Yesterday I had to check out what’s currently going on on the now nationwide phenomenon known as the Tea Around Town tour bus which leaves from the 42nd Street side of the New York Public Library several times a day. Even the “library lions” give jealous stares that those get to board the TAT bus.
Many of the patrons dress to the nines! You can see plenty of hats and gloves—along with frilly pink dresses. The TAT people are currently celebrating fall with plenty of colorful leaves placed near the ceilings of their two refurbished double decker buses and a ghost or goblin here or there. Above you can see a picture of the ghost at the back of the upper level of the bus that I went on. The guest sitting next to the ghost looks totally unfazed, which has me cracking up.
The fall theme is included in the fabulous tea tray items that each customer gets. Both the savory and sweet items are created in TAT’s own Manhattan kitchen. One of the best kept secrets of TAT is that there are always plenty of leftovers and you get this cool take away box to put them in. You also get a cool souvenir cup with the famous Teas Around Town pink flower pattern! Here are some of treats on their world famous tea trays that have been added just for fall—a spooky white covered chocolate cake pop with black and orange jimmies (filled with classic cheesecake), a dark chocolate cream and orange layer cake cup topped with whipped cream and a Ferraro Rocher chocolate and a classic cream puff with vanilla icing that is colored orange and custard colored bright purple! You just know that I devoured these delicious sweet leftovers the next morning. My guest Camilla Saly took the savory items. You really get a lot of food on board.
I almost failed to remark that every Tea Around Town tour had a fabulous host with a professional singing voice and expert knowledge of NYC sites. You’ll hear them sing songs from the classic American Songbook as well as tell you info that you never knew about such landmarks as Grand Central Station, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and St. Patrick’s Cathedral—but you’ll also hear about beautiful structures that are not quite as well-known. One other thing is that both your server and host are super knowledgeable about the food being served on board—above you see the Ahi Tuna Delight appetizer and non-alcoholic prosecco exclusive to VIP ticket holders! VIPs love the fact that their trays always include lobster rolls made on brioche potato buns!
Anytime is a great time to board a TAT bus and they are very family friendly. A family of four gets two large triple tiered tea trays, by the way. For more info, go to Tea Around Town. TAT has a great all inclusive price of $79 for “petit” tickets and $115 for “luxe” tickets for this fabulous 90 minute tea fest on wheels which includes all the aforementioned treats, exotic cold and hot teas and impeccable service. For five per cent off, use my code ANNERASO5.
