Eating our way through NYC and Brooklyn

Since Molly's home that means I don't stop for a second.But if it weren't for Molly I would never have seen half the places I've been. We just returned from a trip to NYC, not to see the ordinary stuff but to visit some of the Best Affordable Restaurants. We started out in Brooklyn in the Brighton Beach section. We were the only ones there that didn't speak Russian. The stores were full of fur coats and hats and some really wonderful felted hats and shoes. We could have been in Moscow by all appearances. The restaurants had all kinds of Russian favorites that they loaded on your plate then charged by the pound. Tim's girlfriend, Elisabeth, was along so we all shared. We were stuffed for less than $9 so some walking was in order. Too cold for the beach (Coney Island is right next door) but the shops were interesting.
From there were headed to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn to Junior's and the World's Best Cheesecake. Awful traffic but we got a parking space amazingly enough. The cheesecake went into boxes for later. Next stop Hoboken NJ, just across the River. A mere 4 miles as the crow flies but the Garmin took us accross the Brooklyn Brige and right thru Chinatown in lower Manhattan. AAHHH. I grew up in NJ and have gone to NYC all my life BUT I have managed to avoid driving there until now. My brother who works in the city is still laughing. This is another fine mess you have gotten me into Molly!
We survived Canal St. and gratefully arrived in Hoboken where we had a hotel room booked. And what a room it was! 16th floor with a 12 foot window overlooking the NYC skyline and the Hudson River boat traffic. AWESOME. The girls were still ready to go since we still had daylight so we found Carlo's Bakery...Cake Boss on TLC... and got on line. By this time it felt more like Chicago than NJ with the wind whipping off the river, but the people on line with us were fun so we braved the cold. Molly and Elisabeth got pictures with Buddy...Cake Boss... and more bakery items. By now I was craving protein so we walked around in search of real food. Hoboken has really changed since I was last there MANY years ago. They say Eli Manning lives there but we must have missed him. I swore I saw Clinton Kelly of What Not To Wear Fame but they girls assured me that if I had indeed seen him he would have immediately pulled me off the street for a fashion intervention. I kept purchasing cheap additions to my attire as the day got colder and was not too careful about matching. My Teva's and wool socks were reportedly the worst fashion faux pas.Even my brother who just worked outside in NYC all day looked better than I did when we met him for coffee.
Tuesday morning was bitter. Wind chill of 6 and 40 mph wind gusts. Now I was wishing I had purchased one of those Russian fur coats in Brighton Beach.
This time we took the train into NYC and the subway to Dylan's Candy Bar on the upper East side. That place makes you feel like you are living CANDYLAND.... A magical lollipop land. Chocolate fountains,hundreds of candy bins on 3 floors. Even the floor has a candy motif! The music was all candy realated tunes. The girls were thrilled but I kept asking myself "Why does the daughter of Ralph Lauren need to own a candy shop?" Too realistic I guess. Maybe I am as cynical as Anthony Bourdain.
From there it was blocks and blocks of walking. Molly and Elisabeth were not interested in the old standard NYC stuff like the tree at Rockefeller Center (Rockafella Centa, as my mother used to say) but I made them go anyway before returning to Hoboken. Actually we were glad to get out because the Christmas tourist crowds were impossible to navigate in spite of the cold.
It was a great time for all of us in spite of the fact that our camera was missing. All of our pictures gone! The girls were devastated that their pictures with the Cake Boss will never be on Facebook but they now have no proof that I wore what I wore. Guess we will have to go back and retrace our steps... in warmer weather tho.