around town: milk bar harvard square

while i've been hearing about milk bar for what feels like 20 years, i've never been to the flagship NYC location. so when i found out that the beloved dessert shop was opening in harvard square, i had to pay it a visit. word on the street is that as a result of purchasing the building, the owners put crema, a neighboring independent coffee shop, out of business. if true, that's pretty shitty—i adored that place and have been on a zillion dates there and have a bunch of happy memories associated with it. but, nothing good ever lasts, so i figured i'd give the new (commercial) kid on the block a shot.

 because it only opened, like, last week or something, the line was almost out the door upon my arrival. 

 oh, and it's a hybrid bakeshop AND pizza joint (stylized as "&pizza") because i guess that's trendier looking. but the line is for both? and then you split off, depending on what you want? slightly confusing for a first-timer. didn't try the pizza this time around, but it smelled absolutely delicious.

while you wait, there are temptations for impulse buys everywhere, from cookie mix to cookbooks.

i finally got up to the counter, and ordered a cornflake, chocolate chip, and marshmallow cookie and a cereal milk latte. apparently, the soft serve and milkshakes are where it's at, but it was 30 degrees out and i just can't do ice cream (or iced coffee, even) in the wintertime. at all. i know, i know, i'm weird. oh, and then there was this delightful tip jar:

 my biggest gripe is that there's absolutely no room to sit down unless you're getting pizza, which i imagine is by design considering the amount of traffic that comes through. but i was all excited to curl up with my treats and read and relax for a bit, and my dreams were quickly shattered and i had to go back into the freezing streets of harvard square instead. rough!

latte and cookie for reference:

both were good! the latte, true to its name, tasted like the slightly-sugary remnants of your cereal bowl as a kid with a nice touch of espresso, but wasn't overpoweringly sweet. i PROBABLY didn't need to eat the entire cookie in one sitting, because it was...a lot. but i did it and i don't have any regrets (and i'll almost definitely do it again in the future).

see you in the springtime for soft serve, milk bar.

5 things i love right now

1. this townhouse in harvard square

the exposed beams! the skylights! the loft! the private deck! not the price tag! 


2. this hip-hop dance routine



one of the few things that make me happier than actually dancing is watching people dance who are better than i am. i completely geek out on youtube choreography videos and discovered this one, set to usher's sexy "no limit," after i got sucked into yet another vortex the other day. as with most of my favorites, this one was shot at millennium dance complex in L.A., which makes sense because ... L.A. that chick in the front of the second group?! i yelled "get it, girl!" out loud in my apartment. which reminds me that i also absolutely love that the other dancers hoot and holler the entire time. now if you'll excuse me, i'm off to teach myself this choreography. i'll, uh, see y'all next year i guess.

3. this village voice article about bob dylan 

a bit of a long read, but so, so cool. basically midnight in paris in article form, and set in 1970s new york instead. can you imagine hanging out at a diner with bob dylan and patti smith and joan baez and joni mitchell? and hearing dylan create blood on the tracks because you were his upstairs neighbor? well, the author did. oh, and partied with norman mailer, too.


4.  this gilmore girls-inspired coffee club

i mostly just wish i had thought of this idea. indeed, this is a legit coffee and tea subscription service inspired by gilmore girls, with roast names like "luke's no-nonsense special," "stars hollow autumn festival," and "taylor doose's town meeting." i'm almost certain it's just like, green mountain coffee that's been relabeled, but these geniuses know their market and that we'll eat this shit up with a spoon from emily gilmore's expensive flatware collection. sigh. full disclosure that i haven't subscribed ... yet.

5. this cat flask

much like hooters restaurants, this flask is delightfully tacky yet unrefined. purrfect for covert winter boozin'.