stewart and Letterman live, would give anything to see Colbert!)

If you want the BlogHer play-by-play, follow me on Twitter! If you don’t, well forgive me for the BlogHer-related tweets then. I’ll try to update Twitter as much as I can, pending Sprint’s reception in the hotel.

What about you? What do you love about New York? Have you been before?