Cooling Off in the City

Summer usually means trying to find ways to cool off. I can't say it's been a hot summer in NYC, but that doesn't mean I've avoided finding ways to cool off.

By far, my new favorite treat is something very simple: Mister Softee dip cones. The pure simpleness of it amazes me. There are two reasons I love this treat.

1. Mister is spelled out. I don't know why, but it makes my ice cream that much better.
2. It's soft serve ice cream out of the back of a truck. What can be better than especially once dipped in chocolate?

We southern kids know what ice cream trucks are, don't worry. There weren't many that came through my neighborhood, I'll admit, but I knew what they were. A regular ice cream truck, however, cannot compete with an ice cream truck. It might play music, but all it has is ice cream on a stick or popsicles. Delicious, yes. Softserve ice cream delicousness? Not quite there. There's many combinations to made with Mister Softee, but I'm sticking to the dip cone. Or maybe chocolate sprinkles. Hmmmmm.

The second treat: Pinkberry. It's not ice cream. It's not frozen yogurt. It's not even good. It's literally frozen yogurt, and I'm addicted. The first time I went to Pinkberry I truly thought it was gross. I had no idea what to expect. I now crave it on a regular basis. The fancy flavors I can do without. All I need is a small original with blackberries and raspberries. So good.

Finally, I'm holding out for a snowball stand in New York. Maybe I'll open one in Astoria. The Greeks can appreciate a snowball, right? And we really need to ban the snowcone stand in the Central Park Zoo. It's just gross.