July 22, 2020
Since I declared my intention of visiting all of Virginia’s dark sky parks and camping three evenings, forces of nature have threw me some curveballs. But I subscribe to several related philosophies that have me generally accepting, catching curveballs and admiring each. Though my que sera sera-ness might not serve Read more…
The closest National Park to my home is a pretty one, with undulating blue waves in the sky–the Blue Ridge Mountains. Shenandoah National Park‘s views are quite gorgeous. And its scenic Skyline Drive allows you to keep your social distance… and blast your music. On display, the cranky mountain air Read more…
July 21, 2020
If the weather cooperates in the evening, I will shoot at all of Virginia’s dark sky parks by the end of my trip. But that’s a big “if.” The mountains are tempestuous, already thwarting my first evening of camping. Though I am not proud of being in this motel room Read more…
(Words: Soy latte with a heart… from Gathering Grounds)
I am now convinced that Instagram is the best means of finding vegan food options. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Roland Park Bagels in Baltimore had a bomb-looking vegan fried chicken sandwich that would be a perfect “on the way” bite. Arriving early, it would be my Read more…
July 20, 2020
Despite the continuing of restrictions, I try to get out often and stay busy–but safely. And since my car is not mine anymore, I have been sampling all kinds of mass transit. My favorite: The Ferry. My bike, here, at the Brooklyn Army Terminal when I missed a ferry. And Read more…
July 19, 2020
I have several dark sky adventures planned given the new moon and my rental car. Firstly, a trip to Long Island’s Custer Observatory, a public observatory within the dark skies of Southold. Their Saturday program includes the opportunity of utilizing the observatory’s equipment, like the tremendous telescope housed in the Read more…
July 2, 2020
On my way back to Cleveland for my morning flight, I stopped in Akron for some meandering. I wound up a neat marketplace that had some vegan options. A festive Independence Day cocktail before I settle into my last evening in Ohio. Nomz has some unique eats. I went for Read more…
This was the destination that sealed Ohio’s fate as my post-school year mini excursion. The historic Ohio State Reformatory. Though I wouldn’t have to worry about trespassing or finding a hole to crawl in! It’s open for self-guided tours. And on this steaming hot summer’s day, the parking lot was Read more…
I have only been to Indiana once before in 2014 and was looking forward to reporting on vegan eats. But my best food plans needed to be flexible considering the current pandemic and what it has done to supply and demand of vegan options. Here is what I wanted to Read more…
July 1, 2020
Where once my couch housed my behind for a good portion of the week, today brought an old cemetery, an abandoned asylum and, in the evening, an astroshoot. Now if only of my vegan food leads would be successful (Damn Corona!), the day might have been the perfect combination of Read more…
June 30, 2020
Parts of an old New York City sky scraper are sitting in a field in Holliday Park in Indianapolis. Seems a random enough allure. So I stopped by to see the pained expressions of the men who use to hold up the St. Paul Building in Manhattan, demolished in 1958. Read more…
The tale of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane, later the Central State Hospital, is much like Farm Colony hospitals all across the country. Opening in the mid-1800’s, the sprawling and self sufficient colony covered 160 acres outside of downtown Indianapolis and included male and female wards, a farm worked Read more…
Like most beautiful cemeteries (and asylums) I can spend hours within, Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, a National Historical Place, was established in the mid-1800’s. I explored most of its 555 acres with my rental car because the heat was unbearable. But I ran out of the car like 600 Read more…
June 29, 2020
The Monroe Allison House, an abandoned pink “gingerbread house,” brought me to Metamora, Indiana… so you can imagine my disappointment to see that it was amidst renovations… 😂 But really, the charming stop in the historic Canal Town was just the magic I needed and all of what I love Read more…
The Knightridge Space Observatory in Bloomington, Indiana is a simple observatory built in simpler times. But since that time the city of Bloomington and telescopic technology have grown. And the two-room structure with a rotating dome ceiling has been left alone in the woods since. Functioning only for 30 years, Read more…
June 28, 2020
Who knew there was a Paulie Gee’s in Columbus, Ohio?! I didn’t. But apparently the best vegan pizza in New York has several outposts: Columbus, Chicago and Baltimore. Not having eaten the entire day, I could barely check into my motel room before I was good and greasy, my hands Read more…
In 1919, when East Cleveland was not a source of distracting ambient light, the Warner And Swasey Company gifted an observatory to the Astronomy department of the Case School of Applied Science. Though they manufactured a variety of machinery and tools, Warner and Swasey was best known for its giant Read more…
February 22, 2020
I’m a window seat gal. I love watching the land from above. Here are some painting-like pictures, blotted and splotchy in their pixelatedness, of our beautiful country as I traveled from one end to the other. Starting at my home… I like to see the boroughs hold hands via a Read more…
February 21, 2020
When I do my official Los Angeles Fried Chicken Battle… and I will… I know that Lettuce Feast will likely kick butt. You see, it’s likely the best I’ve ever had. And I have been sampling vegan fried chicken here on the East Coast for many months. Yes, I said Read more…
February 20, 2020
A vegan fried chicken joint in Santa Ana would definitely be on my must-visit list. Eat Love was part of my Los Angeles fried chicken brackets, a competition that would be an impossibility during my trip unfortunately. And though I plan on completing it at a later date during another Read more…
Munchies Vegan Diner is all that you would desire from diner. Gluttonous vegan fare! I stopped into their space in the hip McFadden Public Market for a late breakfast, choosing to feast upon their star breakfast sandwich: The VcGriddle: their house bacon, house fried egg, cheese (I didn’t ask), and Read more…
Vegan By Victoria’s is an all-vegan panadería in an unassuming strip mall in Santa Ana, California. Inside, a variety of authentic Mexican pastries as pleasing to the eye as they are to the tongue. Now stepping into an all-vegan establishment is exciting as it is… but an all-vegan panadería? I Read more…
February 19, 2020
I’d like to rest my heavy head tonight on a bed of California stars… I’d like to lay my weary bones tonight on a bed of California stars 🎶 I’d love to feel your hand touching mine and tell me why I must keep working on. Yes I’d give my Read more…
I came across this vacant gas station in my daytime exploration of Borrego Springs and stayed for a bit. It was squeaky clean with a positive energy that was far less alluring to capture. Perhaps because someone had sponge painted a lot of the interior walls. I did enjoy the Read more…
On solo mission now, a trip to the dark sky desert. Arriving with plenty of blazing sun, I captured the remote landscape… inhabited by enormous sculpture by artist Ricardo Breceda. Borrego Springs is a magical place where one can easily get a soy latte but also be in the middle Read more…
