(Incidentally, the Voo Dew was really good. This year, it has citrus-y notes. I think it's supposed to be some kind of lemonade flavor. It's certainly better than their attempt at candy corn last year.)
We went back to Lauren's house to drop off the medicine and milk, then we started back to Albany. Once again, it was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, the breeze was fresh, and it was much warmer than it has been, probably in the lower-mid 70's. We sang along to the mix of classic rock and country Lauren's been playing all week and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Our next stop was the Cracker Barrel we had dinner at on Monday. They were even tastier for breakfast. Lauren had the "Country Boy Breakfast," a plate of ham, scrambled eggs, and hash browns with fried apples. I had the Signature Fried Apple French Toast Bake, thick bread slices soaked in vanilla custard with cheesecake filling in between, topped with fried apples and pecan struesel. It came with pecan syrup (which didn't taste all that different from regular syrup) and wonderfully crispy bacon. She had coffee. I had hot tea. Oh, yum. The French toast was amazing. I don't even like cheesecake, but it worked between layers of sweet bread, and the apples were a lot less gloppy topped with praline bits.
This time, we went a bit beyond Crossgates to the smaller Colonie Center, further down Wolf Road. They're the oldest of the malls we visit on vacation, but a major remodeling a little over a decade ago left it attractive inside and out. We parked near what had been their Christmas Tree Shops and was temporarily Spirit Halloween. It was just after 12 when we got in. They were busy, but not overwhelmingly so, likely thanks to the lovely day. We started at Nordstrom Rack. Lauren bought a dress, but I rarely see my size in the one at Cherry Hill, and I didn't see it here, either.
Tried the Pier Arcade next. This is much smaller than either Round 1 or Dave and Buster's, one room and a smaller party room. Many of the machines were broken, too, but I did manage to spin a Scooby Doo wheel, play a lot of Pac Man, Pac Mania, and Galaga, and get decent scores on skee ball. I had over 1,500 points, but I didn't really like any of the toy prizes. Lauren ended up with a box of Swedish Fish that was larger than you'd find in a store. I got a container of Tootsie Rolls.
We were in and out of smaller stores. Lauren bought the most adorable teddy-bear print t-shirts and a wonderful teddy bear sweater at Aeropostale. I wanted the sweater, but they didn't have it in my size. I'll check the malls in my area. We were in and out of L.L Bean and Go! Toys and Calendars. Lauren didn't buy anything at FYE, but I picked up two more CDs:
Bon Jovi - Cross Road
America - The Very Best of America
Ducked into Barnes and Noble next. Found the next books in two mystery series I'd been looking for, Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien and Coconut Drop Dead by Olivia Matthews. Also finally picked up the cast album for the 2022 Music Man revival with Hugh Jackman on CD. I've wanted it since it came out, but it's pricey on two-disc LP. Grabbed a Passion Mango iced tea and two chocolate chunk cookies from Starbucks with coupons that came with my recent purchases.
Joined Lauren at Aeropostale, then headed to Boscov's. She got a shirt for her father and blouses for her. I found a pretty blue and red plaid short-sleeved, button down blouse and a heathery periwinkle blue long-sleeved t-shirt, both for $4.99 each on the clearance rack. I didn't get anything at Macy's or at Five Below, but she got blouses at the former and teddy bear lounging pants at the latter.
By the time we finished, it was past 5:30. We headed to dinner at Ted's Fish Fry, a very popular local seafood fast food joint. The line looked daunting when we arrived, but it moved fast. She had fish tacos and a Mountain Dew Zero. I had a scallop roll (fried scallops in a hot dog roll) and sparkling water. We both had salads, and we shared my fries.
Though it clouded over while we were in the mall, it remained fairly warm as we headed back down to Massachusetts. No trouble with either trip, no real traffic either way, and the weather held. Lauren took the back way going home, driving through lovely neighborhoods behind the malls before getting on the freeway.
Finished the night at home with tonight's Match Game marathon. Big George Kennedy was starring in the short-lived cop show The Blue Knight when he first appeared on Match Game in 1976. He was probably the best player on the entire show besides Richard Dawson and Charles Nelson Reilly. He never failed to come up with the right answer, or at least one that made sense. He continued appearing on the show through the syndicated era. He was also one of the larger panelists. He and Barbara Rhodes showed just how tall they were compared to everyone else in a 1981 syndicated episode. He also won some folks big money, including a $10,000 win on a PM show in 1980.
Join the Police Squad and match along with Lieutenant Drebin's boss, the Blue Knight himself!
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