Teatime goes viral: The dream TikTok tour bus
Image: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
GROWING up with five brothers, Ballina Koroilavesau enjoyed a good teatime - on her own.
'I had tea parties with me, myself and I with my toys,' said the 39-year-old Maryland resident. But on a recent sunny day, she was practically squealing with delight as she made her way down the aisle of one of the more unusual tea offerings in D.C.
Tea Around Town is a double-decker tour bus decked out in plentiful flowers, shades of pink and pops of gold. Fancy hats known as fascinators are optional but often opted for, along with gloves. Instrumental versions of pop songs fill the air. It feels like 'Bridgerton' on wheels.
I was sitting in my own pink-and-white-striped booth admiring the serving stand full of finger foods when Koroilavesau walked by. She was with her soon-to-be daughter-in-law and a friend to celebrate the upcoming wedding.
'Look at all the pastries,' she said. 'I'm so excited!'
Guests take in the sights along the Tea Around Town bus tour in Washington.
Image: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
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I had spotted the company's buses in downtown D.C. - they are hard to miss - and wondered about this tea-themed experience. So I booked tickets while my mom was visiting from Florida.
On the day of our tour, we looked for floral patterns to find our fellow passengers. There was a mother and daughter in Amazon-purchased fascinators. A pair of sisters who attend tea regularly were stunning in purple. The bride-to-be found her dress at a thrift store.
Ryan Prescott, a spokesperson for TopView Sightseeing, which runs the tours, said passengers have seized the opportunity to dress up.
'You're around people that are doing the same, so it's a camaraderie,' he said.
Bite-sized feast
We arrived on the bus with an appetite, and it was a good thing; our table settings included three tiers of sandwiches, appetizers, scones and sweets.
We paid $129 each for the 'luxe' package, which came with caviar, shrimp, a lobster roll and smoked salmon bite along with more standard finger sandwiches and snacks. A 'spring delight mocktail' tasted like sparkling juice with a spear of blackberries.
Seeing the D.C. sights
The tour is advertised as 90 minutes, with 75 of those actually on the road. Most unexpected, to us, was that the soundtrack suddenly switched to jazz and our tour guide started singing on several occasions. It turns out that's a standard part of the tour - and most people tend to be surprised by it. Between live songs, tunes like 'Despacito' and 'Toxic' played.
Prescott said the company is trying to attract locals who want something special to do while also appealing to tourists who want a new way to see the city.
Social media moment
My take on the tea itself: the drink was secondary to the decor, the food and the mood.
'It's beyond the tea,' Prescott said when I spoke to him a few days later. 'It's a social media moment, it's an opportunity for sightseeing.'
Indeed, many of the passengers I spoke to had first seen the bus on TikTok or Instagram. London boasts multiple tea bus tours. Hong Kong has a dim sum bus tour.
Beyoncé made news when she was pictured on a Tea Around Town bus in New York with her family in 2023. Stars of the latest season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' held an event on one of the buses this year.
Tea-bus takeaways
The $129 (R2284) price tag felt steep for several swigs of tea, even in a flowery tumbler with earnest explanations, and small bites to eat along with sights you can see for free. But the experience was more than just a bus ride with treats - and one I would probably pay for again, though maybe without the caviar.
What I enjoyed most was laughing with my mom, toasting with our teas and comparing notes on our nibbles. We delighted in the unexpected musical performances and picturesque surroundings. And we loved complimenting fellow passengers on their outfits and congratulating the ones who were celebrating special occasions.
'I feel so spoiled,' my mom said. To me, that was priceless.
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