A Bea in my Bonnet: Levain Bakery & the Staten Island Ferry

So, after a busy week, come Friday evening, my body was aching so much, I couldn't pinpoint exactly which part hurt the worst. We decided to spend most f Saturday resting and taking care of some things that needed to be done, like laundry, and getting our photos and video backed up so I can post them on the blog. That part required Steven to go to the Apple store, and the girls and I hung out at the apartment watching cartoons. Steven brought lunch back for us, and Charlotte practically fell asleep at the table. I moved her to the sofa where she took a 4 hour nap.

When Charlotte finally woke up, we decided to go to Levain Bakery to get some cookies. Steven has been raving about these cookies for months now, and despite the screaming my body was doing t get me to stop, I just couldn't. These cookies deserved to be tasted. The bakery is over just one block from us on 74th. It is a tiny, tiny, cash only operation. There are 4 stairs that go up to the door, and once inside, another small set of stairs going down. This place is bare bones, but there are as many people waiting for cookies as can fit in the place. They have 3 or 4 barstools facing the window where people can chow down on the ooey gooey yumminess. The menu is as bare bones as the inside of the bakery. Literally, 4 cookie options to choose from: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, and I think there was 1 scone option at this location. I didn't see anyone buying any scones though. They have a couple of drink options: water (I highly recommend because you need it after these cookies.), whole milk, cream, and half and half. Each cookie costs $4, and I got 6, all Walnut Chocolate Chip. One for me and Steven to eat right away and one for me and Steven to save for later. I got each of the girls a cookie because even though I knew they wouldn't eat all of it, I knew Bea would have a fit if she didn't have her own cookie. Cost us $24, and I could not wait to sink my teeth into my mound of cookie.

Since the bakery is so small, we walked up the street To Central Park, found a park bench right there at the outer wall, and dug in. I took Charlotte out of the stroller and had her on my lap because I knew though these cookies were nice and crisp on the outside, they were going to be an ooey gooey mess on the inside. They did not disappoint. Both girls loved the cookies, and after maybe 2 bites were begging for water. I just so happened to bring two bottles with us, and I'm glad I did.

Oh my goodness...do our faces say it all?

I didn't even get to my cookie, as I just ate from Charlotte's. Richest.cookies.ever!

After our indulgent moment, we walked back towards the apartment to catch the subway to Wall Street. Our plan was to catch the Staten Island Ferry to get views of the Statue of Liberty. The ferry is free, and there are tour boats (The Circle Line) that you can pay to get a guided tour of the city and a view of the statue, but the shortest one is 75 minutes. With the Staten Island Ferry, it is a 25 minute ride each way, and you can get off, let the kids eat something, and get back on (so we thought). I realize now that the Circle Line was about the same amount of time all together, maybe less because of a snafu we ran into on the way back, and certainly less people to contend with. I think next time we will pay for the tour.