‘Groupon’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! {Times Square, New York City}

April 8, 2014 · Narrative

The weird. The odd. The creepy and icky. Let’s visit Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! in New York City…

It stands to reason that if we can possibly go to one of the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not places, we will.

Because I know it’s Nick jam.

Ripley’s. Weird facts. Guinness Book of World Records.

The kid is a walking treasure trove of that type of stuff.

So, of course, when I saw a Groupon for the Ripley’s in New York City, a location we haven’t yet been to, I had to get it.

I mean. Really.

I bought it a few months ago, and waited and waited and waited to use it.

Mostly because I hate the cold and the thought of traipsing around the city on a blustery Northeast wintery day did nothing for me.

So I waited until the weekend the Groupon expired, in the hopes that it would be warmer, and, of course, it poured buckets.

And I hate rain almost as much as I hate Winter.

Because flooded basement. Always. And my favorite sneakers have holes in them, so they, um, get a little squishy when it rains. And I would happily toss them in the trash, but I can’t find a solid replacement pair.

#pitypartyofone

But we persevered and set off to the city, planning to meet Sarah, her kids, and Joanne.

And no one knew anyone else was coming, and surprises were had by all.

I’m good like that. Madeline adores Joanne, so I knew that would be the biggest surprise of all.

Nick brought a friend with him as well.

Which means everywhere we went, in the THRONGS OF NEW YORK CITY PEOPLE, we counted.

One, two, three, four, five.

Which reminded me of when Kate Gosselin used to count her kids every time they went somewhere.

Although we had a couple less.

I was responsible for three.

And I wasn’t planning on losing any.

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Review: Planet Swirl {Whippany, New Jersey}

July 24, 2013 · Narrative

A few months ago, my friend Carmen, knowing our penchant for frozen yogurt places, texted me a message.

“Planet Swirl, you must go.”

And who am I not to follow orders like that?

I added it to our growing must-see-do-try-visit places on my phone, and decided to save it for just the right time.

Which happened a few weeks ago when there was a Groupon deal offered for it.

I mean, frozen yogurt AND half price?

It’s almost like our obligation.

I took the kids, and Nick brought a friend, and we stopped in one afternoon.

Easy to find right off Route 10, there is ample parking right in front of the store. As soon as we walked in, the iphones were quickly whipped out while the kids were ooohing and aahing over the decor and snapping countless pictures.

Planet Swirl took their outer space theme and ran with it, making for a fun spot to visit, and setting it apart from the countless other froyo places that are popping up everywhere.

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Review: Boom Burger {Rochelle Park, NJ}

July 17, 2013 · Narrative

It all started with a Groupon.

Two burgers, two orders of fries, one jumbo cupcake, and one 38 oz (super size!) alcoholic drink.

$27

A new restaurant that we hadn’t yet visited. Boom Burger.

A bit out of our local area, but not too bad.

Easy decision.

The restaurant is very easy to find, right off the Garden State Parkway and near IKEA and the Garden State Plaza Mall. Ample parking in the lot, and we were greeted as soon as we walked in.

We asked for a booth, if available, and since there weren’t any on the “restaurant” side, they suggested a half booth in the bar area. Perfect. But holy short seats, Batman! I swear I felt like my knees were hugging my chest the whole time during our two hour stay, and it was definitely a little bit of a challenge when we got up to leave.

The waitress came over to take our drink order, and we asked for her suggestions on burgers. Although she pointed out several menu items that she loved, we ended up going with different selections, but kudos to her for being helpful and knowing the menu and offerings. Some days, that’s a rarity! The menu, while not huge, offers enough of a variety that everyone should be able to find something easily. I personally find the huge menus too overwhelming. Odd that the online menu doesn’t include prices. The burgers were between $7-10 each.

When we saw the Guido Burger (with roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and a balsamic basil spread), we felt it our obligation, as born and bred Jerseyans, to order it. We also ordered the traditional Boom Burger, which featured two patties with cheese in the middle, and Boom Sauce on the side (sauce that you may more commonly know as Thousand Island).

For the fries, we went with the Parmesan and Rosemary version, and the standard version.

The alcoholic drinks are all named by color, and we chose the “pink.” Good and strong. They also have Sangria Towers available, which are perfect if you’re going with a large group.

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