Winter Torpor

To follow, stockpiles of food for the long winter! I must have taken this very same picture at least 20 times. I just love a cooling batch of chocolate chip cookies… Convinced work peeps to join me for vegan sandwiches from Renegades of Sunset, Brooklyn’s best vegan option. It’s so Read more…


Abandoned Mt. Tom Ski Resort
Holyoke, Massachusetts

The Mount Tom Ski Resort in Holyoke, Massachusetts operated between 1960 and 1998. Now the hiking routes of Mt. Tom State Reservation, the abandoned ruins have sat within the nature for decades, only accessible by foot. Though I actually climbed Mount Tom in 2008, I never found my way to Read more…


Vegan in Fairbanks, Alaska
Arctic Vegan Gear

Being a happy vegan traveler requires special consideration, forethought. So when I booked my way to Fairbanks, Alaska in a mission to capture the Northern Lights, I knew I had to outfit myself with warm gear that aligned to my values–free of animal materials. Cold weather gear is different than Read more…


Vegan Chicken at KFC 🍿

When I arrived at the subway station to head home from work, I saw I had 28 minutes to wait for the next train. This was what had me walking the 9 blocks to the local Kentucky Fried Chicken to sample their vegan offering: The 6 piece Beyond Nuggets Combo. Read more…


Winter Rituals: Chili 🌢️ [2022 Version]

Here it is! The season’s first chili. I look forward to the seasonal appropriate dish all year. The Vegetables Roasted tomatoes and tons of peppers The Vegetables 1 white onion, diced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 ounce can chopped green chile peppers, drained About 2 cups of peppers or Read more…


Winter In Effect

A healthy start, the artistic cross-section of the cabbage. Greens. My salad with tons of detoxifying veggies with a yummy avocado dressing. There’s your booster right there. I think I would seriously hire someone to peel my pomegranates seeds. It’s so labor-intensive! Christmas is all boxed up. Walking to my Read more…


Osteria 57

Finding a place to get a drink before 5pm is kind of a difficult mission in Manhattan now. It is a little cringey how the pandemic has altered it so. So this is chips and guacamole and an overpriced drink from the only place we could find that was open Read more…


Lots of Vegan Food in Rochester, NY {Part 2}

I am slowly working my way to all of the eateries on my vegan Rochester list. So here’s my second run-down. πŸ˜‹ An old school diner with vegan options, as you likely know if you are a reader of my blog, is one of my favorite things to report on! Read more…


Abandoned Mount St. Mary’s Hospital
Niagara Falls, New York

Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Niagara Falls, New York has had a fascinating history that, for all intents and purposes, ended in 2003. The site was once Electro Magnetic Sanitarium, in operation from 1901-1906. This unique sanitarium provided treatment for those afflicted with chronic nervous and mental disorders. At the Read more…


Holiday Outtakes 2021

School festivities were subdued than my usual. Just trying to get through this year… My awesome colleagues help! Best holiday movie: A Christmas Carol, the Alastair Sim version It comes but once a year! So I used curlers. Awesome gift from my brother Awesome gift I made for my brother Read more…


Mount Hope Cemetery
Rochester, New York

So the day was perfect for graving… potent white sky, a chill in the air, some time to kill. So I headed to the first municipal cemetery in the United States. Rochester, New York’s Mount Hope Cemetery, established in 1838. With two quick visits, I haven’t even scratched the surface Read more…


The Current State of Jackson Sanatorium
Dansville, New York


Abandoned Bowling Alley 🎳

After discovering this bowling alley by chance in a blind exploration, I knew I had to come back with my tripod. You see the room is pitch black except by the doorway, which gave away the function of the dark space with the characteristic seating and bowling shoes strewn about. Read more…


“If You Want the Rainbow
You Have to Put Up With the Rain.”
Betties Rainbow Cookies

A special batch of rainbow cookies for my friend Bettie… 6 layers of colorful wonderfulness. I used the usual amazing recipe but made two 3/4 batches. Because I wanted slimmer layers… but also because I didn’t have enough Earth Balance for two regular batches. πŸ˜‚ And once you open up Read more…


V.V. Holidaze:
Log LadyπŸͺ΅ … A Vegan BΓ»che de NoΓ«l πŸŽ„

“One Day My (Yule) Log Will Have Something To Say About This.” My goodness! How could I have not connected this traditional Christmas cake with the Log Lady sooner? This kind of cross-section of my interests into thematic baking is highly motivating. And so, a log was born. And a Read more…


V.V. Holidaze:
Sweet Treat For Sweet Peeps {2021 Version}

This years treat boxes for special work colleagues: Rainbow cookies! Reordered for the holidays… because they’re usually in the order of the Italian flag. Though a bit involved, I love making these cookies. The batter is dangerously delicious. Trimming the ends mean I get to sample a whole bunch. Partially Read more…


The First Fairy Top 🧚

If I had a dime for every blog post I started with “I’m really excited…” I would be a rich lady able to do even more exciting things! But… I‘m really excited about this fairy top… and the prospect of making others to appeal to a whole other subculture of Read more…


V.V. Holidaze:
Vintage Christmas Love

Vintage holiday shoots are my fave. I get to test out different ideas that accrue all year in my photo-obsessed brain. And one day, when I am running my own vintage shoot photography business, I’ll shoot someone other than myself. For now, I’ll do. And these real vintage ladies. Curlers. Read more…


Purple Potato Latkes

These were on my to-do list since Hanukkah… a vegan latke recipe that I’d try with purple potatoes. They are a dreamy version. I subbed the aquafaba with the old school egg replacer. Look at those beauties… Squeezing the bejesus out of the shredded potato Ready for forming… A bath Read more…


flora plant food + drink
West Hartford, Connecticut

Flora Plant Food + Drink in West Hartford was a welcome respite from braving the cold winds in several abandoned sites. This is a brunch menu one falls in love with before a visit… you start planning what to get to not squander the opportunity. Wanting to hit all the Read more…


Abandoned Naval Air Station
South Weymouth, Massachusetts

Fascinating remains of a Naval Air Station sit in South Weymouth, Massachusetts behind new development, open and ready for easy exploration. There is an immense field with winding asphalt paths that locals use for jogging and dog walking that lead to two air control towers. The field is large enough Read more…


Quincy Quarries Reservation
Painted Rocks in Massachusetts

The birthplace of the granite quarrying industry, the Quincy Quarries have had an interesting past. Last active in its quarrying capacity in 1963, the site was transformed into a swimming and cliff diving destination after the steep granite rocks allowed for water to gather and pool. Unfortunately this new recreational Read more…


Kowloon Tiki

It’s my intention to visit all relevant tiki bars across the states… the vintage ones, born in the late 1950’s. With some stops nearby, I knew getting to Kowloon in Saugus, Massachusetts would be a priority. I didn’t know it’d be swarmed with partygoers, making it challenging to embrace the Read more…


The Stand Vegan Cafe
Fairfield, Connecticut

This is one of my favorite types of eateries… great, thoughtful breakfast selections done well with minimal packaged processed food on the menu. The Stand Vegan Cafe in Fairfield, Connecticut does it right. My Seitan Bagel Sandwich, an everything with maple-mustard marinated seitan, grilled tofu, chive cashew spread, and tarragon Read more…


Abandoned Scott Tower
Holyoke, Massachusetts

Getting my steps in, I climbed to the top of Scott Tower’s 450 feet to catch a view of the foggy morning in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The stop would be the first of many flights of stairs I’d climb in the name of exploration. The stairs were a bit unnerving–but more Read more…


Shade Swamp Sanctuary
Farmington, Connecticut

Just a few yards from the busy US Route 6 are the rusting abandoned remains of a zoo from the 1930’s. Just a few steps into the Blue Trail of the Shade Swamp Nature Trail, the cages offer some interesting photo opportunities. It’s an easy explore; you can find it Read more…