Chasin' the blues away: Party time at Dylan's Candy Bar.

Family & Leisure

Some twenty years ago, the Sweet Life opened in the heart of the Lower East Side. An adorable little candy store that feels overcrowded with five customers, it has decidedly offbeat offerings: milk-chocolate Band Aids ($2.99 a box), a Bible Bar ($2) containing the seven foods mentioned in Deuteronomy (wheat, barley, raisins, honey, figs, pomegranates, and olive oil), traditionally salty Dutch licorice ($5.99 a pound), and Turkish Delight ($10 a pound).

Dylan's Candy Bar
1011 Third Avenue, at 60th Street
646-735-0078

Uptown, this was the year Dylan Lauren (Ralph's baby) and Jeff Rubin opened Dylan's Candy Bar. Aside from the five-foot-tall candy-laden topiaries ($300-$699), white-chocolate bunnies way bigger than a breadbox ($30-$60), and Dylan's own two-pound candy bars ($24), the estate-size boutique can be taken over for parties (starting at $595 for ten). Kids can do candy-jewelry design, candy mosaics on a chocolate postcard, or cookie decorating.