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As a parent, sometimes Valentine’s Day is not what is used to be. Sometimes all you have energy for is rustling up a homemade card at the last minute (or an “I love you” on a Post-It), sometimes your kid is in your bed on the night of the 14th because they had a bad dream, and sometimes you would rather watch series than have a night out, because adulting. And parenting. And life. (Can anyone relate?)

And other times, you find yourself arriving in the City That Never Sleeps on Valentine’s Day, without children, ready to kiss your husband in Central Park, share a bagel and doughnut, enjoy a chilly nighttime walk hand-in-hand through Times Square, and indulge in a slice (okay, slices) of New York pizza. And, wait for it… eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, without the occasional co-sleeping toddler asking for water or milk during the night.

And, because I have a sweet tooth, and knowing how American chocolate doesn’t compare well to ours, I shlepped some Cadbury Pop-Out Heart slabs in Original and Dream as snacks for the day. I’m the type of person who takes snacks everywhere, and when I travel, I take my favourites along. Also, as the good South African cousin I am, I also hauled over some Anchovy Paste, and lots of Lunch Bars and Cadbury Bubbly, as requested by my US family.

Anyway, back to Valentine’s Day. We arrived at our hotel, the jetlag engulfed by the excitement of being in New York. We hastily unpacked, showered, and hit the streets, hand in hand, for love and warmth – it was around 1 degree!

We did some of the things I love doing in a big city – walk, take pics, shop, admire, discover and learn. We walked through Time Square, and went to one of my favourite NY stores – the Apple store, open 24 hours a day.

From then, it was onto Katz’s Deli where my husband had their famous pastrami on rye, and I ate veggies and fries.

We just tried to absorb it all – the pace, the energy, the lights, the people. Exhausted and exhilarated, we returned to our hotel room with some takeaway coffee (I’m that person who can drink coffee at night and still fall asleep easily), and watched some of the magical New York lights before us.

PS: Cadbury Pop-Out Heart Chocolate is still on shelf – it’s limited edition, so get it soon!