Thursday we decided to slow down a bit. Well, actually Wednesday night we decided to slow down a bit. We had seen all but two things
we I had on our to do list, so we slept in. Well, to an extent. We had to wake Kylee or she would have slept all day.
After saying goodbye to Papa and Nana
and seeing them into their taxi,
the four of us boarded the subway headed to the neighboring state
to go see the Cake Boss at Carlo's Bakery. Kylee was so excited!!
The subway ride was amazingly short! We took the subway all the way to the last stop in NYC. Then we jumped on the PATH train straight to Hoboken, NJ
It is a very short walk from the subway to the bakery. When we got off the subway and spotted this,
we figured we would just follow it. We didn't realize the line would be down and across the street!! Well, I guess Kylee may have realized it, because she took a seat and pulled the movie player
from her purse. I had no idea she had brought it! Smart girl! Especially since we stood in line for over an hour to get here
so we could go inside
and check out all the goodies!
Kylee knew
exactly what she wanted: a crumb cake, lobster tails, a brownie, red velvet cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, and, of course cannoli. Blaine wanted an M&M cookie. We got it...all of it, and more!! She also wanted to see people she knew from the show, but she didn't see anybody. After waiting in the bakery for our number to be called, our order to be put together, and to pay, we had to wait in another line for merchandise. As we moved over, she saw them. Good things come in three, and they did.
While we were waiting for our aprons and tshirts, Madelyn came closer. Kylee smiled big at her, and I told her to say hello. Madelyn said, "Well, let me come over there so I can hear you." And that's how we got this.
She was so sweet to Kylee!!
Then with all of our loot, goodies and merchandise, we headed outside for a taste...in front of the bakery,
of course. And Joey took
one of my favorite pictures of our trip.
Kylee, being the avid Cake Boss watcher she is, wanted to see if we could find the pizzeria Buddy always talks about for lunch. As we headed down the street looking for it, we passed the alley of the bakery. Blaine said, "Hey, that's the door where Anthony threw the pie in his face." Guess he's an avid watcher, too!
Right after we took this picture, somebody opened that door to come out for a smoke break. When he did, I saw Buddy inside with Mauro icing a cake. I told Kylee. She did
not believe me. So we stood there. The guy went back in from his smoke break. I missed the picture,
but Kylee saw him, too, so we waited. Another couple came down the alley asking if we had seen anything, and we told them what we had seen. They waited with us. Somebody else came out that door, and we all yelled for Buddy. In the excitement, I wasn't even thinking of a picture, but he smiled and waved at us. At this point, we were so excited.
Kylee said, "I have figured out the code." You know, the code that they push to get in the door. The guy from the couple that had joined us asked her what it was. She told him. He went to the door, with Kylee mortified and totally freaking out, to try it. It worked. He didn't open the door fully but turned it enough to see that it had, in fact, unlocked the door. Not very secure that my 12-year old could watch a couple of people taking smoke breaks go back in and figure it out. We had to
promise her we wouldn't tell anybody else and nobody would try to open the door again, as she was very near tears.
We waited more. One person came from outside, going back in the bakery. We asked her if when she went in, she could hold the door open just a little longer and a little wider so we could get a picture. How sweet was she?!
(Yes, it was a she and
not the guy eating his goodie who
looks like he's holding the door.) We yelled at Buddy again. He just looked and smiled. Then the camera guy came out. He told us they didn't mind if we stood there, watched for him, and took pictures, but not to yell because they were picking us up on their mikes. OOOPPSS! We promised we would shut up!
Kylee was mortified and ready to go. We stood for one more door opening for one more sighting, with NO yelling, and headed out. We walked around a little looking for the pizzeria, which we didn't find. As we walked back by the bakery, we asked one of the "uniformed" bakery workers if he knew. He told us where it was. As we were walking off, past the alley again, toward the pizzeria, Blaine said, "Diddy, look! We
know him!" She said, "Oh, yea! That's Frankie." I politely asked Frankie if he would take a picture with my kids. He said he would, as long as we made it quick as not to draw a crowd.
I'm a camera expert with my trusty shutter clicks, and it was fast, another quick thank you, and we were off to the pizzeria.
Oh, the pizzeria. I am
not a big pizza lover, but if I lived in Hoboken, NJ, I could be! Joey
said we had to leave because he could keep eating the stuff until he made himself sick. We left the pizzeria, resisting another walk down the infamous alley, back toward the subway. Since we were walking in the opposite direction we had been when we arrived, I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. The Hudson River!
It was beautiful!
As we walked towards the PATH train headed back into the city, we decided if we ever do another NYC trip, we are staying in the slower paced, beautiful Hoboken, NJ, and taking the train to New York, instead of the other way around.
On the train, Kylee decided to sample a cannoli.
Those things are heavenly. Hea.ven.ly!! We have had one before, and while good, it wasn't something I would waste so many Weight Watcher points for. This one? Well, let's just say I ate two, even after being so good all week!
After Cake Boss, there was really only one other thing I really wanted to take the kids to before we left. It was restaurant, and since we had just eaten and could go for supper, we let the kids decide what they wanted to do for the next couple of hours. So back to the pool we went.
After all, on Monday night (you know, before the Yankee game) when I asked what their favorite part of the trip so far was, Blaine's answer was, "Swimming!"
While we were in the room putting the kids' suits on, I noticed Kylee putting shampoo and conditioner in her purse. She loved that the pool locker rooms had showers and blow dryers, so she took all she needed for her shower that night. She showered, lotioned, and blow dryed her hair at the pool.
For supper we made our last stop on my to do list.
I found this in the same book I found Ellen's in, only this one was for Blaine. My boy loves him some PB&J. It was funny to me that my friend,
Missy Cook, sent me a message on Facebook while we were there asking if I would go check it out for
her when it was already on my list. Maybe I should ask where she heard about it.
Anyway...although it wasn't what I expected, it was the neatest LITTLE
place. (in this picture, I am standing at the kitchen door looking out on the ENTIRE restaurant) It is right in the middle of the NYU Law school campus and on the street behind what seemed to be an NYC version of Austin's 6th street. It has the neatest menu and gifts.
Anything and everything you can think of (and a lot you would NEVER think of), they add with peanut butter for sandwiches. Kylee had a flutternutter,
which is peanut butter and marshmallow creme, and Blaine and Joey had plain 'ole PB&Js,
one with strawberry jelly and the other with grape. Mom had a chicken sandwich. Peanut butter was
way too many points, especially after that cannoli!
When we were finished, it was time to go home. Literally. We went back to the hotel, and
we I packed to get ready for our flight home Friday.
You may think this is the end of our NYC adventure, and so did we. Boy, we were in for a surprise!
though, I was so glad to be on the ground. It shook the plane relentlessly. I was scared, and we were on the ground! 
