Billy's Bakery and Crumbs

The NYC Cupcake Tour 2010 continued on day two of my travels with two new stops. Billy's Bakery (on Martha's list of favorites!) and Crumbs Bake Shop which is actually right here in Hoboken.

I started my day off with a Crumbs cupcake and a coffee; breakfast of champions. While in Crumbs, I met this guy named Leon who I was chatting with while I planned out the rest of my day. I had made a lot of plans for the day, all on foot. It was raining cats and dogs out, but I am a firm believer in the theory that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear so I was determined to stick it out. After breakfast, with detailed game plan in hand, I took the bus into the city and ventured out into the rain. It was right slippy out, like 'go-go gadget rubber boots" wet. I was only wearing sneakers, which didn't take long to become drenched right through. I kept telling myself I would stop on the next corner and buy myself an umbrella but of course by the time I got to the next corner I would convince myself I was being a wimp. I am convinced that it's never safe to leave the house without rubber boots from now on.

My first stop in the city was Macy's. I had never been before and this one is seven floors! It was almost to big to shop in. Where do you even start? I tried my hardest but had some issues so after wandering around each floor somewhat aimlessly for a while, I decided to move on and continue on my grand adventure. Next stop: The Empire State Building. It was pretty cool, and tall...not sure what else to say about it though. I got there and was kinda like ok, now what? ooo, ahhh...? I didn't go up to the top of it because I had already been to the top of the rock (good thing because it was super foggy day two). So I took a couple of pictures and then carried on once again. My next plan was to hit up the Annex Antique Fair, but it was all closed up for some reason, so I just wandered around and window shopped a bit.

I was particularly excited for my next stop, at Big Cup Tea and Coffee house. Lonely Planet promised it was a perky, beautiful-boy meeting place with biscotti. By this point I was pretty soggy and the wind was starting to pick up so I was especially looking forward to an Americano and warming up with my book. Unfortunately, it was yet another bust. I'm pretty sure it no longer exists as it was no where to be found. I even double checked my map! And yes, I am aware that I am a huge looser, but I'm ok with that. I keep sneaking into coffee shops or little shops to check my map discretely with out being a total dork with my map out in the middle of the side walk. By now I was getting a little bit grumpy-it felt as though the entire day was becoming a bust.

Billy's Bakery was the next stop, and I was really crossing my fingers that this place was a) in existence, b) open and c) delish. It was everything I hoped for. It's just a little place with a couple tables, mostly take out, and they were baking when I got there so as soon as I opened the door a wave of warm, dry, delicious smelling air swept over me and I was cheered right up. The hardest part of the cupcake tour is deciding what type to eat. Do I pick the same basic cupcake at every bake shop so I can compare and contrast? Or do I just got for it and pick whatever is looking good at that exact moment? I decided variety is the spice of life and chose a Red Velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing. I had never had one before but Sam talks about red velvet cake fairly often so I figured I'd give it a shot. It was delicious, and the green tea I got with it warmed me right up and gave me a chance to dry off a bit. I lingered longer than I normally would have dreading going back outside. Of course I could have hoped on the subway, but no, I was determined to walk.

The next planned stop was the World Trade Center ground Zero, but someone I ended up at City Hall and the New York City Courthouse and got turned around. In an attempt to find my bearings, I ended up in Chinatown which was really cool. By now I had been walking for about 6 hours, and had never actually bought an umbrella. Every other person in the entire city seemed to have an umbrella though. The sidewalks are crowded enough, add to that people walking with giant umbrellas and their heads down avoiding the windy rain means dodging people left right and center. I'm pretty sure I almost lost an eye or two several times. Chinatown is not for those with a weak stomach. I couldn't identify even half of the edible food products in the shop windows.

It was at this point that I conceded defeat, and hopped on the subway to go back to Hoboken to dry off. Once I got to Hoboken, it was kinda early-about 5:30, so I decided I would change into some dry clothes and go out for a nice dinner. Stuffed mushrooms, wine and pasta..yuuummmm. Definitely felt judged eating alone at a restaurant, but I got over it pretty quick and enjoyed the meal!

I am pooped! I know that I wouldn't be able to do the day justice if I sleepily blogged right now but I've been keeping notes in my notebook whenever I think of something worth sharing. Tomorrow is my last day solo and then Rach gets home from Texas, which according to her blog, sounds pretty awesome. Look forward to a double whammy of a post tomorrow!
Actually-I have had to take my plans for today's trek and sight seeing and split it into two days because I got a little carried away and over estimated my time and my ability to not get lost, so really it'll be like I accomplished it all today!

Magnolia Bakery

At long last, I finally got to taste a Magnolia Bakery cupcake! I am still wondering why I have been wanting one so bad for the last few years. I think it must be because I saw it on Martha Stewart at some point and decided I have to go there. Either way, it did not disappoint. I am already looking forward to the next time I get to have one. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning when I saw the bake shop ahead in the distance. It helped that I was super hungry. The real question is how do you choose what to get once you're there? Everything looks so delicious and everything is so pretty! I choose a purple vanilla cupcake with sprinkles and splurged on a t-shirt. I wasn't really sure how to eat it; do I just dive in and go for it? Or do I take my time and truly enjoy it? I opted to take my time but it was so good that the second half went down pretty quick. Yummm...

After Magnolia, I wandered around the Rockefeller center and past the NBC theaters and then sauntered up to the Observation Deck, aka the Top of The Rock. I was the only person who was there alone, but I decided today that I kind of like traveling alone. For selfish reasons; I can do my own thing on my own time in my own order. But I also realized that the crappy part about traveling alone is never having anyone to take pictures of you doing cool stuff. The stretch your arm out to take a pic of yourself is lame, and not very effective.

I basically spent the rest of the day shopping, I went into about a million shops and tried on a bagillion things and am happy with my purchases thus far! It's exciting because I am mostly shopping for internship clothes, so I get to try on clothes that I would have never ever even looked at before. Another nice part about traveling alone-shopping! Not feeling guilty for making your friends wait while you try stuff on, and not being tainted by their opinions. It also means you don't get input, but I often find myself asking randoms in the shop so it's all good.

I went for dinner at Hale and Hearty Soups, and had a delish curried cauliflower and chick pea soup and half a spinach and goat cheese wrap. It was about 6pm by now, and I had run out of plans for the day so I decided to head back to Hoboken to check out Carlos' Bake Shop (made famous by TLC's Cake Boss) for an apparently famous canolli. It was decent-I had never had one before so I had nothing to compare it to. I've seen the show but am not a HUGE fan so I mostly went because friends at home love the show so much. Plus I'm here, so I may as well!

I walked back to Rach's place along Washington Street, which is covered in little shops and a million cool restaurants. Made me really hungry despite having just eaten! I am looking forward to checking some out in the next few days, lots of ethnic food that doesn't exist in Charlottetown so I'll have to take advantage of it!

En Route

It’s funny how we seem to rush through the travel portion of our vacations or trips in a hurry to get where we are going, often dreading the drive, flight or train ride. I am guilty of this myself; the hurry up and wait mentality of the airport isn’t my favorite. As per usual, I was excited to get to New York but was not looking forward to the two flights, going through customs, being on a cramped airplane for hours and then reaching my destination tired, clammy and likely a bit grumpy. A friend drove me to the airport (Thanks Jess!), and I reluctantly got outta the car knowing that the endless cycle of rushing to the counter, than waiting at the gate, rushing onto the plane just to sit and wait on it for hours, rushing out of the plane to get your baggage, then waiting at the carousal for it to come was about to begin.

I began to wonder though, why I always dread the actual traveling portion of the trip so much. Ya, everything I mentioned above holds true, and it does kind of suck, but airports can be really entertaining and interesting places. For anyone who enjoys people watching, Pearson is the place to do it. There are your typical business travelers, in their suits and brief cases, power walking through the terminals; there are the exhausted parents, lugging small children, Dora the Explorer back packs, well equipped with snacks and wet wipes; and at this time of year, you have your spring breakers, pumped to spend the next week on a sandy beach with a drink in their hands. I can’t help but wonder where people are going, where they are coming from and the reasons for their trips.

It occurred to me while sitting on the plane on the tarmac in Toronto, waiting for boarding to finish, watching the seemingly nervous, jittery man beside me open up a book written in a language I don’t even recognize nor could I begin to decipher, that if someone were to really take the time, imagine how much they could learn by simple boarding a plane and talking to every other passenger. I think that’s what I like so much about people; you never can know what to expect, as much as you think you have someone nailed down, they always manage to shift your opinions of them and make you wonder why you were so quick to judge.

I am currently sitting on my plane somewhere between Toronto and New York City, and after napping the entire way between Charlottetown and Toronto, I am wide-awake and pumped to finally arrive. I booked a ticket on a bus from the airport to Port Authority online yesterday, so I’m a little nervous about figuring out where to catch this bus, but at the same time, not actually worried. It’ll all work out…it always does. This trip so far has already been a lot different than any other trip I’ve taken. I am obsessive compulsive when it comes to lists, normally I would have had about 3 lists in preparation for the trip-what to pack, what to do before I go, what to do when I get there etc.

I am proud to say that I actually didn’t even have a list on paper anywhere that had to do with the trip. I just threw some stuff in a duffle bag this morning, and figured I’d spend my first day in NYC bumming around downtown and stumbling across cool things. I think my goal for tomorrow is a running tour of Hoboken, maybe stopping in at Cake Boss for something delicious mid-run, then probably the Rockefeller Center because there is a Magnolia Bakery in there. Cupcakes for lunch? Yes Please!

I’m reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma right now by Michael Pollen. I’ve read one of his books before, and I’m a fan. What I like about his writing is that it’s super informative, and he is passionate and clearly has strong opinions about food, the industry and the raising of the animals we eat, but he’s not preachy. I recommend this book for anyone who wonders what it is they are blindly putting into their mouths. It’s crazy when you think about it, we know SO little about the agricultural industry, yet it’s one we rely on for survival, and depend on for our health. There are very few other things that we are so willing to trust despite not knowing anything about. I think in my next life I will be a farmer, or maybe for some portion of this life. I would love to have a giant vegetable patch, some chickens and a beehive one day. I am going to try to get a job on a farm this summer, or do some volunteering as a farm hand in an attempt to learn more about what goes into the production of the foods we take for granted every meal.

In other news, I JUST arrived at Rachel’s in Hoboken and it is such an awesome spot, I love it already. Her roommates are super awesome. At the airport the bus attendant guy called me perky, and in the same breath asked if I was in the military. Until now I was unaware that a correlation existed between those two-but maybe this means I look assertive and therefore people won’t mess with me. It must because I'm badass.

The entire plane ride from Toronto to NY was full of people talking about the Canada versus US hockey game that’s on right now. I heard about 6 different groups of people say they were going to the bar Tonic to watch it as soon as we landed. I think it really just started with one person saying it and being over heard until eventually the entire plane decided it was THE place to go to watch the game. As soon as we landed, 60% of the passengers had cells phones in hand immediately, dialing friends to find out what the score was, who was scoring, which goalie was in net etc. I couldn’t always tell if there were more Canadian fans or US fans but given the enthusiasm and sense of urgency in knowing, I’m guessing Canadian.

Driving on the bus through the city to get to the bus station I couldn’t help but notice how bright the city is (I know, anyone who has never been here could have told me that!) and of course the first thing I wonder is how many of the light bulbs in the city are energy efficient? I’m crossing my fingers but not holding my breath that the majority are. It actually mostly reminds me of the CNE-there is so much cheap crappy food being advertised on street corners and in little hole in the wall shops, people everywhere and everything is on sale.

I was initially worried about being a dork with a map in one hand and a camera in the other, but I quickly realized that the mere fact that I’m not wearing a scarf, nor did I even bring a scarf is a dead give away that I’m an outsider. First stop tomorrow? Scarf shopping.

Cafe Culture

About a month ago I read a story in the paper about Cafe culture, and how it is disappearing. Instead of going to cafes to be social and converse with others, the modern cafe is now a place to do work and sit on your lap top for hours. I must admit, I am currently sitting in Starbucks with an Americano blogging on my mac book. Cliche? Extremely. But sometimes you just need to get out of the house. ( I love my roommates, but sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad news bears.) I think one of the things I like most about Charlottetown is it's sense of community. This translates into it's coffee shops, and maintains "cafe culture." Very rarely will you see more than maybe 2 laptops at a time in a coffee shop, and no matter who is here and who comes in, someone in the back of the line will know someone in the front of the line who knows someone in the middle of the line who is waiting for someone who knows the barista's brother. It's a lot more exciting going for coffee knowing you will probably run into someone you forgot you knew and haven't talked to in ages. It helps that this particular Starbucks is Charlottetown's first and only, and has only been here since October so the place is still buzzing with excitement and filled with perplexing looks on the faces of new comers as they try to decipher the menu.

I went to see the internship coordinator a few days ago to discuss placement options because I was stressing out big time. I am so glad I did, she is quite possibly the most helpful person I have ever met. Here I am, wigging out and a bit frantic barging into (well I knocked...) her office talking a million miles an hour about all my conflicting ideas about what placement I want this summer and the pros and cons of each option and spazing out hard core. Meanwhile, she laughs at me and calmly asks me what I would want in an ideal world, regardless of the pre-set placements we were given, and proceeds to figure out how to make my ideal possible. Just like that. I left her office feeling a lot better about some new placement combinations she created for me and feeling extremely high maintenance. But on the bright side, this summer is looking better and better everyday; mostly because it's getting closer and closer.

So as of right now, I think I'll be doing a normal 2 month placement, finishing June 25th and then going home. BUT I think I'll be coming back to the island a month later at the end of July for one week to do the Diabetes Camp that I really wanted to do. I love camp, camp is great. I suppose it means I'm doing one extra week of free interning but it'll be worth it to get to be home a month early AND go to camp. I'm crossing my fingers that everything works out.

The hardest part about this whole internship thing is having to compete against all your friends. First we were competing to get an internship, now we're competing to get the placements we want. If two people pick the same one, it'll come down to luck of the draw, and I don't want to be the person to take away someone's first choice.

Last night, I got home from work in time to catch the men's Skeleton finals. Oh man, so exciting. First of all, the idea of sledding head first down a giant ice ramp at 140 km/hr is awesome, and something I really want to try. The Canadian Jon Montgomery, was in second after the first two runs, but was slowely chipping away at the lead with each run. When it came down to the leaders last run, he slowely got further, and further behind but it was hard to tell until he actually crossed the line that Canada was going to take it. Jon Montgomery quickly became my new favorite person. Mostly because his helmet has a giant turtle on it, but I suppose winning a gold medal doesn't hurt either. Skeleton in general was pretty intense this year, with Mellisa Hollingsworth falling short in her last run. My heart broke a little when she gave a tearful interview after her race worried about letting down her entire country. But like she said, she made a mistake that could have been made anywhere; in practice, at world cup etc, and it was just unfortunate it happened at the Olympics. My next blog post will likely be from either New York City or on route to NYC. So stayed tuned!

Pancakes and Summer Camp

Yesterday was our very first meeting all together as interns with our coordinator Linda. It was long overdue, as we had all heard rumors and were questioning exactly what was going on this summer. Turns out that our schedule has had some changes and I will now be dunzo as of June 25th! That's about a month earlier than I thought, which means a whole extra month at home that I am available to work and be with family and friends, and maybe get in a paddle or two. Sounds absolutely fabulous right? Well it is...but there's a catch.

We were presented with a list of our options in terms of placements. There are two placements this summer, one in a clinical setting and one in food service. Each of the 10 options has a placement for May and a placement for June, and we have to email Linda notifying her of our first and second choices. The problem is choosing. For many of the options, one placement sounds fabulous but the accompanying placement for the opposing month is not so much ideal. I am particularly torn because the one placement (of all 20) that really jumped out at me as something I would love to do is a one week long overnight summer camp for kids with diabetes. The kicker is, the placement that accompanies the camp is two months of part time work instead of one month of full time work. This would mean being on the island for an extra month and home only for August. I am also really interested in gerontology, and many of the other combinations include one placement in a long term care facility, however the summer camp combo doesn't. But that being said, the summer camp option's clinical portion is doing home care visits with a dietitian, which interests me more than some of the other clinical options.

I keep flip flopping in my head, I'll convince myself I have made up my mind and log into my UPEI email account to e-mail Linda and then I'll pause, and my brain will get all mixed up again and I'll second guess my decision. I have asked basically everyone I know their opinion but I still really can't choose. Is one week of camp worth a whole month of groceries, bills, inability to work full time, and not seeing my family and friends from home? I have been reminded by a couple friends that it's really a win-win situation. Either I stay here and get to work at the summer camp, and experience a true PEI summer for the first time, or I get to go home a month earlier than I expected.

Before I was faced with this decision, I was able to enjoy a free pancake lunch on campus for Pancake Tuesday. Pancakes are one of those foods that I don't eat very often, but every time I do, I wonder why I don't eat them for every meal. How could you not love carbs drenched in butter and maple syrup? It's probably best that I am not eating them everyday for that very reason. It made me excited to go into the sugar woods with my sister and grandparents at some point in March. Might be my car's first trip across the bridge!

Side Note: the half pipe snowboarder from France drew a french mustache onto his face with a sharpie. It makes me laugh but I'm wondering if it's offending anyone from France. I am also wondering why I keep getting the urge to add lame little clip art pictures to this blog (exibit A and B above) thinking that they are in fact sprucing it up. I will attempt to add actual photos more often from now on.

Awfully Familiar...

Upon reading the Globe and Mail this morning, I came across an awfully familiar story.

It seems as though I'm not the only advocate for humane mouse traps. This story, however, ends happily ever after and the mouse is set free into the wild... most likely to quickly find it's way back into this guy's house. Our humane trap didn't work, but I would not have set the little guy free across the street; I was planning on driving out to Summerside or Cavendish or as far as I could get. Heck, if the bridge didn't cost 41.50$ to cross, I would have dropped the mouse off in New Brunswick. As it turns out, we are hosting an army of mice and not just one so the humane trap might not have been the best option. Weekly trips to Summerside would, quite frankly, take way more time than I have. But it made me feel better that I wasn't the only one initially having so many issues with the wooden mouse trap. I am looking forward to an update and will be checking back in anticipation in a few days.

In other news, the USDA is taking action to improve the quality of organic dairy. Since 2002, in order to label a dairy product 'organic' the cows simply had to have access to pasture, there were no regulations stating that they had to be fed on pasture. The USDA has just issued new rules that will become effective starting in June. Check out this post from Marion Nestle on her Food Politics blog (you can find the link to the blog to your left). Our food system is so messed up, but I suppose it's nice to see at least a minor improvement taking place. Hopefully it leads to more substantial regulation and policy changes across all sectors of the industry in the near future. It's a start though...