Amazingco: Mystery Picnic - Disappointment

This adventure begins with a little bit of an explainer. My husband and I usually go on vacation for our wedding anniversary, obviously with the pandemic that hasn’t been an option. So this year we saw an ad for a Mystery Picnic and thought that would be a fun alternative, a little adventure in a city we’ve both lived in our entire lives. They give you clues to solve to figure out your next destination, and each place has a little item for your picnic.

So we go to https://www.amazingco.me/us and book the “AmazingCo: Mystery Picnic - Spring Blossoms City Side, Upper East Side” adventure. This we were told will be a fun little scavenger hunt that ends in a lovely picnic in a park. The option we chose was for the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which is where the high end neighborhoods are. We thought we would be able to see some lovely blossoms, maybe find some nice places to see the view, eat some fun picnic food and enjoy a little walk around.

The evening before our adventure we receive and email with a link to where we will be getting and solving our clues. So we decide to solve the first clue the night before so that we know where we are starting and how to get there from our house. So we figured out the commute, got our insulated picnic backpack ready (we bought this one HERE), and made sure to pack our hats because there was a chance of a sun shower.

That morning we wake up and start our commute. We decided during our travel that we would just pick up what was pre-ordered for the picnic, and if we were still hungry after would treat ourselves to a more formal dinner.

We get to our first stop at Corrado Bread & Pastry, which is known for its delicious baked goods, and we are immediately disappointed. The items that AmazingCo ordered for us to pick up were: two fresh cut fruit cups and two Snapples that are on a shelf not a cooler. I don’t know about you but I thought it was very strange to go to a bakery for fruit. However the staff was very sweet even though they were super busy. I would love to go back at some point and pick up some baked goods, or one of their yummy looking mini croissant sandwiches.

I come out of the little store and we have a seat in their outdoor seating area to pack up the items and to figure out our next clue.

Stop number two was Marche Madison, which got me very excited because I have heard of them and knew that they had imported meats and cheeses. Yet again we are severely disappointed when we arrive. Surrounded by these delightful imported items, we are told that AmazingCo has given us a $10 floral credit. Which means we get to pick a “bouquet” of flowers with a $10 sticker on it. See below for the filler flowers that we picked up, this was the only item with a $10 price sticker.

So we stand off to the side on the sidewalk and figure out our next clue, while I take the photo above because now I’m definitely making this nonsense a blog post.

Our next clue sends us to By The Way Bakery, which I have not heard of but am hoping for something good. On the way we joke about how they’re going to give us something else that makes no sense for a bakery. When we arrive I go in alone as the shop is minuscule and together we would take up the entire store. I’m worried because unlike other bakeries I have been in this one does not smell of baking goods, instead it smells like bleach and other cleaning products. It is very clear that this is not where the goods are made but are simply delivered and sold out of this store front. The woman behind the counter was very friendly and quick as she hands me off a bag of 6 almond cookies. So thankfully this time the bakery gave us baked goods.

We find a spot nearby with an outdoor seating area and figure out our last food clue and take a much needed bathroom break.

Clue four brings us to Stella and Fly, which neither of us has heard of. We take the walk, at this point beyond exhausted and with low expectations. I walk in, as my husband finds an outdoor seat for us, and head to the counter. I am greeted by the intoxicating smell of coffee, and notice the menu, and am so excited that maybe we will get some caffeine to give us a boost. Again disappointed when I am handed a bag and told it contains a charcuterie board. I meet my husband outside and tell him what we got and he shakes his head.

Stand inside Stella and Fly.

We take a seat and decide that if the next stop is too far we are just going to head home. Thankfully it is just a 5 minute walk and it is right on the water which would give us a breeze to cool off, as the humidity had not let up all morning.

Our final clue takes us to Carl Schurz Park, which is more of a paved walkway with benches on the water. However, the gorgeous breeze is helping cool us down and sitting is feeling like a glorious treat. At this point I would like to bring attention to the fact that we never saw any blooms, except for the flower shops we walked past. So I’m not sure how this was a “Spring Blossoms” picnic. Also we could not sit on the grassy area as people were walking their dogs there, despite the no pets signs posted everywhere. Once comfortable on our bench we unpack our goods to find:

• Two fruit cups which despite the oddity of them are delicious.

• The Snapples, which had cooled just enough to drink.

• The flowers, which we leave in the bag so they are not in our way.

• The charcuterie basket, which contains sweaty cheese, and warm salami and prosciutto. The only thing edible here was the bread and crackers. Everything else felt hot and like it had been out in a hot kitchen for far too long.

• The six almond cookies, which feel soft. These were the most amazing cookies we had ever eaten. They were the only saving grace for the day.

If you look close enough you can see the sweat on the parmesan cheese.

The only real good thing about the park is that there was a ferry station very close by that brought us back to our other ferry to get home.

All in all we walked nearly five miles, and ate almost nothing. We were so exhausted that just walking from one ferry terminal to the next felt like a marathon. Feet blistered, legs achy, tummies grumbling, we grabbed some pretzel bites at the Manhattan side of the Staten Island Ferry to hold us over. Needless to say we did not go out that night, we decided to shower, change into pajamas, and relax because we were beyond exhausted.

I would absolutely NOT recommend AmazingCo to anyone. The concept is really great but the execution was terrible. The only good part about this picnic were the almond cookies from By The Way Bakery, which I will be looking to pick up for another special occasion. All in all, I would suggest just making your own food and taking a picnic in a park you know.