New York is Thatta Way, Man: Just Another SaUD Miracle Review- May, 2010 (Part 4)featured

The weather forecast for our last day in New York wasn’t exactly tourist perfect. Weather.com was calling for intermittent thunderstorms, so we nixed our plans for another day on the tour bus because we’d seen nearly all we wanted to see the day before (and because you’ve gotta leave something for the next time, right?) and decided to take it easy- a little shopping and some afternoon tea…get some rest because we were getting on the boat the next day!

I vaguely remember Mom trying to wake me up to ask me if I wanted breakfast and I’m pretty sure I mumbled that I didn’t (if you’ve ever been to Alice’s for tea, you’ll know you don’t eat before tea time), but she woke me up at 10:30 am (yay vacation sleeping in!) with a bottle of Vitamin Water and a bagel sandwich from Cosi.

Even though a peek out our window showed sunshine and clouds across the Hudson, I made sure the umbrella and emergency poncho were packed- I wasn’t taking any chances. We made sure grandma had everything she’d need for a few hours and walked over to catch the PATH into NYC.

We got off the Subway in the 5th Avenue shopping district. There was a orange juice booth right outside the station giving away free samples, making street congestion even worse. Always something unexpected in NYC, right?

We walked a few blocks down Lexington towards Dylan’s Candy Bar. The last time we were in New York, we visited super late at night (a must-visit for us- Dylan’s is owned by Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph Lauren, who Mom gave Stephanie her middle name after…even though she’ll tell anyone who will listen her middle name is Lauren and not Lauren. I got my middle name after a soap opera character. Stephanie clearly wins this one). Oddly enough, this time, in the middle of the day, we found the store considerably less crowded than we did at nearly 11:00 pm on a Friday night the year before.

Dylan’s Candy Bar takes the phrase “like a kid in a candy shop” to an entirely new level. There’s kids in the candy shop…but they don’t have nearly the excitement the adults do in this three-story haven to all things sweet. There’s a cafe on the top floor (serving, what else, chocolate confections), bulk candies, souvenirs and a chocolate fountain (where you can buy confections freshly dipped in chocolate) on the main floor and in the basement? A veritable candy land. Retro candy. International sweets. Lollipops and gummi bears. Glass cases filled with autograph-adorned boxes of various celebs’ favorite sweets. There’s something sweet everywhere you look…even in the steps going to the upper and lower levels. Every time I’m here, I lose myself in sweet abyss for hours because there’s literally so much to see. What do I want to buy? What do I wish I could buy? What can withstand an hour in my suitcase or the car while I’m on the boat?

After an hour inside the store, I restocked on some mints and gum (Dylan’s chocolate mints are ah-may-zing!), grabbed some M&Ms and a pair of logo sweat pants. Stephane nabbed a few sweets, too, and we headed out onto the busy streets of New York.

We weren’t far from the Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter II location, so we just decided to walk it instead of taking the train. Even though we were forecasted for storms, it was such a lovely day. It was warm, with a slight breeze coming in. And walking through the streets of New York was so…charming. As we walked towards Alice’s, I almost felt like I was walking through the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, with the understated elegance, the shops and boutiques lining the streets, a quiet flurry of activity around us.

A quick aside on the above picture– the biggest thing I found in New York that’s just so vastly different from Chicago is the street life. Street food. Street shopping. We don’t really have that in Chicago. Everywhere you go in New York, there’s little corner floral markets (that would just make me smile every time I passed them because nothing brightens your day than passing by a colorful display of freshly-cut flowers) or an ice cream truck…a street vendor cracking jokes while serving gyros or an artist selling sketches. Chicago has it’s own unique culture…one that I obviously love given that I spend as much time in and around the city as I possibly can, but there’s just something special about New York. More than the sightseeing, the shopping, the dining, I just love walking the streets…taking it all in.

The walk to Alice’s only took 15 minutes or so and as expected for a Friday afternoon, it was packed. They quoted us 20 minutes for a table, but I think we only actually waited around five. No celeb sightings this time, though (we dined next to Michael Nouri and his wife the last time we were here).

We pretty much knew what we were going to order before we were even seated. We’d split a Mad Hatter tea service and a Mad Hatter tea service for two between the three of us (they split the service for two so they can get their fishy stuff). I ordered a chocolate-butterscotch scone and a pumpkin scone (the scones are baked fresh in-store, with offerings changing daily), the lapsang souchong smoked chicken breast and the Alice’s BLT sandwiches and the lemon fruit tart and assorted cookies while Mom and Stephanie ordered two chocolate-butterscotch scones and a pumpkin scone, curried chicken salad and albacore tuna sandwiches and the chocolate mousse with assorted cookies. We all got our own pots of tea (I think I went with the Drink Me Detox, a blend of Pai Mu Tan and Silver Needle Jasmine white teas with organic Rooibos) to complete our tea service. Our server was friendly, but I asked twice for honey that never came. The food? Nothing in the world tastes better than Alice’s fresh, warm scones with a bit of cream and a dab of preserves. *Nothing*. The BLT sandwich was a bit saltier than I remembered- probably from that blue cheese spread they layer on the dark bread and the smoked chicken sandwich was unlike any sandwich I’d ever had- a whole grain bread was spread with a nice dollop of a herbed goat cheese spread and then topped with pieces of marinated chicken breast, thinly-sliced granny smith apples and what I think was arugula. The apples gave the sandwich a sweet kick and a bit of crunch, but the greens were bitter and overpowering, and I just ended up picking them off. Stephanie and Mom didn’t really care much for their sandwiches. Stephanie convinced Mom to try the chicken salad sandwiches instead of the smoked salmon ones and they both thought they were entirely too spicy and the curry was mixed in with a heavy hand. Stephanie thought the tuna fish sandwiches were too “fishy” and didn’t care much for that one, either. And the chocolate mousse? Too rich for her. I offered her a bit of my lemon tart (which was heavenly), but she declined.

Mad Hatter tea service for two:

Mad Hatter tea service for one:

Some gratuitous food porn:

Chocolate Butterscotch and Pumpkin Scones

Lapsang Souchong Smoked Chicken Breast and Alice’s BLT sandwiches

Lemon fruit tart and assorted cookies

Curried Chicken Salad and Albacore Tuna sandwiches

Chocolate mousse and assorted cookies

We took some scones, cookies and sandwiches back for grandma (and Stephanie took some scones to go for breakfast the next morning). I think Stephanie bought a tea mug and I bought a travel tea mug (the kind with the loose tea brewer in it because I only drink loose teas) as a kind of souvenir.

The service at the Chapter II location of Alice’s Tea Cup is spotty, the food can be hit or miss, but there’s this intangible quality about just being there that I absolutely love. It’s not uptight and more kitschy than traditional, but it’s unlike anything we have in Chicago. We have formal tea services at the upscale hotels downtown, as well as some smaller tea places out in the suburbs and such, but we really don’t have many places like Alice’s in Chicago. Maybe one day. One can hope, anyways.

After we left Alice’s, we walked back towards the Fifth Ave. shopping district. We stopped in a random convenience store because we needed a few extra luggage locks and I needed some hairspray. Afterward, we decided to just head back into Jersey for the day…get some packing done…take grandma out for a bit…get some rest. While we were waiting for our train, a young man playing music for tips started playing Sweet Home Chicago. Even when we’re hundreds of miles away, there’s always a little piece of home somewhere.

We got back to Jersey City and it was just so beautiful out, so I decided to take grandma to go sit with me in the park across the street from the hotel while Mom and Stephanie packed a little. It was so quiet and serene…it reminds me much of home- close enough to the city for quick and easy access in but far enough away for moments of quiet peace.

Grandma and I went back and I took a nap. I think Mom took grandma over to Cosi for lunch while I was napping. We did some packing, watched some movies…I blogged at some point to finish up my last cruise review. Around 7:00 pm, we decided to walk over to Boca Grande for dinner because Stephanie was still raving about it and Mom and grandma really wanted to try it. I don’t remember what everyone else ordered other than Stephanie ordered the same exact thing she had the night before and I ordered these steak “guacOLE” tacos, which was like a hardshell taco with steak, then a layer of guacamole and then a soft tortilla wrapped around it. They were SOOOOOO good. Really heavy, but they were so tasty! They do guacamole right at Boca Grande. I also ordered a side of mexican rice, which I thought was just okay. If you’re around the Jersey City area, I *highly* recommend checking Boca Grande out. They have some really fantastic bar specials, too, that you can order throughout the restaurant. I know Stephanie and I want to stop back for a pitcher of sangria the next time we’re out there.

The Mr. Softee truck was parked outside the PATH station, so we grabbed some icy cool treats to bring back to the hotel (I think I had a soft serve cone dipped in chocolate and nuts), where we just kind of chilled for the rest of the night. I showered and flat ironed my hair so I was good to go in the morning, we laid out our outfits and packed everything else up, made sure our documents were in order and I went online until my internet time ran out.

Our time in New York was drawing to a close, but our vacation was really just beginning. Four wonderful days in New York done, but we still had three ports and four days at sea awaiting us.