Me, just before I was tasered by security for taking photos Hey, I’m back home--where strangers make eye contact on the street and sometimes even say "hello". What we lack in skyscrapers we make up for in mountains. And what we lack in kamikaze cab drivers and superior bagels we make up for in…um…more mountains.

I actually crammed so much sightseeing into my NYC trip, that it’s hard to separate it all. We toured NBC studios, the United Nations, saw Spring Awakening on Broadway and even caught the Metro North from Grand Central Station to Yonkers to see relatives. (On purpose, as opposed to our detour to Queens).

The highlights though were obviously my meetings and lunch at Random House. The feedback on HOTEL has been overwhelming. And of course it was great to walk away with uncorrected galley proofs in my hot little hand and see the latest iteration of the cover—which I’ll post as soon as it’s final. Close. So close.