September 21, 2024
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC is the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the most beautiful man-made places I’ve ever seen. The divinely ornate mosaic domes top this tallest habitable structure in DC–home to 82 Marian chapels celebrating Read more…
May 13, 2023
Scenes from a unique place on Long Island: The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island
September 18, 2022
Established in 1972 as New York City’s self-proclaimed First vegetarian restaurant, The Smile of the Beyond in Queens, New York was then owned and operated by the followers of spiritual teacher, poet and philosopher Sri Chinmoy. And it still is. I stopped by to check out their vegan offerings as Read more…
August 23, 2022
Construction of the iconic Catedral de Barcelona began in 1298 and was completed 150 years later. At present day, its spires getting repaired, a large Samsung advertisement greets your eyes as you first eagerly gaze upon the structure. A bit of a disappointment. It is an extremely tacky choice to Read more…
August 22, 2022
Architect Antoni Gaudí is a big deal in Barcelona and beyond. Known as God’s architect, his unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, was intended to be a 20th century cathedral. And like most cathedrals it has been in active construction for centuries. Of all the Gaudí structures about Barcelona, I chose Read more…
November 7, 2021
As long as I can remember I’ve tried to find the best parts of Long Island. From when I barreled down the parkway eastbound in search of wonder in my Chevy Citation as a teenager to now, uncovering shenanigans with a Brooklyn expat who shares my same adventurous spirit, one Read more…
July 28, 2021
It isn’t until you experience the death of someone close to you that you decide what you believe–what makes sense to your heart, what makes sense to your hurt. Because what is and the life of your emotions don’t intersect sometimes. Resourceful buggers, some emotions can sustain themselves in a Read more…
June 30, 2021
Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain has a simple statement: God is Love. Apparently this message is best conveyed with bright colorful paint upon the area’s pale stone, local adobe clay and other such happenstance canvases. Entering the Dr. Suessian land you can feel the urgency of Knight’s saved soul even if Read more…
May 29, 2021
Between the 1920’s and 1960’s the Catskills was the premiere summer destination for Jewish New Yorkers, earning the area the colloquialism The Borscht Belt. Before the dawn of commercial air travel, the sprawling resorts of The Borscht Belt offered activities and a lot of fun in the sun. Though some Read more…
May 25, 2020
Holy Land USA has come a long way since my first visit 5 years ago. Heck, it’s come a long way since my visit last year! With an ongoing clean-up and, er, resurrection of the space, new concrete remnants are surfacing, new-to-me. It is a unique place to spend an Read more…
February 18, 2020
Los Angeles is a massive sprawl of things to do. Like pedal boating in Echo Park. We rode the swans on a lovely LA morning. The La Brea Tar Pits are an interesting stop detailing the ancient history of the area. With many outdoor exhibits there is no need to Read more…
September 29, 2019
A quick trip to Western New York would of course mean a scouring of vegan options. As is the nowadays, there was so much to try. Veganism is thriving everywhere these days. Not only at my destination, but on stops along the way. Like at 96 Lives Vegan Bakery & Read more…
August 11, 2019
Holy Land USA in Waterbury, CT is on the up and up! Which, yeah sure, is great… but not when you specifically visit to take pictures of a decaying theme park. Yes, since my last visit 3 years ago, things have changed quite a bit. It seems they are getting Read more…
August 17, 2018
I can count the number of times I’ve been to Staten Island on one hand–exactly! But hey, how often would you want to visit what was once the world’s largest garbage dump? The tremendous Fresh Kills landfill was only closed in 2001, not that long ago. Now add to that Read more…
August 16, 2018
I was so happy to learn that the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is *free* before noon on Fridays. With my free Fridays dwindling, I set out to beat the rain. The grounds are gorgeous, lush and teeming with color, texture, activity–and it’s totally possible to see everything in several hours, unlike Read more…
August 18, 2017
It’s morning in Shenandoah, and the sun overcomes its obstacles. As usual. How perfect is a morning? Fresh and potent with opportunity and intention. Never you mind what becomes of it; that’s the evening’s problem to solve. The clouds veil the light, hiding the blue, so you don’t take it Read more…
August 10, 2017
Like many neighborhoods along the L-train, Ridgewood, Queens, which sits next to Brooklyn’s Bushwick and East Williamsburg, is pretty hipster-invaded. There’s nothing that a natural born weirdo dislikes more than someone who is simply in a weirdo costume. Eh. If you still have your appetite, you can check out the 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…
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 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 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…
September 4, 2012
Maimonide Of Brooklyn (or M.O.B.), a communal eatery that upholds the philsophy and health beliefs of founder/French hotelier Cyril Aouizerate, touts “avant garde” vegetarian food for all. I usually shy away from vegetarian eateries steeped in quasi-spiritual practice… (I’m thinking of places like Little Lad’s, Loving Hut, and Oneness Fountain Heart.) Honestly, I just really Read more…
November 10, 2010
When it comes to being gelatin-free, vegans have some allies. Halal Muslims, Jews who keep Kosher, Hindus along with all others who’d rather not eat the by-product of boiled pig tendon, tissue and gristle. In light of this company, we often see clear labeling and alternatives. Sure, sometimes it is the Read more…
June 16, 2010
Oneness-Fountain-Heart is a vegetarian restaurant in Flushing, Queens run by devotees of the late spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy advocated for international harmony and… vegetarianism, hence the vegetarian cafes in his dedication in NYC (Annan Brahma and Cafe Panorama in Jamaica Hills, Queens) and across the country in Seattle, San Read more…
September 13, 2009
Happiness is a day on da bike. After a hearty breakfast of my bona fide best vegan pancakes in the world, my bike bud and I hopped from Kings to Queens, a grossly under-represented borough in my New York City repertoire. Bike bud, having acquired expansive knowledge of bike hot-spots, Read more…
August 9, 2008
This weekend marked Wok Man’s 1-year anniversary here in New York City. In light of the milestone, the events planner within grabbed the reigns for a fitting commemoration: A New York City Staycation. The celebration began with a New York food staple: the bagel. Although many states and locales attempt Read more…