5 Things I Learned from Camping Outside Justin Bieber's Hotel

OK, I'm not exactly a Belieber. I'm not even really a fan. I do think he's a fairly clean role model for teens. I like that his songs don't have a lot of cursing and face it, they're dang catchy. (Oh baby, baby, baby, oh)

That said, I rushed out Monday afternoon when my friend sent a text saying "Justin Bieber is at the hotel across from my work." She works just a few blocks from where I live so we devised a plan to wait him out at the hotel, you know, for the sake of the Patch readers. 

Little did I know, I was already 18 steps behind the teens that were waiting for him. Here's what I did learn. 

1. If you yell when you see him, he won't stop for photo ops. I was banished to sit around the side of the Sheraton because of the lack of seats. I jokingly told this group of girls to yell when they saw him and they looked at me like I was insane. Then they explained that you never, never, yell at Justin Bieber. 
2. Waiting pays off. After seven hours of waiting, the same group of girls got nail polish from one of the crew members. Adorable.
3. Moms must sit at a distance safe enough to see them but far enough to not cramp their style. One mom was sitting around the corner. Another was watching from a distance. Close enough to ensure safety and decorum, but not too close to get in the way of a chance sighting. 
4. It's a very fine line between those who love the Biebs and those who hate him. OK, I knew this from my little cousin. Still, I might have been too cautious when I approached a group of teenage girls and said, "Are you waiting for someone?" When they looked at me like I was clearly a creepy old, out-of-touch 25-year-old, I realized I probably shouldn't have been so generic. 
5. Justin Bieber allegedly fake tweets things to keep crowds away. One of the maintenance men told the fans that he was already inside. Bieber tweeted "Off to do what I love. Perform and see my fans. Focused on the positive and what is real. South Carolina see u soon. #BelieveTour" at 2 p.m. So is he or isn't he inside the hotel? The world may never know.  

In closing, if your daughter was in the group of teenage girls outside the hotel, I was amazed at how polite and well-behaved they were. You did a good job. 

And OK, I had a good afternoon. The weather was gorgeous, the conversations were great and the interviews gave me a great idea of the average Bieber fan. Next up, I'm off to shoot some video of the fans going inside (I heard they have good signs).