Ferrara Bakery & Cafe, NYC

My list of bakeries to check out when in NYC is rather lengthy, as I love desserts, and baked goods in general.  My list of bakeries to return to is nearly equally long, as I've found some I adore.  And yet, on this recent visit, I did a very un-Julie move, and decided to order a pastry from a place I only learned about that morning: Ferrara Bakery & Cafe.Now, Ferrara is pretty well known, a classic Italian bakery/cafe that has been operating since 1892...

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Liberty Bagels, NYC

Update Review, August 2024Another year, another birthday, and, my second year in a row being in New York City for my birthday.  This meant that I could get my free birthday bagel at Liberty Bagel.  My birthday fell on a Monday this year, so the lines were less dramatic than last year (which was on a weekend).  Ordering was straightforward, the staff knew exactly what to do, just checked my ID, and moved on.  For the birthday free bagel, you don't...

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Alaska Airlines Lounge, SFO

Update Review, August 2024In late July 2024, Alaska Airlines moved into Terminal 1 at SFO, and with that, opened up a new lounge.  I got to visit just a week or so after it opened.Overall, it was a nice place to spend some time (which, for me, was abundant given flight delays), but besides the coffee, and the candy, the food and drink offerings weren't particularly compelling.Setting The space felt fairly large, given how few people were there.  It really...

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California Pizza Kitchen

Update Review, July 2024As you know, I can never resist a good freebie, so when T-Mobile had a partnership with CPK offering up $7 off your order (no minimum order, works for takeout), I of course had to take full advantage.Bread. 2 Orders.(Complimentary).When I previously ordered from CPK, the bread also included oil, today it did not.  Each order was two hunks, in a plastic bag that was just hand tied shut.Last time I had the bread I noted strong sourdough...

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