The first (and only other) time I was in New Jersey was when I was 16. I was heading to New York for my birthday, but our cab driver had the wrong address for our hotel. He took us in and out of New Jersey and back into New York what felt like a dozen times, so much so that my mom was getting annoyed with having to pay all the unnecessary toll fees.
At one point, I remember someone mentioning that we were ~kind of ~ close to Carlo’s Bakery, you know, from the hit TLC show. My mom and I were huge fans of this program but at that point I was starting to feel car sick and we just wanted to be at our hotel to rest, so we opted to skip the detour.
Carlo’s Bake Shop
Now, 6 years later, I was back in New Jersey heading home to Nebraska from my fun weekend trip in Bar Harbor, ME. However, my first flight of the day was delayed which caused me to miss my flight out of Newark. The next available flight wasn’t for another FIVE HOURS.
So, I decided this was actually a perfect opportunity to head to that bakery I so wanted to see all those years ago. I took an Uber from airport and when I got there, I was surprised there wasn’t a huge line out the front door – I actually thought it was closed for a second. The inside was lined with family portraits of the owners and SO. MANY. GOODIES.
I ordered some chocolate covered strawberries and a famous cannoli and ate them outside on a nearby bench. Let me tell you, the wait was worth it.
To get back to the airport, I decided to try the city’s public transit (because, why not) and still made it back with hours to spare before my flight. Overall, I’m glad my first flight was delayed, I’m glad I decided to take the risk of leaving the airport and I’m glad I got to live out a childhood dream. Going to Carlo’s Bakery actually brought back a lot of fun memories, the only thing that could’ve made the layover experience better was if my mom had got to come with me.
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**What T.V. shows did you watch growing up?
**What other aspects make New Jersey fun?
**Are you more of an East Coast or a West Coast person? ‘
What a great idea to take advantage of the extra time and heading to Carlo’s. I have been a fan of the show for ages and having lived for over 18 years in Iraly I am really curious about his version of the cannoli!
thank you – it was honestly so much fun and I would do it again 🙂
Sounds like a lovely trip down memory lane! Glad you had a good time.
thank you! I really did 🙂
That’s the perfect making lemonade out of lemons story! I go to Newark airport a lot so I’ll keep this detour in mind!
Awesome 🙂 yeah i’d recommend checking them out!
Oh my gosh! Those tolls from New York to New Jersey add up! I’m from Philadelphia so I know what it costs to drive over a bridge to Jersey haha.
hahaha yeah tolls are definitely not always the best experience 😉
Isn’t it funny how something that sounds annoying (like a delayed flight) often ends up working out for the best? Glad you got to go to Carlo’s – I’ve only been to the one in Vegas, but it was amazing 😀
hahah yes it’s like a blessing in disguise! and oooh yes the vegas one would be cool i bet!
Great tip! I have never heard of this bakeshop, so it seems like a great idea on how to spend some extra time someplace nice
it was a quick trip but definitely worth it!
I do admit, I hadn’t heard of that tv show before now but I’m definitely going to check it out! Such a cool little lay over story though
thank you for reading 🙂 and yes! i would recommend watching it if you’re a fan of baking shows!
What a fabulous idea to kill time! I haven’t watched Carlo’s in a long while and you have reminded me of the show. Perhaps, I would watch it over the weekend.
Thank you! And yeah the holiday are my favorite time to watch baking shows 🙂
Well, sounds like my kind of detour, to visit a bake shop and buy some goodies. I have never been to New Jersey but if I ever have a layover, I know exactly what to do, thanks!
I’m glad you liked it! And yeah if you’re ever in New Jersey, I found it super easy to get to ❤️