Twitter told me that a COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF HAS OPENED IN MANHATTAN...and just a few blocks from my office at that. This merits a

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite not being a sweets/dessert person in general, I love their Black Forest Ice Blended with the kind of "only in..." passion aroused in most only by In-N-Out. It's very sentimental for me - I associate it with dillydallying on Manhattan Beach, hanging out at my friend's place there, the sun and wind pleasantly-itchily drying sea-salt onto my skin and crunchifying my hair on his roof deck, playing games and drinking beer, and with ritual visits to the one on Market in SF on the way to/from SF MoMA, and being buffeted from all sides by famous people at the poorly-laid-out one on Sunset...