Back in January I decided I had enough of the big chain drugstore pharmacy experience. The blank stares. The long waits. The complaining folks in line in front of me which made the wait that much longer because their list of complaints went on and on and on. I dreaded getting prescriptions filled and would groan when that particular errand appeared on my list of things to do.
So one day on a whim, probably because it was next to CITY MD (and/or because right outside it’s front door there is a place to leash your dogs with a fresh bowl of water and snacks), I entered Tisane Pharmacy. It was Magical! People said hello when I walked in and SMILED. There were fresh croissants in a glass display and not the overly processed ones – the flaky, fresh kind that look like someone from France had a hand in their baking. They had an array of tea for us to consider (my kids are big tea nuts) and counter seating for us to sit and linger if we so chose.
At the back was the professional and warm, but not too warm, pharmacist. Turns out she is always there. She has glasses and wears fuzzy slippers. And now, six months later, she knows all of our names. When she sees me coming she gets our meds out (malaria pills and an epi pen today). When I have a question – the whole staff gets involved. Today we selected sleep aids for the long flight we have coming up, Melatonin to help us fend off jet lag, and probiotics to keep our tummies in check. The same pharmacist that fills my prescriptions was the one marching all around the store with the checkout girl to help me make the best choices.
We talked about our upcoming travel plans. She told me a story about a trip she had been on. We practically hugged good-bye! She wants to see our pictures. I refrained from telling her about my blog – such restraint – but I did wonder if she was on instagram (she is not – I will fix that in the fall). I smiled the whole way home feeling so lucky that I had made this discovery and to have at least one errand that I can now happily cross off my list.
Tisane Pharmacy is located on 86th Street between 1st and 2nd Ave. The storefront’s trim is painted blue just like the doors I pined for in Greece. Happy prescription filling!
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