News Taffy

Our move to New York City involved many big changes for all of us. One of the biggest changes was not using a car to run errands. In NYC, you really don't need a car to get around. Everything you need is within walking distance. Besides being close to everything I need, it also costs a small fortune to park a car in this city. When it came to grocery shopping, I quickly learned I was going to have to rethink my strategy!

The days of driving to Kroger and stocking up for the week were going to need to be revamped. I'm a big grocery shopper who likes to hit the store once maybe twice a week. I'd stock up on the necessities, check out, load up my car and drive back to the house. On a trip to NYC over Thanksgiving a few years ago, I was checking out at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle with an enormous amount of groceries and realized that there was no way I could walk back to our hotel with all that I had purchased. I ended up in a taxi to make the seven block ride back to the hotel.

Lots of New Yorkers hit the store daily to shop for what they need for that day. In a city with food stores everywhere, this is an easy option. For me, however, I don't want to shop for food every single day. I usually make a big trip to Fairway once a week. If you find yourself in NYC and are a foodie, you must see this place. It's 35, 000 square feet of grocery shopping with just about everything you can imagine. On the second floor, everything is organic! It really is an amazing place. But you can forget about wide open aisles and a slow paced experience. This particular grocery store is always insanely busy with people and staff crammed into the aisles. You have to take a defensive role in maneuvering the aisles or you'll never make it to the checkout lanes. The first time I stopped in at Fairway, Mark and Corbin were with me. We quickly learned that this trip is best left to just one person. I've never been a big fan of taking Corbin grocery shopping because he wants to buy everything he sees. At Fairway, it was even worse. Not only was Corbin asking for every new vegetable he saw, but he also didn't want to sit in the cart.

There is a light at the end of the insane grocery store experience - they deliver! For a really small fee, you can have your groceries delivered to your apartment. It may take a few hours for your groceries to arrive, but it's a great service that makes shopping easier for a city dweller. You can take your perishables with you if you want and they'll deliver the rest.

In addition to the delivery service at the grocery stores, I have also become a huge fan of Fresh Direct, an on-line grocery store with everything you need. I was reluctant at first to try this service because I was concerned about the quality of the products. I was beyond impressed with both the produce and meat that I ordered and have become a big fan of Fresh Direct. You shop on-line, pick your delivery time and your groceries show up the next day!

The next time you are in the city and see people pushing wheeled carts, you can bet they are on their way to the grocery store. Or if you see a delivery person pushing a cart down the middle of the street with bundles of groceries and supplies piled high, you can bet they work for Fresh Direct. It's been a big adjustment for this Southerner in the City, but it is one I've made rather easily and enjoyed immensely. Having access to every ingredient for any recipe you've ever wanted to make is a nice trade off for not having a car in which to make a grocery run.