24 Hours: Washington DC

I'm on a business trip. A great friend, Jerome, lives in Washington, D.C. so I piggyback a visit to him onto the trip. I sleep at his house instead of some lifeless hotel. (Don't worry. He's gay. This isn't one of those sleepovers.) After my round of meetings, I meet up with Jerome at his place. I tell him that, in spite of what his suburbanite friends say, his apartment is great. "There's nothing to do but breed in the suburbs," I say somewhat jokingly. "Out there, it's all about the nice house, the nice car and the cool stroller for the kids. In urban areas, the whole world is outside of your door ... so, you just say 'fuck it' and you get a tiny little apartment in a neighborhood that you love." "See," Jerome sighs, "you get it." He smiles and he seems genuinely happy. "I love Tacoma Park." "And, I love New York," I say as I come to the realization that this is my first trip outside of the city since relocating there earlier this year. I think of my current travel itinerary: 3 great cities over the next 3 short days. I'm reminded of that scene in Fight Club when Ed Norton's character talks about business travel and says that he remembers cities by their airport codes: "You wake up at Seatac, SFO, LAX. You wake up at O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, BWI ..." Later that night, as I lay alone on the outstretched futon with Jerome in the other room, also alone, I think to myself: I don't want to be single forever. I don't need to be married; I'd just like a healthy, monogamous relationship with a man. And, of course, I'd like to have sex ... with another person ... on a regular basis. Single in the city. There are clear advantages. And disadvantages.