hello world!

I'm still catching up on blog posts that I meant to write while I was home (and then totally didn't...yikes) so today's post will be all about one of my favorites places from back home.

I'm not quite sure if I mentioned this in a previous post, but my home state is New Jersey! To most, it seems like a boring place, and don't get me wrong, it absolutely can be. However, I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by blog-worthy restaurants, cafes, and in regards to this post...tea rooms! 

My mom and I discovered the adorable Harmony Tea Room in Westwood, NJ over the summer before I left for school, and I must say, it was definitely one of the best discoveries we made. I had never been to a "proper" tea room, and my first experience was nothing less than wonderful. Because of this adoration for Harmony, we've made it a bit of a tradition to spend an afternoon at tea whenever I'm home from school.

First and foremost: the aesthetic. I'm just a tad bit embarrassed to admit that one of the important things I look for in things like cafes and tea rooms is how many pictures I can take for my VSCO. I know, totally basic, but I really love to document the cute places I go to share with others, and Harmony did not disappoint. The florals of the tea pots and the quaint tea plates scattered on the walls are simply charming- and of course, made their way onto my instagram immediately. 

Absolutely loved the tea plate decor!

Let me just say this- as much as I portray myself as an avid-coffee drinker, I'm always excited for tea. There were so many options ranging from your basic earl grey tea (my personal favorite) to some interesting ones such as chocolate or sweet watermelon (sweet watermelon is a must-try for next time I go). While my mom and I both stuck to our usual earl grey and English breakfast, we definitely think we'll be a bit more adventurous next time.

In addition to the tea, there are several options in which you can pick what variation of a meal you would prefer. Of course, we went the whole nine yards and picked the tea, salad, scone, and tray options, which is my recommendation if you're a bit hungry! For our main course, I had a salad with apples, walnuts, and goat cheese, and my mom had a salad with pomegranates, brussel sprouts, and feta cheese. I'm still dreaming of these salads weeks later! 

Our salads and teas!

In our tray, we had several different options for finger sandwiches, desserts, and scones. I won't write everything (it would take far too much time), but I will say, the cranberry pinwheels, chocolate scones, and gingersnap cookies were to die for. I would do anything to be having this meal again!

To wrap things up, if you're in the area or looking for some lovely tea time, I would most certainly recommend Harmony Tea Room! Enjoy, people :)

Of course, a selfie with mom!

hello world!

I have been so totally absent, and I feel pretty awful about it! I thought that being on my winter break would leave some time to write, but I have been surprisingly quite busy since returning home. So, in hopes to become a far better blogger (considering I'm pretty new to this), I've decided to start writing more as one of my many resolutions. So, in light of that, here is a little post about one of the city trips I had while I was still home!

Its become a bit of a Christmas tradition that my boyfriend and I see a show on Broadway. Since we're both in school, it's a fun way to bond before we both head back to our respective schools. This year, he bought us tickets to Anastasia- and let me just say, it was...breathtaking. I'll try my hardest to recap it without ruining the absolute magic of it!

The stage before the show!

First and foremost, the set was absolutely amazing. In high school, I was a stage manager, so one of the most important parts of a production is the set. Since the show takes place in a few different locations, the set is pretty critical to the show itself. My favorite piece within the show must have been in the beginning of the show when audiences are first introduced to the palace. The snowy, white-Christmas setup was truly beautiful. There is simply nothing that could compare to the beauty of that opening scene.

In addition to the practically perfect set, the costumes were equally as elegant. The details were so incredibly precise. An example that I must use must be the Queen's dress. The dress itself appears in three, maybe four scenes- however, each little piece of the dress is decked out in significant detailed silvers. I could not believe how delicate and well thought-out everything was.

And finally, Christy Altomare's voice is goddess-like. I don't think there are enough words in the English language for me to explain how simply incredible her voice is. While everyone usually "fangirls" over her voice in "Journey to the Past", I must say that my favorite song that she sang "In My Dreams". I quite literally swooned. 

To conclude this little update, I would just like to recommend Anastasia to anyone looking for a fantastic show! You most certainly won't regret it- it really holds the key to my heart (and that, folks, is my attempt at a show pun)!

Nick and I with our Playbills!