It might be a stretch to call The Palm Court at The Plaza Hotel a “café”, but my visit for Christmas tea this week more than earned it a place on my list of aesthetically pleasing hideaways.

I felt halfway between Gossip Girl and Downton Abbey as mom and I sipped bubbly and snacked on decadent bites in the midst of towering palms and a stunning interior. The prefix is pricey, but you know what? The experience was worth it.

The one word I’d use to describe Christmas Tea at The Plaza Hotel? Exquisite. Read on for stunning photos and a few insider tips that may be helpful if you’re planning your own visit.

Pinkies up! I treated my mom to tea and scones at Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter II this week, and we were amazed at the cuteness of it all. I’ve been wanting to try this place for years and was excited to find a breakfast deal on Groupon.

The whimsy of this place is next-level, but be sure to sit on the actual next-level (2nd floor) for the full experience. Tall windows, yummy mint green walls, and adorable little tables make this place rather dreamy.

It was fairly empty since we arrived midday. Mom had the day off and I have the perks of the freelance life (choosing your own schedule = midday tea parties).

The hunt for cute places to sip coffee is on this spring, and today I want to show you one of my favorite little hangs in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Central Cafe is bursting with rustic charm. I spent many mornings recovering from hangovers in their backyard, sipping their deeeelicious ice coffee.

Pretty much everything inside is Instagram-worthy, but the back yard’s pink brick wall and flourishing greenery is what had me hooked.

Oh, and good food.

Guys, I have a not-so-secret confession to make. I seriously love really cute cafés.

I love sitting in pastry-populated rooms with music playing, pink accents popping and other latte lovers parked on laptops rattling away at whatever they’re working on.

It’s like therapy. It IS therapy, for me! ;}

Artistic giraffe sculptures and adorably wrapped pastries? Take my money!

I found myself opening up Google Maps the other day and trying to run a search for “cute cafés” in Brooklyn. The results made me realize that search algorithms don’t really favor those with “cute” in their prerequisites for choosing a destination.

So, I decided to spend some time this spring and summer chronicling the cutest cafés in NYC as I find ’em.

I’m kicking it off with MacarOn Café in Tribeca…