June 21, 2017 - Tanya's Summer to Remember trip back east - Day 9

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
​NEW YORK

T'was a Foodie Day 

GREETINGS FROM NEW YORK!

Howya all doing out there?

In the back alley of my Grandma's (c)travelincousins.com

We had a lovely day visiting yesterday only to take a short break to head out to a late lunch in Brooklyn at one of our favorite diners - CHAMPS (vegan of course).

One of the many Brooklyn murals (c)travelincousins.com

Heading to Champs (c)travelincousins.com

Awaiting of food (c)travelincousins.com

A table FULL of good food (c)travelincousins.com

About to dig in (c)travelincousins.com

Once back from the filling meal, I sat outside with my Grandma and just enjoyed her company and the remainder of the afternoon.

A full few (c)travelincousins.com

The skies above NY were nothing short of a beautiful vibrant blue with scattered puffy white and wispy clouds. My dad had made note that he couldn't recall the last time the skies above NY being that gorgeous and how this is what he remembers them looking when he was a kid!

Just hanging out (c)travelincousins.com

How pretty (c)travelincousins.com

Shortly thereafter my dad realized that we still needed a loaf of bread to eat with dinner. So off we went to the local bakery and while out and about he had also pointed out a newer bakery that has become a favorite of his for their Cream Puffs and other freshly baked treats.

From the minute we walked into Babka, I knew that this was no ordinary bakery...

Dreamin' of Poland (c)travelincousins.com

Case full of goodies (c)travelincousins.com

Love the hand written signs (c)travelincousins.com

Mmm Lemon Babka (c)travelincousins.com

Packing up our goodies (c)travelincousins.com

I had flashbacks of Krakow and could sense the Polish vibe. Then just as soon as the sweet girl behind the counter had opened her mouth that confirmed it for me. I could tell a Polish accent from a mile away! (well maybe not quite a mile - but if I had the hearing of a Moth).

DID YOU KNOW: Moths have been named as having the best hearing in the world, in both the animal and human kingdoms.

Little did I know - at the moment, that we were in a Polish enclave. Once we started to drive away it was clear that this was little Poland!

Anyhow I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back to being in the bakery - I got to chatting with the shop keeper about Poland.

About my past visit: Krakow through my eyes.., where she is from (Poznan), my planned 2018 trip (which includes a visit to Poznan) and of course I had to inquire about if they had anything vegan...

Vegan in Krakow 

Sadly they didn't have any vegan offerings, but boy if they did - I think I might get in some trouble with my sweet tooth! As it was my dad nearly bought out the store - this man has a mouthful of sweet teeth!  

In related reading: European Rail Trip: Day 7: Krakow

Between him and my maternal beloved Grandfather it really is no wonder that I inherited a big ol' sweet tooth - but the thing that I don't fully understand is that as much as I love my sweets (jsyk I do love  savories more) many things can be too sweet for me and I just can't do too sweet!  Personally, I think it's because I'm already too sweet of a person as it is! (insert a few winks right here)

Be sure to stop by Babka if you happen to be in the neighborhood. They are located at: 56-64-56-98 61st St, Maspeth, NY 11378

Today we are heading out in the other direction and into Long Island, to visit with some friends. But first there will be a visit to none other than Dun Well Donuts - Mmmmmmmm Mmm Mmmmmm

DONUTS!!!! Dun Well, Done very well!

​So, I'm sure we will have a great time and come back with plenty of stories to share!

Here's to wishing you an amazing day and I'll see ya back here tomorrow :)
​-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Tough Times

Hello folks!

Well, I'm sure you now know from Tanya's scoop yesterday that I made the difficult decision to cancel going on our much-anticipated Cousins Chicago Road Trip.

It was with a heavy heart that I made the difficult decision to back out.

I know Tanya and Cosette were disappointed and moreover, my cancellation resulted in much last-minute scrambling to "reinvent" the trip.

What I can say is that, as Tanya said, the past few weeks have been a very trying time for me - on just about every front.

Unfortunately, Tanya and I live very different lives - almost polar opposites!  And that is what makes our blog so great - having two cousins come from two very different perspectives.

Not only do we live on opposite sides of the country, but so too are the details of our living conditions.  It's a blessing and a curse at times.

With school obligations for the kids, home ownership, legal proceedings with my divorce, not having the support of extended family living in the same domicile and not to mention, major budgetary limitations, I am often left a bit on the stressed side these days and faced with the sheer disappointment of having to put these obligations and the stress they impose before a lovely, care-free trip.

But, I know that happy days are on the horizon after my divorce is finalized!

I totally understood Tanya's concern about our Croatia trip planned for next June (2018) based on my panic this week and need to cancel our Chicago road trip.  

But, Tanya needed an answer so under my current state of mind and feeling underwater, I gave her the choice and she opted to cancel the plan currently on the calendar.  

I think things happen for a reason - always for the best, so I know her newly planned rail trip to Chicago will probably be better (and hopefully, safer!) than our previously planned trip.  I cannot wait to live vicariously through her pictures and pretend I was there with her!

As far as Croatia is concerned for me, I will address that trip when things are  a little bit settled for me, as I'm not giving up on this dream trip.
So, stay tuned...


​In other news...
I was thrilled to read all about Tanya's visit to Assateague National Seashore!  Gianna actually familiarized me with this lovely place, being a equine lover! 

The pictures looked lovely and I was happy to see a good time was had by all!!

Well, I'm off to take care of some more nonsense today but the good news is that the girls are in the final week of school - only 2 days to go!!

With lots of sunshine, our day will be spent largely outdoors today.

Hope you are having a great day!

-E
xoxo