A Visit To Carlo's Bake Shop

Hoboken Baby!

That's right - we took a trip to Hoboken to visit Carlo's Bake Shop - made famous through the television show Cake Boss.
The show has been a family favorite for sometime and since we were visiting friends in New York it seemed like the perfect time to go. It was definitely an adventure. Pouring rain, a line over 2 hours long and was it worth it - yes. We built a family memory to last a lifetime, met wonderfully friendly people in line (after all we were all in this together), had a few celebrity sightings and we would do it all over again!

Here is what we learned during our visit that will make your trip smooth as molasses!

• Dress for the weather - you will be in line - make it as comfortable as possible with the right shoes, jacket, umbrella, etc.
• Bring quarters - parking in the area is metered. We were able to stuff the meter and leave the car worry free a few blocks over
• Bring your camera - you never know who you will see! We spotted Mauro Castano going into CVS while we were there! Take pictures - this trip made for a great scrapbook page.
• Be patient - the line does move - they have plenty of staff working the counters and keep the line moving
• Make a plan - Walking in the store can be overwhelming - and hard to see for the little ones. TIP - Talk in line about what you are going to order - I wish we had. We walked in asked the kids what they wanted to order and the response was 2 chocolate chip cookies from our son and an M&M cookie from our daughter!
• Souvenirs - They have these at the front of the shop - after a cold wet couple of hours in line I had my eye on hoodie sweatshirt!
• Smile - you could be on camera. There was no filming going on the day we were there but it is a regular occurrence
• Bathroom breaks - every parent needs to prepare for this one - chances are someone will need a bio break while you are in line - just down the street is a Dunkin Donuts with a bathroom - the catch, you need to make a purchase - the irony, you are waiting in line to go to a famous bakery and buying donuts for your family from Dunkin Donuts while you wait - although having a clean, convenient restroom we know is priceless

My husband and I got 'Lobster Tails' and they were incredible. The kids loved having their own bakery box and their cookies. We had a great visit and hope you do to!

Check out our other adventures in the area - we headed to the American Girl store in New York (Part I, Part II and Part III) and took in a show on Broadway!