Return to Simplicty. Atlanta.

When Jamie suggested we throw an ice cream party for the neighborhood kids I jumped at the opportunity. She sent out a mass email the night before and warned me that we'd probably only get a few people turning up the next day because everyone has such busy schedules and we had given them less than 24 hours notice.



The next afternoon, as two year old Colby napped, Jamie and I set out plastic chairs and tables in the yard and stocked up on all sorts of ice cream and toppings from Publix. 4pm rolled around and cars started to arrive. Within 10 minutes the yard was filled with Moms and kids, all digging into our table full of ice cream.

"I can't believe it! It takes months to organize anything in this town, and yet everyone turns up in a flash for a simple little ice cream party in the yard!"

The other Moms told me it was a no-brainer. "We all turned up because it was no big deal. Everyone loves ice cream and there are no formalities. If only everything could be this simple."



Truth: Families have jam-packed schedules these days, so everything is planned and organized to help keep life running smoothly. Simplicity and spontaneity is sacrificed. Opportunity: Bring back simple.

Five Minute Vacation. New York

New York is rich with ice cream history. Some say the country's first ice cream shop was opened here. Even Haagen Dazs as born in the Bronx. 

So today we set out with a big list of famous ice cream destinations and a camera, ready to find some New York ice cream stories. The funny thing is, our tour took us around the world. We started at Australian Homemade where we sampled the smoothest vanilla in the world. We popped in to Ciao Bella for some of New York's best Italian gelato. We braved the crowds to get to the famous China Town Ice Cream Factory.

Each ice cream store was like a little oasis within the Manhattan craziness. Outside each store a few people hung around enjoying their cups and cones, oblivious to the hustle and bustle around them. Even in the world's busiest city, ice cream has the power to bring people to a stop. One happy ice cream eater put it this way;

"I live and work on this crazy island, but this little tub of raspberry sorbet takes away from it all for a moment."

Truth: More than any other food ice cream has the power to export us to another world, even for just a few minutes. In today's economy, when real vacations are out of the question for many families, Americans will be looking for new ways to escape without stretching the budget.