black bean, corn & avocado salsa (/salad)

there are few things i love more than wandering an unknown city. by myself.

i’m weird, we know.

corny as it sounds – it’s one of the times i feel most alive.

i feel the buzz of the city, and relish getting lost – not having a sure destination in mind, it’s freeing. being a stranger among strangers, it’s comforting.

i was recently in NYC for work and i was able to spend a morning just wandering the streets. i found myself in front of the empire state building. then in the middle of bryant park. staring at the nyc public library (yes, visions of big and carrie danced in my head).

then i went to breakfast by myself. another thing that for some reason really doesn’t bother me. well until i started choking and tears were streaming down my face and the entire restaurant was staring at me like i was miley cyrus circa wrecking ball. that wasn’t all that much fun. pretty sure the woman next to me nearly gave me the heimlich.

i told you how i went on vacation by myself. and i realize this isn’t something to even be boasting about because it’s strange. but you’re my favorite invisible internet friends and i know you get me.

there are issues with traveling on your own. like when you go to a restaurant and you really have to use the LR (the ladiesssss room, as carlyle would say) – you can’t just get up. what if someone roofies your drink at the bar? or they think you’ve dined and dashed?

and then there’s the problem of needing a cock block (sorry mom, but there’s no other way of saying it). when fred the engineer saddles up to you with crumbs in his mustache – you need someone to run interference. there’s nowhere to go. we’ve already decided you can’t abandon your food. can’t chance losing that dirty martini in an attempt to get away from the cargo shorts wearing man. you’re stuck.

but even with the perils of roofies and cargo pants, it’s balanced by the awesome people i’ve met while dining alone. so i highly recommend it. start at an airport bar – my version of disneyland – you’ll make friends in minutes.

or, er, stay at home and make this black bean corn avocado salsa awesomeness. it’s fresh. it’s light. it’s easy.

it can be a salsa or a salad.

it’s perfect for a hot summer day by the water with a margarita. if you don’t have everything, don’t fret. you can throw everything but the kitchen sink in this if you want.

go crazy. you deserve it.