Detroit Trip

Last September my sister and I took a mini trip to Detroit to see the one and only HARRY STYLES in concert. We didn’t want to go just for the concert so we took a long weekend and spent a few extra days there. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken. We got a hotel which also happened to be a casino…just FYI if you have ANY level of anxiety do not stay at a hotel that has a casino! I learned that the hard way! Lol! Anyway, we arrived on a Friday night and of course the place was PACKED! I did not want to valet because well…I have a Kia Forte, not that there is anything wrong with that, I love my car but I was worried they would judge me! Crazy right? Anyway, we parked in the parking garage and looked on the layout I found online to see how to get to the hotel. Well, from what we saw the only way to the hotel was going outside and walking on the sidewalk. I was overwhelmed by so many emotions from so many things that I had a panic attack there in the car with my sister next to me trying to reassure me that everything was okay. I called my parents because I did not know what else to do. They told me to call the front desk to see what options we had to get to the hotel. I hung up and we called the front desk. The person at the front desk was very confused why I did not do valet parking! Lol! Now that I think about it I don’t know why I didn’t either! She told us that we had to walk outside the same way I had seen on the map. There were a LOT of people in the parking garage. Some drunk and yelling. Now I have nothing against people having a good time and that stuff usually doesn’t bother me but this time it did. I was very nervous to get out of the car. Eventually my sister convinced me to get out, grab my suitcase and we made our way to the elevator. We rode it down to the first level. We then made our way out of the parking garage and to the hotel. We got checked in but the clerk said that the room I had reserved and already PAID for was not available until the following night. She said we could have a smaller room that night and they would move us to our other room for the rest of our stay. I of course said that was fine. We got to our room and another employee brought us a roll away bed. At this point I was still flustered but was not necessarily panicking anymore! We stayed in the room that night and the next day I called the desk, as they had told me to do, to see if we could move rooms. The person who answered did not know what was going on and wanted to know who told us we could move because they were fully booked. I did not remember the persons name so I told them that was fine and we would just stay in this room. I was disappointed but I understood. A few minutes later we got a call saying they were sending someone up with keys for our new room that happened to be on an even higher floor. We were so excited. Everything was working out. We moved to our new room which was perfect! We each had our own queen beds! It was exactly what I had booked. They also put money on our account so we could order breakfast! Kendra ordered a fancy breakfast sandwich, which she loved. I ordered oatmeal even though it clearly said instant oatmeal but that is what I was craving. I ordered it and yes it was exactly what you are thinking, instant oatmeal in a ramen noodle like container. Was it $12? Yes! Was it worth it? Not really. Did I care? No! It was not my money and I had been wanting oatmeal for a while. LOL!

One of the days we explored downtown. They were having a festival so quite a few people were there. It was such a fun day. We parked in one of the parking garages and walked to a coffee shop we had looked up. The coffee shop was in the heart of downtown bordering a peaceful parklike square. There was a small fenced off area for people with dogs, the rest of the square was scattered with tables, benches and trees. Lights were strung overhead and soft music was playing from…somewhere! We enjoyed our iced lattes in the warm breeze as the sun began to set. We walked around a bit before it started to get dark. When we arrived back at the parking garage we were unsure of how to get back in because the signs were unclear and two people from a small town were very confused at how a city works! We looked all around trying every door we could find. All of them were locked and no one was around that we could ask. After some debating we decided to walk in where you drive in. It worked! Obviously! It was a little unconventional but we got back to our car and were able to make it back to the hotel.

The night of the concert came and we could barely contain our excitement. We started getting ready a few hours early! We did our hair and makeup and finally put on our outfits that we had planned ahead of time. Well, my sister had planned hers! I planned my the day we left! We walked out to our car and headed to the arena. It was only a few miles away so we got there in no time. I had paid for parking because I wanted to make sure that was easy! We found a spot and headed into the arena. You could feel the excitement bubbling inside everyone. The air was filled with a feeling of comfort. We found our spots and upon sitting down we realized we were WAY closer to the stage then we thought we would be!! We sat there taking pictures and talking until the lights dimmed and Jenny Lewis came on stage. She was opening for Harry. I had never heard of her before but Kendra (my sister) and I soon became fans. After she left the stage all the lights went dark once again and on the jumbo screens in front of us the opening video started to play. I can not accurately describe what I was feeling in those moments but it was a feeling I had not felt before. Excitement beyond my imagination. Everyone erupted in cheers and screams. My eardrums popped repeatedly but I did not care.

Harry Styles appeared on stage and somehow the room got even louder. He started to sing “GOLDEN” and I knew this was going to be one of the happiest memories I would ever have. The concert was absolutely EVERYTHING I imagined and more! It was over way too soon. I almost cried during “Sign of the times” and “Falling!” We each took a million pictures and videos but tried to live in the moment as much as possible. It was the first arena concert either of us had been too. It definitely exceeded our expectations!

Neither Kendra nor I could hear properly afterwards but we both decided it was a small price to pay for the experience we just had. We all exited the arena and made our way to our cars. I am sure we were all feeling the same things. I heard one person say, “I can die now…” with as much awe in their voice as possible. We all agreed. Something you had been dreaming about for years and it was over just like that. It was definitely bittersweet. It took us two hours to get back to the hotel because of all the traffic but we didn’t even notice because we were still high on the concert feeling. We could not stop smiling! Or freaking out!

I always wondered why people would buy multiple tickets to see the same person on the same tour but now I get it! If I could have I would have gone to ALL of his shows! As weird and ridiculous as it may sound I have never felt so comfortable or excepted as I did in that arena amidst the crowd of hundreds of people. It is a feeling I will remember FOREVER and long to experience again. If you have ever felt that way you know what I mean. If you have not I hope you do some day. There is nothing quite like it.

The next day we came back home and had to settle back in to everyday life. That was soooo hard! We wanted to stay there forever. We also just solidified the thought that we need to live in a big city despite everyone in our lives telling us we don’t want to. Yes we do! We both felt completely at home! We adapted pretty quickly for only being there a few days! We experience many other little things on that trip but if I wrote about them all this post would be WAY to long so I will end it here.