Yesterday, McKenna, Doug and I ventured off to Bryant Park to enjoy the free summer series: Broadway in Bryant Park. As a musical theater enthusiast (and may I add, I’m what the theater calls a triple threat - I can sing, act AND dance…and toot my own horn apparently), I was really looking forward to this rebellious break from work (bosses, shut your eyes…and yes, I’m delusional enough to think that my bosses would care about this blog and read it from time to time). I’m talking about a full lunch hour, outside, no guilt, just sunshine and music.

My dreams mostly came true, except they didn’t set up the sound system very well and I could barely hear anything from the back of the park. We moved up closer and really only stayed to watch one full act, and unfortunately it was STOMP. I love STOMP, but I’ve already seen it, so I was hoping to see Avenue Q or even another round of the classic Phantom of the Opera. Oh well, the weather was still good, it was nice to be in a park for lunch, and I had great company. If you haven’t been to Broadway in Bryant Park and you work near there, it’s definitely worth a shot. I think there are 5 more weeks of it on Thursdays 12:30-1:30. You can enjoy live piano music starting at 12:15 the rest of the workdays.

On our walk home, Doug, our resident street-cart fanatic, spotted the infamous Treats Truck. We at work, especially Tim, love treats, so this really made our day. We had to wait for the truck to park in its rightful spot on 38^th and 5^th, and although our hearts started racing (we were at nearly 55 minutes at this point), we stayed in line until we were served. And we’re so glad we did.

I had one of the specials - pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting is what sold me, and I have to say, it was amazing. I usually like it a little thicker, but the sweetness and cheesiness was just right. And they were more than generous with their frosting. The pumpkin cake was so moist and flavorful, the perfect compliment to the frosting. Although, I guess the frosting should compliment the cake… Anyway, for $2.75 I was impressed with the serving size (about 3″ x 3″ x 1.5″), the freshness of the cake and overall quality of my dessert…ahem, lunch. Read on for more feedback…

McKenna Lowry, Westchester Correspondent
For $1 I got a near perfect chocolate chip cookie. Not too big, not too small. Not too thin, not too thick. The consistency was just right - crispy and golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside. The chocolate chips weren’t overdone like most, though I would have been happier with just a few more. The real key to this cookie’s success was an unidentified sweetness in every bite. It wasn’t vanilla; it could’ve been nutmeg. I don’t know, but I was sad to see it go.

Doug Feingold, Columbia Correspondent

I went with the $1 oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Although it wasn’t huge, it was a terrific cookie. It was the perfect consistency, and the chocolate chips were small and nicely embedded into the oatmeal for a seamless flavor combination. With just a few bites remaining, I realized the cookie was lacking one thing - frosting. Subsequently, I went ahead and dipped my cookie in Caryn’s frosted treat, and confirmed my theory. I think the Treat Truck represents another great step in street cart dining, and I look forward to heading back there again next time I’m in the mood for something sweet. If they are unable to frost my cookie though, I might need to keep some Cool Whip in the office.