Driving Delights

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drive thru

I still remember the first time I drove by the Starbucks in Dobbs Ferry and almost crashed my car in excitement. I thought I was dreaming when I saw the lit up “Drive Thru” sign. I quickly veered my car towards coffee goodness. I wish I could have seen the look on my face when the barista handed me my Grande Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte through the window. I looked in the rear view mirror as I pulled away to see my six month old (at the time) smiling sweetly in her sleep. “Cheers to you my little love,” I toasted to her, raising my drink in the air.

As I drove away, I was giddy with excitement that I actually accomplished something without leaving my car! Not only had I run an errand, but I ran one for ME while my angel slept quietly in the back. No lugging out car seats, struggling with strollers, or risking waking the baby up for the sake of a cup of coffee. So this got me thinking, how many other glorious drive-thrus were at my disposal? Surely they were all just fast-food and ATMs?

Well because I am a self-described coffee addict, I found some new and exciting choices! Starbucks is expanding their drive-thru options and there are now three in lower Westchester alone!

  1. Scarsdale (Wilmot Road- in the Golden Horseshoe Shopping Center)
  2. Hartsdale (South Central Avenue)
  3. Dobbs Ferry (Along the Saw Mill)

Have no fear my Dunkin Donut loving Mamas! A Dunkin Drive Thru (although hard to find) can be found in Hartsdale/White Plains on Knollwood Road! Rumor has it that one MAY be coming to Larchmont/Mamaroneck as well (a mom can dream).

I became much more eagle-eyed as I drove around Westchester with a mission to make my life easier one drive thru at a time. I was living in White Plains at the time and my next amazing find was Cleaning By Fredericks. Located on a street I probably drove down twice a day, I sat at a stop-light and watched as a car rolled up to the window of the dry cleaners. Curious, I watched as the lady went into the back and brought out their dry cleaning. Needless to say, I veered right in and used them religiously ever since.

Now many of you might be thinking, why not do a delivery service? Because with a drive-thru option, drop off and pick up is on MY time. No leaving laundry out on the front porch for hours while my husband and I are at work or adding to the stress of my already growing to-do list (“oh no, it’s Wednesday, did I put the shirts by the front before I left?”).

Well there was no stopping me now! Dinner was next on my list and I wanted something healthier than fast-food! One weekend my family and I went to the Cheesecake Factory (family friendly, tons of food choices, huge portions, what’s not to love?). As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed a “Curb-Side pick up” sign. My eyes lit up and inquired first thing upon my entrance. Truth be told, it was just as good as I imagined!

You simply call and order your food, pull into the parking spot and a lovely Cheesecake Factory employee WALKS OUT the food directly to your car. I can’t tell you how much time and energy this simple procedure has saved me. On nights when I come home exhausted from work and feel like dinner is the last thing I can conjure up, this is my perfect solution! And the best part is, tons of restaurants now have this service! Other options are Nesto’s Pizza and Deli on Tarrytown Road in White Plains and AppleBees Carside to Go on Tarrytown Road (White Plains-Cross Roads Shopping Center).

But Erica, I love to cook! Yes, but does this mean hours going up and down supermarket aisles, weaving your cart around painfully slow walkers and waiting in line? I have a solution for that too! Many grocery stores are also now offering curb-side grocery pick-up. One that I’ve tried and LOVED is Pea Pod by Stop & Shop (specifically the one on Central Avenue – conveniently located near that drive-thru Starbucks). They usually have awesome coupons (like save $20 on your first order, etc) and you simply order online, pick a time, drive over and have someone place the grocery bags in your car.

Finally, my new favorite discoveries are drive-thru pharmacies. It’s the perfect solution when one of my littles has an ear infection and on the way back from the doctors, I don’t want to take her out of her car seat again to pick up her recently prescribed medication. CVS and Walgreens both have drive-thru pharmacies in a variety of locations peppered around Westchester!

Now, if only I could find a drive thru spa, I feel life would be complete…

So, what did I miss? I’d love to add any of your favorites to the growing list of places making mom life more efficient and easy!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Can a lady without kids comment? Cus I’m gonna 🙂 there’s a curbside pick up pharmacy in Fleetwood – MedsPlus. All you have to do is call and say hey, I’m outside, bring me the goods and they happily bring them out. They also will deliver to you (if you’re home to accept the delivery). There’s also a UPS pick up and drop off location at Mr G Natural Health Market in Fleetwood. If you’re not home when UPS delivers a package and you live in one of the apt buildings, they will deliver there and you can pick up there AND drop off your outgoing UPS packages. #teamerica

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