When I was in college I participated in a 24-hour event called Dance Marathon to raise money for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. It was a grueling venture to stay up for 24 hours but the cause was good so it was worth the time. So much so that I did it for all four years I was there.

In Charlotte we have an awesome bakery/coffee shop that is open 24-hours called Amelie’s Bakery. It is actually famous for it’s salted caramel brownies and it is rumored that after eating one, Barak Obama implored Debbie Wasserman Schultz to make sure the 2012 DNC was held in Charlotte just for an excuse to come back. Could be a true story.

Anyways, if you have never been, it is fantastic experience with good food, coffee and people watching galore. Everyone from businessmen to the elderly to grad students to teenage goths and hipsters frequent this local. What’s more, the set up of the coffee shop provides multiple rooms with their own decorated intricacies. I think each time I’m there, I discover a new room or new painting.

My friends and I have talked about spending 24 hours in there just to see if we could and to explore the entire place. It would be entertaining as there is a constantly changing crowd and plenty of things to do. We have actually thought about doing it as a charity event where people could stop by, hang out at all hours of the night with us and donate to whatever cause we decide on.