Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Day In Wonderland: Alice's Tea Cup, NYC!

"There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it"- The Mad Tea Party

My dear friend Lara wanted to go to Alice's Tea Cup http://www.alicesteacup.com/ in NYC for her birthday, This fabulous Tea Room and Shoppe actually has 3 locations, we went to the one located on 73rd Street!

I got up that day at 7am and left my house at 9am, and decided to drive straight to Hobokken and park near Kirsten's Place, Then Lara, her sis Kirsten and Me, grabbed a bus and headed for the city, then hopped the subway to uptown, getting off near Central Park West and like the White Rabbit, we didn't want to be late late late.... We were meeting two other girls, Maya and Fran at Noon.

The magic worked since we arrived on time, left our name for a table and all of us took a leisurely stroll around the area, window shopping and talking, that's when the phone call came in: "Your table is ready" We headed back to start the Birthday Brunch, I guess you would say, Lara was The Alice of the day and me probably the Mad Hatter, although I would like to be the Queen! LOL!

Just past this Enchanted Lantern,is a storybook world where The Mad Hatter Drinks his tea every hour, The White Rabbit might have a wife who is Pink and Tweedle Dum or Tweedle Dee, actually are smart and re-known scholars, well not according to the Queen, in any case, You're invited to The Mad Tea Party in honor of Lara.


Once inside you will find a scrumptious glass case and counter top to the right filled with amazing scones in an array of delicious flavors, and behind that is a long tea shelf, reminiscent of an apothecary shoppe style, the left side is stacked with Wonderland and Storybook Memorabilia, Fairy, Children's and Paper Goods and Opposite shelves has Teaware, Accessories, Vintage Style Aprons and more.

When you walk through here, you will be lead right into the dinning area, our table was in the pink room in the back, so cozy and privare. When you sit, you are left with a large tea menu, at least 5 pages long and a wonderful food menu, complete with a Weekend Brunch List, I mean you could be there for days alone deciding which tea to have or what to eat. I decided on the Lapsong Souchong Chicken with brie and apples on real organice grain bread and side mixed green salad and I tried the Rooibos Coconut Vanilla tea, which is my new favorite tea, it was served in the cutest light aqua tea pot and ceramic rabbit tea dripper!


My other option for brunch would have been the poached eggs with salmon over two buttermilk scones or the brandy infused baked French toast.

After Brunch, Lara handed us each a valentine gift of candies in a champagne glass wrapped in clear wrap with pretty red ribbons, and it was her Birthday, she is the best. Before we left, I had to take some pictures of the Enchanting decor like the Fairy Wing Alley and some Wonderland Images.

This tea room is probably one of the cutest I have been too, their scones are in so many scrumptious flavors and the food menu is beyond delicious and as you guessed the whole theme is Alice in Wonderland, my favorite story, I almost didn't want to leave. The group of us were oustide looking for someone to take our picture and then out of no where comes my friend Kevin, who lives nearby, I said you are just in time, Kevin, could you take our picture, LOL and he did, talk about perfect timing!


After leaving our Mad Tea Party, we grabbed some cupcakes at Magnolia's Bakery http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/ along with the cutest pastel candle and sang Happy Birthday right near the bakery and Central Park West. Let me just say these cupcakes are the best ever, the icing just melts in your mouth, I recommend this if in the city.

Now we were off for our Central Park stroll, the weather was sunny and cool, around 50 degrees, a great time to be in the city. As you walk through the park you can see so many wonderful things, timeless, and if you look closely you will find hidden accents with extraordinary details like the Fleur De Lis on the walkway bridge or the stunning gothic architecture I found on a buildings railing across the street for the park.



This following photo reminds me of the movie: Sunday in the New York with Bridget Fonda and Rod Taylor or Barefoot in the Park with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, a walk through and your imagination sets sail into others times, and life's scenes.

After our stroll, we did some light shopping and headed for the village by subway, by the time we arrived, it was only Lara, Kirsten and Me left, so we shopped around Stella McCartney's Store, McQueen's and Scoop, scouting out the latest fashions and trends. Scoop is a hot spot for celebrity's and fashion icons. Lara was on a mission to find comfy yet ultra stylish boots for fashion week, as she has been working diligently for weeks preparing, helping her designer friend get ready for his show.
This photo was taken in front of a cool store ironically called: Wonderland, lots of cutesy things inside, by this time I couldn't feel my feet, LOL, non of us could, so we head for some strong expresso's and cappuccino at a great coffee cafe:

And that my friends has brought this adventure to a sweet and delightful end! I hope you enjoyed my Wonderland and City Adventure, if you are ever in the city look one of these tea locations up and don't forget the Magnolia Cupcake, if not, you can buy there cook book and try making your own!

“Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.- The Mad Tea Party

10 comments:

MaygreenFairies said...

Ohhhh it looks lovely! I have been to NYC twice and loved it every time, I only wish I could have joined you all! Mandy x

Birds of a Feather said...

i'll have to add this to my things to do and see next time i visit! what fun!

thanks for stopping by, loved meeting you at SB!

xo heidi

Deborah said...

Lisa, thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. This is all so new to me but. It was really nice to meet so many wonderful people this past week. How do you get your pictures to move around in blogger? Mine just go to the top and sit there where they resist all my attempts to move them around.

Lisa Marie said...

what fun, Alice place sounds divine, so whimsical hugs, lisa

Unknown said...

Oh this place looks wonderful. I wanted to go there the last time I was in the city. It looks so charming. Looks like you and your friends had a wonderful time.
Karen

Lisa Kettell said...

If any of you are ever in the city, and you love tea, scones and Wonderland, then this is a must do on your trip, or try all three locations.

And trust me on the Magnolia Cupcakes, so worth every last calorie!

Magic and Joy!
Lisa!

pamelahuntington said...

HI Lisa,
this looks like too much fun! I love the new banner, too. I want to
get Ellen, Sal, Loretta and Terri
to this Tea Shop!
miss you
xox
pamela

Lisa Kettell said...

Pam, we should get a whole group to go in and indulge on great food, scones and tea! Let me know!
XO!
Lisa!

Angela Hoffmann said...

ooh lisa i can not believe i have never visited your blog before..duh! I just love love love your story of your wonderland in the city adventure..i had heard of these tea shoppes once before...looong ago..ooooh it would be so fun to visit! i never saw the city in this kind of perspective before..i had been there many times as a child..and never liked it..ha ha..now i want to come visit again! maybe one day my hubby will have a course there and we can come..it would be such a delightful adventure..and of course i would have some hours during the day to entertain myself with!

thank you for such a lovely story!
xoxox
angela

OliveStreetStudio said...

I used to live on east Bleecker and my friends in the west village always bought Magnolia cupcakes. Love teh Alice tea shop too!