So says the slogan of swirlz, a cupcake bakery in Chicago. Music makes people happy, as well, which I wrote about a couple days ago.

Linsey and I stopped at swirlz to pick up a couple of treats before I departed.

I selected two cupcakes, a surprise flavor that was gluten free with chocolate cake and a peanut-butter frosting and a red velvet.

Red velvet with cute cupcake holder

These cupcakes looked lovely, but maybe it was because I did not eat them immediately or because I put them in the refrigerator, but they were not the most amazing cupcakes I had ever eaten. The cake was good, but the icing, particularly on the red velvet, was too sweet. I noticed no difference in cake between the gluten-free and regular versions, which is pretty fantastic.

I would give them another try if I was going to eat a cupcake immediately.

I have had even more delicious cupcakes from two other bakeries — one in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the other in New York City.

Last summer, which would be summer 2010, I visited a friend in Ann Arbor and as we walked past The Cupcake Station, I decided a visit was necessary.

This time, I picked out a red velvet cupcake topped with a raspberry and a Boston creme cupcake.

I ate only one of these relatively quickly (Boston creme) and it was delicious. I ate the second a day or two later and it held up quite well. Both kinds were fantastic.

My first cupcake bakery experience, in summer 2008, was the most memorable.

The Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village was listed in a guidebook of mine as a destination for cupcakes and noted as a location from “Sex and the City.”

The television relation to me meant nothing because I had never seen the show, but I do love cupcakes.

I knew that lines at Magnolia Bakery were quite frequent, so I headed out one weekday evening in hopes of beating the line. There was still a line, but definitely better than the daytime version.

Here, only a few people are allowed in the store at a time and everyone is given a box to fill with cupcakes that are on display. In addition to cupcakes, I also purchased some banana pudding because that was also recommended.

I do not remember any of the flavors of the cupcakes I had, but everything was delicious. I also do not have any photos of them, but my memories include sitting on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade after shopping and trying not to devour all that I had purchased at once.