09 May 2011

magnolia bakery, sex and the city & snow - my american adventures pt2

It was Spring in New York when I was there, having never really been to a cooler destination I was expecting a Sydney style Spring. You know those days right? Crisp sunny mornings, warm days and cooler nights. Well, as I experienced, a New York Spring is not that at all. On most days the temperature would reach a high of 6 degrees celsius and that was a good day.

Now on one particular frosty day (-1degrees) I decided it was the day I would visit Magnolia Bakery, it is iconic after all. So with the lure of cupcakes I dragged my mum and sister along, we put on every layer we had and headed downtown. At first they weren't particularly impressed as there was a line around the corner and as soon as we started to line up the heavens opened with rain and yep, you guessed it, snow. I would like to point out that I don't own warm clothes for the snow, I don't like the cold and I tend to act like a princess around July in Sydney so this isn't ideal when you're lining up for about 30 minutes in the cold, without an umbrella.

The line outside Magnolia Bakery
Apologies for the blurry photograph, I was literally shivering when taking this shot because everytime I used my camera I had to take off my warm woolly gloves.

Outside Magnolia Bakery 
Once inside, the store is very cute, crowded and cluttered. There were gorgeous lace curtains, fresh flowers in jars and cake and cupcake displays everywhere. There aren't any seats inside, they wouldn't fit as the store is tiny and generally packed with people, plus there's a section inside just for merchandise!

Cupcake aprons for sale
The gorgeous cakes on display, reminds me of a country bake sale
Now, after that long wait I had worked up quite an appetite and I'm convinced that the cold makes you more hungry so I was ready to eat. I was very excited to see my favourite red velvet cupcakes on display and mine for the taking as I here they are often sold out and unavailable.

Our gorgeous box of goodies - red velvet cupcakes, vanilla with chocolate icing and caramel with buttermilk icing
So excited I finally made it, I had to take a picture of the box
That gloriously RED velvet cupcake before I'm about to dig in
The cupcake was delicious, it had layers of light creamy icing and fluffy, red moist sponge. I'd like to take this moment to thank Jen from http://www.lifeslikeacupcake.com/. She is obviously a cupcake lover and an amazing cupcake creator and I wouldn't have gone there if it wasn't for her. I could literally hear her voice in my mind saying "never mind the cold, red velvet cupcakes are inside!".

Now if you head out of Magnolia and turn left just down the street you'll arrive at a very famous building - Carrie Bradshaw's apartment block where almost every episode of Sex and the City was filmed.

That famous apartment block in downtown NYC
The apartment is blocked off, as there are people actually living there, which meant no Carrie photos at the top of the stairs waiting for Big's car to come down the street. It was a shame really.

So glad I got to see this gorgeous part of New York, cold or not it was worth the visit downtown plus now I'll never complain about Sydney winters again!

The beautiful Perry Street
Magnolia Bakery - 401 Bleecker Street, New York City www.magnoliabakery.com

4 comments:

  1. Ooooh B, I love this post!! I'm so glad I was the one who encouraged you to go to Magnolia and I'm extra glad that it was worth it, considering the great weather :)
    Thank you for my jar of sweet Magnolia sprinkles...they have pride of place in my kitchen, never to be opened...(I just don't have the heart!)
    Reading your post and seeing your photos has made me want to visit Magnolia all the more now xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jen! I can't wait to see your post when you go!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just let out a loud "awww" after reading this post! Despite the painful cold I truly love NYC especially the village. I love how magnolia bakery is just meters away from Marc Jacobs and the other awesome bleeker st shops- it's my happy place! I was so excited to turn the corner into perry st as well, was half expecting to bump into Carrie! Loved this post and can't wait to read more of your NYC adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gianna! You do realise your careful instructions are what brought me to this little adventure. They were printed out and in my travel wallet at all times!

    ReplyDelete