April 3, 2016
I can make a book of the lovely sunrises I get to see on my daily commute to Brooklyn. I think I love Sweet & Sara‘s smores thingy because it reminds me of Moon Pies… or what I called them Scooter Pies.” Sara makes the best vegan marshmallows… and I’m Read more…
March 25, 2016
There are not many things as beautiful as an orchid. So the New York Botanical Garden‘s orchid show (Orchidelirium), which exhibits thousands diverse orchids, is a heavenly way to spend the afternoon. The magnolias are blooming. And an azalea bush that beat the others to bloom.
March 14, 2016
Brunch is a âthing.â Itâs different than other meals. Maybe because itâs like two of them. Stakes are higher. Like a bad brunch is doubly bad, a great brunch can make the day. Brunch at Daya, an all-vegan restaurant in the pretty Winter Park downtown, was perfect. Their half-plate option Read more…
March 13, 2016
A long time ago, when the Earth was green, I swam with the manatees in Florida’s Crystal River, where hundreds of manatees flock to in the winter months when the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are not as warm. It was time to see the manatees again, though the Read more…
March 12, 2016
The Sanctum has a fresh, vibrant vegan breakfast items that are the perfect start for a long day of sites. Any place with a mural like that is bound to deliver on plant-based goodies… equally important, kick-butt French press coffee equivalent to nine cups of hotel’s brown, hot water. Normally I Read more…
March 3, 2016
My latest plan is to get to every national park in the country in my lifetime. At this point I have only seen 10Â of 49. I’ve included my throwbacks to link to my Parks progress page from my homepage. Though some were visited in the days before digital camera use Read more…
October 21, 2015
For as long as I have worked, I have always taken off my birthday. It’s a gift I give myself–to be under no obligations but my own. So I do the things I enjoy… driving and finding new places to take pictures of. Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville Read more…
October 19, 2015
Before setting out on a road trip, a vegan has to consider how long it may be until a proper meal is available. Like a marathoner, it may be appropriate to load up on carbs to anchor the behind in for hours driving (not running). This is why I love Read more…
October 16, 2015
Smudgy window pictures of peaking foliage look like paintings. The power, phone and cable lines bisect the beautiful scenery, designating layers. And the rolling Catskills, blotted with orange, carry the cloud’s shadow spots. I love autumn in the east, where the trees give up for the winter. But not before saying goodbye Read more…
September 27, 2015
Robibero Family Vinyards in New Paltz, New York had its annual grape-stomping festival this weekend, the first weekend of autumn. It was the perfect excuse to run north for the day with CP. After managed expectations, I was delighted by the peaceful, bucolic property and the opportunity to check another item off my bucket Read more…
September 15, 2015
September means up at the crack of dawn to return to my Brooklyn classroom. Silver lining: Seeing the sun rise. G train suspended due to derailment. Silver lining: Brooklyn views. Driving to Brooklyn. Silver lining: good tempeh at Brooklyn Ball Factory. Vegan Shop-up being swarmed with human beings. Silver lining: Sweet Maresa‘s Read more…
August 29, 2015
Alas, itâs another day of fog and rain, unfortunately. And another cancelled excursion. I would not be able to test out my underwater camera in Alaskaâs waters during a snorkeling adventure after all. I was pretty bummed about that. As one of two cruise ships docked in port today and Read more…
August 28, 2015
Greetings from the starboard side of the Oosterdam and our grand obstructed view. Yes, the floor to ceiling windows in the stateroom are on the same deck as the emergency life boats. But no fear, our priority was to have the means of seeing the most of Alaska, not necessarily Read more…
August 27, 2015
After several days at sea it was very exciting to disembark finally. The first port was Haines, Alaska, a sleepy, small city (number of graduating high school seniors in 2015: sixteen) with plenty of natural beauty and wildlife. The kind of stuff people come to Alaska for. The port only Read more…
August 25, 2015
Today was our only day at sea without Alaskan scenery, not counting the glorious expanse of lapping waves that we are riding on. It was a day to explore the ship, to relax, to eat. The cruise seems far less booked than the other cruises I have done in my Read more…
August 24, 2015
We woke up with some goals. There were some cruise clarifications that were pretty important. Then there was breakfast, the sometimes-unattainable meal for a traveling vegan. And requisite basking in the breathtaking beauty of Alaska, the Last Frontier. For breakfast, a local favorite, Snow City CafĂŠ, which has the honor Read more…
August 22, 2015
On the way to Alaska, finally! We spent most of the day traveling. Here are some of the pictures I took from the air… because there was no food around. Constellations on land. The land is organized in neat patchwork, dotted with the clouds shadows. I was excited to catch Read more…
August 20, 2015
Having a yard is like having your own park that no one else can visit… unless they’re invited of course. I love watching all the life go on in the yard. And I much prefer to see its critters than those urban critters (i.e. millions of people) in NYC. Then, there’s the flora. Read more…
August 9, 2015
Besides being beautiful, New York’s Finger Lakes Region has some spectacular vegan options. Like Veraisons, the restaurant located on Glenora Winery in Dundee. Honestly, this place was our main reason for this trip. After discovering the vegan options on its seasonal menus, I have been watching them change. With an exciting summer Read more…
August 5, 2015
Travel tucks you into new environments, which facilitate different experiences. And experience is the basis of all learning, all growth. So, travel is enlightenment…. Luckily, there is no need to head to an ancient Buddhist temple to derive this wisdom. There is plenty of beauty, adventure, inspiration, oddity (and vegan eats) just a couple of hours away. Read more…
July 22, 2015
Not too far from the New York-Pennsylvania border is a small vacation town of Hawley, on the Lackawaxen River and close to better-known Delaware river. Though this is a summer haven for campers and other nature enthusiasts (and hunters), a friend of mine had year-round residence here as a growing gal as Read more…
July 17, 2015
Another jam-packed day ahead of me and needing the boost, I had the tart from Louisville’s Flora Vegan Treats for breakfast. Clearly by observing Exhibit A below you can see it was light and crisply satisfying–like you want these kinds of tarts to be. The filling was blackberry, the ideal partner for the lemon zested Read more…
July 9, 2015
Despite the rampant loss of character New York City has been undergoing for decades now, there are still lightly treaded, special places in the corners and underneath the rocks–or in this case, underneath a layer of broken glass. Dead Horse Beach–part of Floyd Bennett Field, a park in the broader Read more…
July 3, 2015
We were not the only folks looking to doorbust for one of the all-vegan breakfast options at Pingala Cafe & Eatery in Burlington, an Earthy spot for simple vegan fare. Two minutes after opening time, there was a line at the counter. Perhaps if this sculpture and the wild flow of the Winooski river Read more…
June 30, 2015
A visit to Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Sag Harbor is a walk back in time. Trusting chipmunks eat from your hand. Swans are shy and evade your camera. The tickling feet of bold songbirds perch your hand’s branch to select the best seeds. But not without a quick Read more…