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 2, 2016
It seems the world gets more and more vegan-friendly everyday. As a vegan food blogger, the surge in vegan options near, kinda near, far and very far is overwhelming. From big cities to small locales, I can’t keep up. But I try… And I looove trying. It’s very delicious. My 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 26, 2015
Mezze Plate: Baba ghanoush, chickpea hummus, stuffed grape leaves and tabbouleh salad, served with warm Pita bread. Pasta Fagioli: Flavorful tomato broth cooked with beans and vegetables and whole wheat pasta, seasoned with Italian herbs. Grilled Vegetable and Tofu Kebob: Served over brown pilaf rice with almonds, drizzled with tomato-basil 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 10, 2015
The time-worn signage of cities less invaded by Big Box is like a living antique. Its hearkening charm is one of the many things I enjoy about getting out of the metropolitan area. The color combinations, fonts, materials hold character. They hold on to something that’s gone. A glorious congregation of circling 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 7, 2015
Maywood Pancake House, in Maywood, New Jersey, is kind of a second location of Rutherford Pancake House (blog report on their vegan challah French toast is here). Both locations feature vegan breakfast options, which is far more a special than lunch or dinner options. I was delighted to arrive here pretty Read more…
July 23, 2015
Hawley, Pennsylvania is a resort town in the Poconos Mountains Lake Region located just far enough from the thriving metropolis New York City to feel like youâve entered an entirely different habitat. Though most of the area resorts are for various outdoor adventuring, The Lodge at Woodlach, the areaâs high-end 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 19, 2015
I took several winding mountain roads inside morning’s low-hanging clouds, much to the surprise of feasting deer families, to reach Unger, West Virginia’s Farnham Colossi, the home of George and Pam Farnham… and their collection of colossal lawn ornaments. I had driven the extra mile for roadside attractions before, but I was very eager to 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…
And now state 42 in the V.V. record blog: West Virginia. In the middle of nowhere, West Virginia–the “unincorporated community” of Vegan. Mission Savvy is the only all-vegan eatery in the entire state. It’s in Charleston, the capital city. The space is vibrant, like its food offerings–mostly raw, pressed juices, pure Read more…
July 15, 2015
What is hard about being a roadtripping blogger is that all your pearls of wisdom–the thoughts and ideas born on the road, inside its motion and pace–are diminished into imperceptible dots by the time you’re in a place you can write. Even thoughts that build into intricate cities of complexity, Read more…
I woke up in Cincinnati ready to say goodbye to Ohio. Ohio is chock full of metropolises… Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and other such C-words. But with this being my third day about, the inevitable turn back east had to be soon. So it was fare thee well, Ohio… But not Read more…
July 13, 2015
In my goal of V.V. hitting “all 50 states reporting” status, summer is the time to pack on the states. Â Getting out of New York and past the tristate area to make it to these unreported on states is a daunting task…Â as is the return to the tri-state area. So 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…
July 1, 2015
Last time I spent any time in Vermont, I was just a young punk snowboarding on the motel bed. This time, like twenty years later, it is summer here in Vermont. The blazing sun, blue sky, and green mountains made for a beautiful scenic drive–off the interstate, behind careful trailers Read more…
April 9, 2015
One can measure the the veg-friendliness of a city on many things. I suppose I have my own algorithm. Part of my measure: if vegan options penetrate mainstream “normy” places, like sports stadiums and airports. So in both of these arenas, San Francisco is decidedly veg-friendly. AT&T Park (where the SF Giants Read more…