background photo via @carmina (instagram)
i didn’t know national ice cream month was a thing until elena mentioned it on twitter and i found it on her blog. (thank you, elena xoxo) so what better excuse to splurge on ice cream every single day for an entire month?! (okay, maybe not every day.) JULY WAS THE BEST MONTH. you should know: i consumed more ice cream this past month than i have in the past year. and that may or may not be because i’m in new york city, which has too many delicious ice cream places. in celebration, i decided to send a love letter to all the ice cream places i visited this past month. (also because elena is now an assistant to jenny han, who is the author of to all the boys i’ve loved before.’ it’s a pun – if you didn’t catch that. DUH.)
snowdays shavery
i definitely came here way too many times. i mean, there’s never too much love but maybe there is too much love. you’re known for your notorious shaved ice and although technically it doesn’t count as “ice cream,” i’m going to make an exception – for you. i’ve seen too many beautiful photos of people posting their colorful buckets (literally they are huge) of ice topped with who knows what to make the combination of PERFECTION. i had to come to you; it was my #1 task upon entering the city. however when our paths finally collided, i was left a little disappointed. i love you, but you’re a bit too sweet and a bit too large for my preference. please don’t take it personally.
sundaes & cones
i stumbled upon you as a (sort of) accident. i hope you feel the most special because you were the ice cream i had on national ice cream day. you are also (one of) my favorite(s). i stepped into your store and was surrounded by a crowd of your adoring fans. once i finally tasted the green tea flavor (which is my all-time favorite ice cream flavor), i understood their obsession. looking at all your other flavors made my eyes turn to hearts and my heart to melt (which kinda means: i’m crying) traveling to your store was worth the time and money. xoxoxo.
momofuku milk bar
with my first scoop of your legendary “milk soft serve,” i was left… confused. i couldn’t understand how on earth i was eating frozen – and yet delicious – milk and cereal. you blew my mind. i could not comprehend it. as i was finishing my cup of soft serve, i found more cereal at the bottom of the cup and was overjoyed. since then, i’ve visited your multiple stores multiple times. i brought many of my friends to your (tiny) palace of celebration.
chloe’s soft serve fruit
i’m bending all the rules now aren’t i? technically speaking, you’re not even an ice cream shop. you have soft serve because the ingredients only contain fruit, water, and a touch of organic cane sugar. you’re missing the cream in ice CREAM. buuuut i still consider you as “ice cream.” #sorrynotsorry <3 anyway, i'm going to be frank with you: you're quite overhyped and a bit overpriced. but since you're in union square, nearly three blocks away from the studios, i visit you before class, during lunch, and after class. you disappointed me a few times (not opening the store in the morning when it CLEARLY says the business hours are open), but i'll forgive you.
morgenstern’s finest ice cream
oh, morgenstern’s. i’ve seen your PERFECT scoops on instagram waaaaaay too many times. you basically forced me to come and forced me to be a “cone” person. before you, i was “cups” ALL THE WAY. i hope you feel like you’ve accomplished something. your old school ambiance and artsy tile floors bring me so much joy. it also doesn’t hurt that there’s a beautiful mural right across from your store. you made me an ice cream lover, and because of that i will never forget you and your flawless features.
sprinkles ice cream
before arriving at your store, i hadn’t even known you sold ice cream. i was under the impression that sprinkles only sold cupcakes, but alas, i was wrong (and thank goodness for that). i purchased a scoop of pistachio (another one of my favorite flavors) in a waffle cone, but instantly regretted it after my sister announced her order: red velvet in a red velvet cone. a rookie mistake, but you know what that means? another excuse to go to your store and try the other flavor. the pistachio was still delicious, making me want to come back to you.
play j ice cream truck
i passed by your truck and walked away at first glance. but wait, my sister did a double take and nearly forced me back. she’s been wanting to try your unique creamery ever since she found out about your existence. your concept is beautiful and perfect: ice cream in a tube of ~something~ in the shape of the letter ‘j.’ if the ice cream melts, it’ll ideally fall into the tube and you won’t need to worry about quickly shoving everything into your mouth before it melts. it’s also the perfect size for a snack, not too filling and not too tiny. meeting you was serendipity.
the original chinatown ice cream factory
okay, you may be my favorite but i can’t decide if it’s because i consumed you today (hence the delay of this post) or because you’re actually the best. regardless, i’ve saved the BEST for last. originally, i wasn’t going to walk into your store. (i was with a group of others who weren’t in the mood for ice cream *scoff*) but as i was making my trek back home, i stopped and made a detour back to your steps. i knew i was going to seriously regret it if i didn’t. after reading all the people rave about your homemade scoops, i was sure i made the right decision. the flavor, however, was a struggle i didn’t see coming. i usually choose green tea without question, but lychee, black sesame, thai tea, and more…. how could i decide? everyone says those are delicious as well! playing it safe, i still got green tea. but next time, i’ll be back for your other flavors. <333
OH MY GOD I AM SO HUNGRY STOP
I actually don’t really eat fancy ice cream. I buy a tub of Haagen Dazs from the grocery store and call it a day? If I’m feeling super fancy, I’ll go to my local creamery and get an ice berg, which is a slushy with soft serve inside it. It is amazing and I cannot recommend it enough. Someone found a way to combine my fave things – slushies and soft serve.
it’s alright, girl. at home, i only buy the tubs from supermarkets and make my nightly splurge. but since i’m in the city i have to make the most of these ice cream shops! and ice berg sounds delicious! whoever thought of it deserves and award.
OMG, I looooooove ice cream. If I could love off of ice cream I would. Unfortunately, I’m limited to only Baskin Robins and Dairy Queens for my ice cream options 🙁
it’s alright. at home i’m only limited to the chain stores as well ): which is why leaving this city makes me very sad. all the ice cream….
I am so jealous of all the ice cream you had that month! I bet they taste as delicious as it looks like in your gorgeous photos <333
thank you!! yes, they were delicious. it makes me sad to think i’ll be going home soon, where there aren’t any ice cream places except for chain stores ):
alexandra, this may have to go down as the best post you’ve ever written because well, ice cream. here’s to one ice cream lover to another! thanks to elena, i’m also very well aware that july is national ice cream month so i’ve been trying to eat as much ice cream as possible – as if i ever needed an excuse to do so right? but the one thing that new york has that toronto doesn’t (and shanghai i guess but i haven’t been here long enough to truly gauge) are all the cute, unique independent ice cream shops. we just have a lot of chain ice cream stores like dairy queen, laura secord and while i go for ANY AND ALL ice cream (mcdonald’s soft serve is a secret obession of mine), you just can’t beat special “artisanal” homemade ice cream. so i’m having major envy here, wishing that i had all these awesome shops back home.
also how can you not be in the mood for ice cream. i am all ice cream all year round. there is never not a good time for ice cream. even if it’s winter! honestly. i had a conversation about this actually with my camp counselor and he and i both agree that ice cream is not a treat to be enjoyed exclusively during the summer. it’s a gift from the heavens and magical and thus, should be properly honored by having it all 12 months of the year.
so yeah like i said toronto’s ice cream stores are mostly all franchises like dairy queen which i never really gotten the hype about. but i do enjoy menchies on occasion. i am boring and usually only get two flavours like nutella and raspberry and then skor bar as my toppings ALWAYS because i am a minimalist when it comes to toppings and skor is good because it doesn’t freeze like fruit does and it’s a taste that’s versatile for nearly all flavours. I’VE CLEARLY PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THIS.
and then i also go to marble slab creamery a lot as well which is quite good. it’s a little pricier but totally worth it because it is so yum. i get their praline a lot and also their cherry and pistachio (also very good) and basically all their flavours because you can never go wrong. and then for toppings i usually go for skor again.
i also really like haagen dazs ice cream even though i get sick if i have too much of it because it’s just so thick and creamy and rich. but i like their bars especially the almond caramel one and the salted caramel bar. and then haagen dazs coffee ice cream is so good as well. the best coffee ice cream ever i think. i can’t get enough of it.
and green tea is so good as well! my dad used to work at a restaurant in tokyo in his like twenties and he’s brought all his japanese food into our household so i basically grew up on pocky and japanese candy and sushi and GREEN TEA ICE CREAM. how can someone so opposed to green tea like green tea ice cream so much. it makes no sense but it is so good. green tea ice cream is a little like strawberry ice cream though: it can be really gross and artificial but if done well, it’s absolutely delicious. there’s this one japanese brand we used to get a lot that was SO GOOD. it wasn’t too sweet and it had the best green tea flavour ever. yum.
and also i’d just like to say that i am so not a cone girl either. i am very very firmly on team cup. BUT i make an exception for mcdonalds cones because they’re the type that don’t even seem like you’re eating anything so cones like that are okay but waffle cones, i stay far far away from. they ruin the whole ice cream experience for me. i’d rather cheapo cones you get at the groccery store.
MOMOFUKU. shit i really want to go there. two more weeks and i’m back in toronto where the first thing i’m gonna do is run to momofuku and try their milk soft serve!!
and since you’re in ny i have to ask if you’ve been to the big gay ice cream truck (or something like that?). if you haven’t you may have to be my guinea pig and go try their ice cream because it’s hyped soo soo so much and i want to know if it deserves it. i am slightly dubious about all ice cream trucks but i am always willing and eager to make exceptions.
these cute ice cream shops make my life here. not the dancing, not the bustling activity, THE ICE CREAM SHOPS (and acai bowls because wow I LOVE ACAI BOWLS). i generally don’t eat much ice cream for the rest of the year because 1) we don’t have many shops back home, 2) i just eat out of the tub, but feel bad for finishing the ENTIRE TUB which is what usually happens if i even pick up the ice cream, 3) i need to stay in shape for ballet and control myself from the ice cream overdose. so i’d love to eat ice cream all the time, but kinda just stop myself? which is why i’ve been feeling a little guilty and a little not guilty.
your precise ice cream order brings me joy. i’ve actually never heard of a skor bar and had to google it and wow that looks so good. america, why don’t you have these things?! when i go to canada, that will be the first thing i purchase from a convenience store or wherever they sell it.
i also really agree with you on haagen-daz; it’s too sweet and too flavorful if you eat too much. their bars are good, though! we have a store here called coldstone and whenever i eat even half of the smallest cup, i need to stop myself before i hurl. i actually don’t have a super sweet tooth, so coldstone is just TOO MUCH. if i’m eating from a tub, i usually get talenti or tea-riffic. you have to look out for those two brands at your grocery store because sooooooo good.
i’m so incredibly jealous of your japanese treats!! asian snacks are my favorite things in the whole world. i just finished a box of green tea pocky this morning and i’m currently eating an ice cream sandwhich in a shape of a fish with vanilla and red bean. ASIAN SNACKS ARE LIFE. especially ice cream related asian snacks such as this strange fish i speak of.
okay, after this summer, i don’t what to think. cone or cup? i’m slowly moving to the cone side, but i’m still a cup girl at heart? i just want peacefully time to finish my ice cream, but cones are so much prettier! and i’m all about the aesthetics. even if the cone tates gross, i shall buy it because PRETTY.
i will most definitely go to big gay! actually, i went there three years ago without knowing what it was. i was just craving ice cream and i saw the truck so i bought one. i have no rememberance of what it tastes like so i obviously need to go back. i’m actually planning on going tomorrow? or on saturday? whenever i’m near the area because they actually opened up a physical location after their truck became so popular! i’m going there because it’s much easier to track down than a moving vehicle. i’ll let you know how it goes! <333
OH MY GOD I NEED ICE CREAM LIKE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THIS POST HAHA ALSO I WANT TO MOVE TO NY JUST FOR THE ICE CREAM.
honestly, ME TOO. i would move to new york for the ice cream *cries*
Urgh… In England (or at least, the part of England that I live in) we have basically NO ice cream bars. It’s sad, because I’ll never be able to write a post as awesome as this.
MY LIFE IS EMPTY!!!
Beth x
Now you’ve really made me crave ice cream (and be forever jealous of your new york adventures – I must catch up on those posts).
I visited Scotland this past week and, of course, we had to get ice cream at some (multiple) point(s). The place we chose was SO cute. It was actually a restaurant doubled as a specialist ice cream/sweet store and there was SO many flavours; Oreo, Reese’s, Nutella and Turkish Delight to name a few. I settled on Ferero Rocher (that is probably the worst spelling in the world but I can’t be bothered to google it. Ha.) and Kinder Bueno. I’m not going to lie to you, Alexandra, it did bring a tear or two to my eye. And we had it on the beach. STUNNING.
So hungry right now! I had vanilla ice cream last night and I broke oreos over it! So good!
*cries in unfairness because these all look so good* Gah…I have a really bad ice cream craving right now. I wonder why – haha! 😉
Thanks for sharing this and wonderful pictures!
YOU JUST MADE ME SO HUNGRY OMG WHY.
Those ice creams look SO. DELICIOUS! I am honestly craving to go outside just to buy ice cream from the mall. Too bad we don’t have ice cream trucks from where I live, bummer. 🙁 I found a place that sells ice cream just like the one on your Play J photo, but I haven’t tried it out yet. I think it’ll taste really good though! Definitely gonna try it out at last if I pass by the shop again.