Favorite Things Tea Party at the Ritz Carlton!

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Favorite Things Tea Party at the Ritz Carlton!

It's no secret that I am a sucker for a good tea party. It's the little girl in me. So when my darling anglophile friend Alyson invited me to a tea party in honor of the new royal baby, how could I resist?? And when I found out it was high tea at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead, well, you kind of pull out all the stops to make that kind of affair come to life. Babysitter? CHECK. Good friends? CHECK. Awesome dress from my stylist sister? CHECK CHECK CHECK. Oh, and perhaps a little frou-frou head gear, a la Blair Waldorf. Checkedy check. Gang's all here!

To amplify the fun of high tea, Alyson decided to make this a "favorite things" party, where you bring a gift for each person at the party that is one of your favorite things. $5 limit. You know, one of those fun items that you love picking up at Target, even though you don't really need it. And so everyone goes home with a new favorite thing! It's super fun and girly. LIKE HIGH TEA IN HONOR OF A BABY PRINCESS. I hope that little Princess Charlotte knows that she is being partied for around the world. She's a little angel from Heaven. Loving babies is a relatively new thing for me. Since having my own, you know. And a baby princess?! Well, that's just all the more reason to celebrate babiessssss. Princess babbbiieeesssss.

We three. Wait - four!!

She's the raddest of them all. Look at those pearls. That fascinator. The woman the legend.

Aw macaroons make pregnant friends happy.

I'll have them all, thanks.

How gorgeous is that arm.

I want to put that on my head and be coronated.

With Kate, the gang's all here!

That's my lipstick. I'm officially a grown up.

Pinkies Out!

Okay so tea time. It was decadent. It was fancy. It was fruity. Tasty. Ruffled and spritzed and I might have sipped with my pinkies out. I blame the head gear. And I applaud sweet Alyson, because this girl really knows how to celebrate the great joys of life. And how about Janelle? Is there a hotter pregnant chick around? Well, I know a lot of preggos lately, so I can't choose favorites, but oh Janelle! What a babe, inside and out. The Ritz put on a delicious tea, complete with champagne and strawberries riddled in a bit of Grand Marnier. Yeah, I might have left tea time a little toasted. Those Brits really know how to make imbibing a gallant afternoon affair. The old-fashioned dining room was finished with oak and burgundy leather and crystal chandeliers - all things that make a tea party feel positively princessy. Which was occasion-appropriate, if you know what I mean.

Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party

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Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party.

The week I went into labor, I was feeling antsy.

I had this urge to go out and have lots of fun, because I knew that sooner or later this baby was coming and I would be home bound for a bit. But oh my. Those last few pregnant weeks were a challenge. I was huge. I was swollen. And in GEORGIA. Land of the sweltering, unforgiving humidity. Not to mention it was July. My word.

I got the fabulous idea to have one last girly hurrah and visit a much-talked-about tea parlor in the city. I dragged my mom and my sister downtown (okay, there wasn't much dragging, we all enjoy a good bout of fancifulness), and we found our way into Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party. The name itself lends to all sorts of curiousness. Who's this doctor? Is he really from Bombay? And, what is meant by "underwater"?? Also, WHERE CAN I PUT MY FEET UP. Like I said, the mind can really wander.

We shuffled around the tiny shop and cheerfully breathed a sigh of relief when we found a few strewn-about chairs. We rearranged them across from each other at an indoor picnic table and were thankful we could actually sit together. This place seemed like a haven for the studious and the entrepreneurial. Everyone sitting in the shop was working on something, gaze intensely focused on their laptops. We were the only party who seemed to be there to, well, have a tea party. And so we did. Rather loudly.

We gleefully ordered the Caroline tea for two (and a few other delicacies) and split everything between the three of us. Not only were the tea, scones, quiche, brownies, CLOTTED CREAM and finger sandwiches an absolute delight, but enjoying the sweet company of these fine women absolutely capped off my final week of pregnancy. It was the perfect, priceless, princess-y kind of celebration. And while we never really got any of our questions answered (Dr. Bombay is still an underwater mystery), we did get to laugh and laugh and laugh until we just couldn't anymore. Little did I know that nine days later I would be in the throws of labor and very far removed from all that laughter and silliness. I'm thankful for this cherished memory and for discovering another gem in this familiar city.

Alice's Teacup, Upper West Side

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"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe." - Except from Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carrol from Through the Looking Glass*

Fancy A Scone.

My lovely cousin Amber came into town last week. We traipsed around 5th Avenue and did all sort of girlish things, but one of my most favorites was the dreamy afternoon we spent over tea. As an early birthday surprise, she treated me to an Upper West Side high tea service at the famed Alice's Teacup.

Let me just say. It was quite the delight.

Alice's Offering.

Alice's Teacup is a fondly-known establishment in my hood, though I hadn't been there before. After stepping inside and letting our eyes adjust for a moment, we realized we were in a haven of fantastical fun. Teapots danced across the walls, charming silver spoons posed on the shelves. There was Alice in Wonderland paraphernalia everywhere and, for a gal with a deep-seated love for Alice and her posse of goof-off friends, I couldn't think of a happier place to be. We settled into our enormously overstuffed chairs and scoured the menu. And it was decided. The Madhatter's Delight it is. Which grandly included cucumber and watercress sandwiches, pumpkin and white chocolate scones, fragrant black tea and rich chocolate mousse. Oh, and tea cookies. Can't forget the petite, pretty little cookies that you can nibble with the tips of your teeth. The interior of Alice's is warm & intimate, set off by jeweled colors and topsy-turvy furnishings. It's was so comfortable, you could sit there for hours and get lost in deep conversation. And that's just what we did. Although, it was often interrupted by our deep-bellied howls of laughter that shook the room (and the teacups) and maybe caused a few annoyed glares in our direction. We are both quite the storyteller. And we are both rather loud.

Lets Talk.

This wonderful place made me realize why I am so enchanted by the fancifulness of tea time. It's a frilly event that is really masquerading as quality connection time, enjoying delectable treats over real conversation. Finding out what's running deep along the inner landscape of the magnificent person sitting across from you; taking the time to understand their perspective, look in their eyes and grow with them. It's an enriching, enlightening experience

that somehow always takes place over a hazy, heady cup of tea. I want to note that this is different than coffee time, people. Coffee time is also a sacred time, but in a completely different way. We will discuss that another day.

My day with this girl, ah, I'll never forget it. She's a treasured one.

 

* Also, this is the first poem I ever memorized. 3rd Grade poetry competition and I can still remember it, can still recite every word by heart. Nonsensical fun really does run deep.