I’ll be the first to admit that making and then keeping friendships as an adult is hard! When we moved to San Francisco, I knew Robin…and that was it. Thankfully, I’ve met some wonderful ladies that I get to call friends, but it’s not always easy getting together. Not only are we always busy, but add in the logistics of actually meeting up and it can be hard!
Vanessa is a good friend of mine, but she lives in South Bay. Meeting up is a challenge because it’s not only an issue of finding the time, but parking her car or mine in the city is near impossible. We’re not the only ones with this problem, and it’s actually been coined as a term: Middle Distance Relationships (MDR). It’s when you have a friend that lives JUST far enough away that you put off hanging out because it’s hard just to get to them. And that’s totally not ok.
Thankfully, Luxe is on a mission to help solve this problem. Available in San Francisco Bay Area, LA, NYC Area, Seattle, Chicago and Austin, Luxe is an on-demand valet service that makes spending time with friends so, so much easier. We teamed up together to bring Vanessa and I together for a much needed MDR day date. This past weekend Vanessa and I meet up, and drove downtown to Trou Normand for a late brunch and used Luxe to park our car for us.
The original plan was to roll up to the restaurant like celebrities, hand off our keys to our valet and get our brunch on while catching up. BUT, we didn’t know that there was a huge St. Patty’s Day parade that shut down Market, a major downtown street. So, we got stuck in traffic for over an hour. Lots of bonding time over watching tipsy people dressed head to toe in green wandering the streets of San Francisco. It was actually so bad that we almost missed our reservations at Trou Normand – we were bumper to bumper just 4 blocks away and in a bind. BUT, then we remembered that Luxe meets you anywhere. Like, anywhere. Even in the middle of a traffic jam. We’ve been texting our valet over the course of 20 minutes and asked him to meet us in the middle of traffic so we could just walk the rest of the way while he dealt with parking the car for us. MDR Day Date: SAVED!
If you’re ever in San Francisco, you MUST pay a visit to Trou Normand. Make it a day visit and ask to sit in the back patio. It’s filled with heat lamps and a glass ceiling, making you feel so small when you look up at the towering buildings above. Since we came later in the afternoon (and it was raining AND St. Patty’s Day celebration so most people were at home, a bar… or stuck in traffic) we got the patio all to ourselves. We ordered so much amazing food like Rabbit Pate, fancy cheeses and complex cocktails and caught up with each other’s lives. Vanessa owns a jewelry and home decor company called Crafturday. (Check out her stuff – she hand makes everything and it’s all beautiful!) She also blogs, so we spent a lot of time talking shop and exchanging ideas. It’s always wonderful walking away from time with friends feeling inspired.
When we were finished, I requested that my car be returned, paid our bill and shortly after Nic from Luxe pull up to hand over my car keys. It was still pouring really hard and I was so thankful that we didn’t have to walk blocks on blocks to reach our car. My boyfriend usually drives and left the gas tank almost empty that day (a sarcastic thanks,Robin!) but Luxe offers a feature where they fill up your tank for you while your car is parked with them. So, while Vanessa and I were chowing down, Luxe parked my car AND filled it up. Seriously, this is the best app to hit the on-demand market for a LONG time.
As I get older, I’ve learned that maintaining friendships when you’re older isn’t easy. You don’t see your bestie every weekday at school, so you have to make it a priority to get together. Even when it’s raining. And even when there’s a huge traffic jam – because Luxe is always there to help you out. Use code KARA38 for $20 at Luxe.
Also – are any of you in an MDR? I’d love to hear how you stay connected!
Thank you to Luxe for sponsoring this post. And thank you for supporting brands that support Whimsy Soul.
1 comment
Ahhhh this day!! Such unexpected changes in events but I’d like to think we rolled with it 😛 And that really is saying so much that Luxe met you in a traffic jam. And in the TL no less. So good catching up with an inspiring gal like yourself…this is making me think we need to do another date!! The View this time?!
xoxo