#476 Try Bubble Tea

On a recent trip to State College to visit my son, I had the opportunity to try Bubble Tea. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it but I felt that way about many foods at first. I thought I would hate sushi, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, mussels, Pad Thai, rice pudding, Easter pie, Chicago dogs and chow mei fun. They are actually some of my favorite foods now. I still hate calamari though. Breaded rubber bands are not tasty to me but a lot of people love it so I do not judge.

Bubble Tea from Cafe WOW in State College

Anyways, this quest for bubble tea began back in December of 2016. My son wanted to treat my daughter to a Bubble Tea for her birthday. Three times we went to the Bubble Tea place and three times they were closed. It was holiday break and spring break when we tried to visit, so we understood why they were closed. No students equals no business. It made sense but at the same time, we began to believe we were never going to try this elusive Bubble Tea.

Then finally, on my most recent visit to State College, the Bubble Tea place was open. Hooray!!! Let's do this. We entered into the cute little Bubble Tea cafe called Cafe WOW. They offered tasty looking Taiwanese pastries, smoothies, milk teas and fruit teas. You could select either a clear based tea or a milk based tea for your Bubble tea. The kiddos picked their teas. They chose milk based teas. I also wanted to try a milk based tea. As they were waiting for their beverages, I studied the menu a little longer. They offered delicious flavors such as Honeydew, Vanilla, Banana, Peach, Strawberry, Papaya, and Pineapple.

However, I wanted to try a unique flavor. A few flavors listed definitely intrigued me. What did Taro taste like? What was Red Date Longan? How would Lavender or Jasmine taste in a Bubble milk tea? Red Date Longan and Taro kept jumping out at me for some reason. The barista at the counter was waiting patiently for me to decide. I was really struggling to make a decision but was also becoming anxious at making the barista wait so I just went with Red Date Longan.

Once we all had our beverages, we took a seat outside at a little metal bistro table. Nervously, I studied my drink. The bubbles in the tea were black. I pictured them being translucent, like real bubbles. Why were they black? They were also a lot bigger than I was expecting. I am not a fan of tapioca but for whatever reason, I was expecting clear, tiny tapioca bubbles in my tea. These were large, jelly like bubbles. There was a slightly reddish beige tint to my tea as well. It looked a little like chocolate milk to be honest. Unfortunately, it did not taste like chocolate milk.

The kiddos enjoying their tea.

I stabbed my wide purple straw through the plastic covering of my tea and nervously took a sip. A bunch of "bubbles" came through the straw. Slowly I began to chew them, expecting them to taste like squid ink or something. The texture was definitely a little weird, but not horrible. It was a starchy texture. To be honest, they really didn't have much flavor to them at all. If anything their flavor reminded me of the little Japanese dough covered ice creams called Mochi.

Turns out, I didn't mind the bubbles at all. The taste of the red date longan was just okay though. There was date pulp in the drink along with the bubbles and the flavor wasn't sitting well with me. For whatever reason it did not dawn on me when I ordered my drink that red date longan was a type of date. Why did it not occur to me? I mean the word date was included in the name of the flavor right? Right. That will go down as one of the world's great mysteries along with all the other idiosyncrasies I have made in my lifetime.

Anyways, I am not a big fan of  dates. They aren't terrible or anything but I don't really prefer to eat them. My daughter allowed me to sample her vanilla bubble tea and I really enjoyed that flavor a lot more. It was really creamy. They definitely used some real vanilla bean in her Bubble tea. One of my most favorite flavors is vanilla with real vanilla bean. It's heavenly. I am also still curious about Taro. A good friend of mine highly recommends that flavor. She said it is her favorite. She has good taste so next time, I will definitely give Taro a try.

In closing, Bubble tea is a fun drink that you have to sip slowly in order to avoid choking on the bubbles.


Chrissy

#87 Be A VIP

The bride and bridal party. Amazing ladies!

One of my favorite ladies, Miss Jere, was getting married to her longtime love Chris, on July 4th, 2014. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid so I got to experience all of the festivities of this amazing wedding. Of course, one of the planned festivities was the Bachelorette Party. It was going to be held the Friday before the wedding. It was no ordinary bachelorette party though. The Maid of Honor, Sybil, wanted to make sure our bride, her bridal party and her best girlfriends got the VIP treatment.

Let's just say, this amazing woman did one hell of a job making us all feel like princesses. I was left in complete awe not only of her thorough eye for detail but also her selfless generosity. This astonishing woman made sure we were taken care of the entire night. Seriously. From start to finish, she not only had every single detail covered but she gave Jere and us ladies an unforgettable night of excitement and cherished memories.

She arranged all the cabs for transport to and from the hotel. She booked reservations for all of the places we were visiting. She decorated the hotel room. She had beverages, snacks and party favors for all of us to enjoy. She gifted us these fantastical hangover remedy kits which were so cute, cool and useful. She arranged for us to be VIPs at the Cell Block Dance Club for the night. She just blew my mind completely. Not one stone was left uncovered.

The hilariously naughty goodies. 

We started our VIP experience at the hotel where we were staying for the night. We enjoyed some adult beverages complete with penis straws while noshing on some penis shaped chocolates. They were delicious I must say.

We admired the penis shaped balloon display on the bed. Within an hour of posting that pic on my Facebook page, the picture was reported for being obscene. We had our fist scandal of the night ladies and gentlemen. ( FB eventually deemed it not obscene and let me keep my picture on display.)

We all had a good chuckle over the Hangover Survival Kits. They contained all the necessities every gal needs for a night of clubbing and alcohol abuse. We were given a bottle of water, a multigrain bar, tums, ibuprofen, tissues, wet wipes, gum, tissues, hair ties, mouthwash and ear plugs. This was a genius gift that I loved very much. We all did.

Hangover Survival Kit! Brilliant!!

After we got all gussied up and ready to party, the cabs arrived to take us to the Bull Frog Brewery for dinner and cocktails. Our cabbies were really awesome. They took our pics while we posed like the classy chicks we were outside the Bull Frog. Once inside, we relished in the laughter, great conversations and savory buffalo chicken mac and cheese. This place was great. The food was delectable and the drinks were strong. The prices were also very appeasing as well. I would certainly recommend the Bull Frog Brewery to anyone.

What a send off for our bride. We had so much fun!

After dinner, our party strolled around historic downtown Williamsport. The night was clear and beautiful. The temperature a perfect 72 degrees. Sybil mentioned that our cabbie pics were a hit on Facebook. People were already commenting about my rack and Jere's tanned long legs. Everyone loved how awesome we all looked. Not exactly scandalous but we were making a statement. We were sexy ladies, we knew it and we were flaunting it. We all need to feel that way once in awhile.

Buffalo Mac and Cheese. Oooooh!

We made our way over to the Brickyard Ale House. A band was playing in the street while the tables lining the walkway were filled with patrons enjoying the music and refreshing brews. This place was a beer lover's dream. Another very impressive place that I would recommend to anyone. We still had an hour to spare before heading to the Cell Block so we grabbed some oil and took our place along the bricks to enjoy the sounds.

The band noticed Jere's "Bride To Be" getup and dedicated a song to her. " Keep Your Hands To Yourself" by Georgia Satellite. The whole crowd got a kick out of that. Jere was too cute out there dancing in the street. She was sporting the sash and crown Sybil got her but the buzz she was rocking was all Jere. It's not often a band takes it upon themselves to dedicate a song to you. Our girl enjoyed every single note of that song, She deserved too. She deserved a night like this. This sweet little moment made the night even more memorable.

Photobomb fun! Everyone there was having a great time. 

That's right girl! Own it!

As the sun began to set into the late June sky, we finished our drinks at the Brickyard and made our way to the Cell Block, formally known as the Lycoming County Jail. We were early. It was only a little after 9pm. The club didn't really get jumping until after ten. The first thing I noticed was an outdoor courtyard situated between a brick wall and an old stucco wall. It was decorated with cushioned lawn furniture, tables, heaters, torches and a bar. It was very cozy and inviting. I would so much be spending some time out here. It was too beautiful not to.

The Cell Block

I was already so very impressed with the Cell Block thus far and we had only been there like two seconds. We ascended the stairs into the giant, stone building/former county jail. Before us stretched a long brick corridor. It ran parallel to the empty dance floor, which was also very long and huge.

The ceiling of the corridor was arched and alcoves lining the corridor displayed mug shots of famous criminals. Mobsters such as Al Capone, Walter Smith and William Morrish shared the wall with Hollywood criminals like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.

The mobsters looked scary, the Hollywood elite, not so much. I tried to keep pace with the rest of the party but there was so much to check out. We were being shown to our VIP area. Like I mentioned earlier, Sybil had told us she booked the VIP package for Jere's Bachelorette Party. I was excited about this but I was not sure what to expect either. I figured maybe we would get a special table near the dance floor. That would be convenient. We would not have to worry about anyone stealing our seats. That alone had me excited.

Our VIP Lounge!

Let's just say, I was way off about what our VIP experience at the Cell Block was going to entail. Way off! Our host led us to the end of the dance floor where a huge elevated lounge sat. Oh kids.......it's about to get real.

Our host opened the red velvet rope, allowing us access to our VIP area. We had a red velvet rope people!! Red.Velvet.Rope. The only velvet ropes I have ever experienced were the ropes used at the bank to form a line to the tellers.

It may not seem like a big deal to some but to me, this was outstanding! I got to hang behind the red velvet rope. It gets better though. The lounge was furnished with very comfortable black leather sofas and silky grey curtains. On the black wooden coffee table near the sofas sat a bucket filled with Moet chillin' on ice. Shut the Front Door! We were so much going to be popping bottles like a G6. I don't even really like champagne but you better believe I was going to drink some VIP champagne. Why wouldn't I?

Our host then showed us to a private room off to the side of our VIP lounge. It was also furnished with a black leather sofa as well as an authentic jail cell which was on display behind glass. We were given two rules we had to abide to or else face banishment from the establishment.

Rule #1: Do not try to break into the jail cell. It was for display only.
Rule #2: No having sex on the couch.

A real jail cell. 

Okay. Seemed fair. Our host then informed us that she was going to be our personal waitress for the entire night. She would get any and all drinks for us whenever we wanted. We had her permission to keep her running all night. She also stated that we were allowed two rounds of shots of our choice, on the house, as well as more bottles of champagne.

Chillin with the Moet! 

This was too much! And just when I could not be more impressed with this entire VIP experience, we had one more surprise. A big hulking man made his way over to the VIP lounge. He introduced himself as our personal bouncer for the evening. Say what??? He was there to open and close the velvet rope for us. He was there to prevent anyone from coming up into the lounge. He was there to make sure we were safe and comfortable.

He did explain that there were going to be people, especially guys, asking to come up into the lounge with us. Unless we said otherwise, he was not permitting anyone without a VIP bracelet access to our lounge. He also stated that if we were trying to dance on the main floor and guys were bugging us to bring them up to the lounge, we were to notify him and he would warn the guys to not bother us or risk being removed from the establishment.

Our personal bouncer! Holla!!! 

This was insane people!! Insane! I must admit, I was apprehensive about all of this. There was no way he was going to stay by our lounge for the next four hours. He was just sayin' that. He would disappear and we would never see him again. I was definitely wrong. He did stay the entire night. The only time he left was to take a break and when he left, another bouncer would come over to take his place. In fact, by the end of the night, we had two bouncers watching our lounge. It was wicked cool. And they totally opened and closed the ropes for us.

Cheers to us!!! VIPs! Salud!

What an amazing night we were having being VIPs. We danced our hearts out. We drank too much. We laughed. Some of us passed out for a spell on the couches. There were definitely guys bugging to come up to the lounge with us like the bouncer had mentioned. In fact one group of guys was pestering us all so much that the bouncer came over to us, pointed to the guys and said they keep bugging to come up. Do you want them to come up?

We all said no. The bouncer told the guys they were SOL and to leave us alone. We were there to have a good time for Jere's bachelorette. Most of the gals there had significant others. As for the few of us that didn't, we were old enough to understand that we weren't going to find the love of our life in any bar. The only thing we could possibly find would be five minutes of nothing special followed by days of regret and stress over such a bad decision. I was over that shit a long time ago.

Dancing Queens. We're so fancy!

Besides, we had our own dance party going on in our lounge. It was a total riot watching us all fall apart more and more with each drink we threw back. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. When we needed a breath of fresh air, we would visit the courtyard.

Our waitress even came out there to deliver drinks to us. She was really fabulous. The courtyard was definitely more chill and laid back. The night air was the perfect remedy for over heating on the dance floor. The fresh air also made the buzz more potent.

My head was spinning. I needed to calm myself but once I get on that train, it's hard to get off. The drinks start going down like water but you don't realize you're drowning until 4 or 5 drinks past your limit. When it hits you, it hits you like a freight train. By 1:30 am, I was finally waving the red flag.

My feet were screaming. I was dripping with sweat. My speech was slurred and my stagger was wild. I plopped down into the comfy leather couch and allowed it to envelop me. So this is what it feels like to be a Rap God, a Rock Superstar. I finally get what Cypress Hill and 50 Cents were putting down. I've "Gone Sovereign" as Corey Taylor would say. This is mine!!!!!

What a great group of ladies. We had so much fun! I love them all. 

Our bride to be Jere was having the time of her life. She smiled the entire night. That was the most important thing. She was our queen and we were her court. She was the #1 VIP. This could not have been a more fabulous night. I remember thanking Sybil several times for everything she had done. I told her she missed her calling as a party planner. She did a beautiful job with Jere's shower and this VIP bachelorette party was the bomb. She was the ultimate maid of honor. She also genuinely cared that we were all happy. It was awesome to see her let loose too.

7 inch heels and a blow up male appendage. What more could you ask for?

In closing, after saying goodnight to the beautiful bride I laid down in the comfortable hotel bed. I love hotel beds. I always get the best sleep in them. My thoughts drifted. I thought about the entire day and how wonderful it was. We got to be VIPs for real in a club. No it was not some fancy NYC Club where famous celebs loom behind the velvet rope but it was outstanding nonetheless.

As my eyes got heavy and my breathing relaxed, I thanked the good lord for blessing me with so many amazing people in my life. They are the real VIPs, all day, every day. I would gladly open the velvet rope for my nearest and dearest any day because I honestly don't know how I would have made it this far without them.

Chrissy