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Tag: roadside attractions

V.V. hits State 48!

Guess where I am…Yes, I’m in Iowa! Vegan Victuals is now reporting in 48 states! So let’s get to my lunch. I decided that Krunkwich Ramen House in Des Moines, Iowa had the best vegan options in the whole state. Krunkwich has a wonderfully appetizing selection of clearly identified vegan options, from Asian Read more…


More South Dakota and…State 47! V.V. in Nebraska!

First: The Sunflowers on I-90 in South Dakota. As I travel west on the I-90 a couple of days back, I noticed a dramatic yellow hue contrasting the prairie’s muted landscape on the eastbound side of the interstate. Sunflowers. I did some recon later on and learned that South Dakota was Read more…


A Vegan in the Black Hills (Day 2)

Wall Drug is a very well-known roadside attraction with a long history of enticing drivers. It all began in 1931 when a persistent couple bought a drug store in the middle of nowhere. Determined to bring customers in they began luring the travelers with promises of free ice water by way of numerous Read more…


A Vegan in the Black Hills (Day 1)

It costs an arm and a leg to fly into South Dakota. But that’s okay. My preferred mode of transport is auto. And it’s only a few hours from the busy, well-established Minneapolis, Minnesota. But with lofty goals for my day one, I hauled butt past a few roadside attractions Read more…


The NJ / PA Border

It is amazing to me how quickly you can discover rural charm outside of the bustling New York City area. It takes about two hours. Those are sloooow, traffic-stricken hours… at any hour. But it’s worth it. Lambertville, New Jersey, which sits on the Delaware River on the state border, is a Read more…


Waaaah, I’m Abandoned

The bummer of my flight being cancelled seemed to infiltrate my food choices, too. I plan to make up for these less than wonderful options with a kick-butt breakfast tomorrow. But first, some roamings: The Babcock Building of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, now empty and decaying. The UFO Welcome Center Read more…


These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Sunflowers

When I picked up my rental car in Charleston and started on Highway 17 south to start my trip, I saw these sunflowers–a bright smear of yellow. Happy faces peeking from a lush sea of green. I love sunflowers. There would be hardly much more pleasing than to frolic between Read more…


The First Coast to The Lowcountry, Abandoned

Jacksonville, Florida has vegan credibility. This I state enthusiastically in my head while the locals in Southern Roots Filling Station discuss New York City vegan eats. I could chime in, I suppose, and tell them that New York City isn’t all that spectacular. Well, I mean that the places they are Read more…


Day 2: The Best of Central Florida {Underwater}

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…


Day 1: The Best of Central Florida

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…


V.V. Does A.C.

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…


A Vegan Staten Island Excursion

Finally! Some Staten Island reporting! Staten Island is a borough of New York City, but besides the familiar MTA bus signage and towering NYCDOE public schools, the Island is an island unto itself. The hilly land contains a city-suburb hybrid mix of residential spans and all the needed industries of a Read more…


Bday 1: i do what i want

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…


In the Passenger Seat, In Autumn

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…


Grape Stomp / Lagusta’s Luscious / New World Home Cooking
{Upstate Adventures}

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…


18 Hours: Upstate / Connecticut Loop {Day Trips, 101}

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…


On V.V. Summer Assignment, Day 4: Bluegrass to the Blue Ridge

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…


On V.V. Summer Assignment, Day 5: Take Me Home, Country Roads

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…


On V.V. Summer Assignment, Day 2: Bloodbuzz Ohio

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…


V.V.V. Day 2

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…


Vegan Victuals in Vermont

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…


D-Town Vegan, Abandoned

Fields and fields of corn. This is what’s inside the heart of the heartland. After hours of fields of corn, I was back in the Motor City area to sample some vegan eats. Lunch, finally was at Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak. They have a promising brunch menu they only serve Read more…


Philly Eats Via Jersey Shore

In my quest of reporting vegan eats near and far, I have grown quite adept at planning trips with maximum “umph.” To follow, my most recent excursion to Philadelphia by way of the Jersey Shore, two destinations with thriving vegan options. In the interest of my hazy Sunday head, I Read more…


These are a few of my favorite things: The Swing Ride

Two things I love taking pictures of: 1) food. 2) amusement park rides. [These are a few if my favorite things: Swing Ride


Midwest Vegan, Day 3

Morning in Sparta, Wisconsin started with a much anticipated roadside attraction: the fiberglass mold graveyard on the grounds of FAST (or the Fiberglass Animals, Shapes, and Trademarks Corp.) The owner is fine with you wandering around at your own risk—perusing the molds and taking pictures–and so we did. There were recognizable molds, like Read more…


Midwest Vegan, Day 2 {pictures}

The Art Deco Ambassador Hotel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Mexican chocolate cake from Outpost Natural Foods (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Lake Michigan at Bradford Beach. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Vegan dairy options at Babe’s Ice Cream. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Monty’s Blue Plate Diner‘s vegan menu. (Madison, Wisconsin) Heathen Vegan Shoplifter’s Delight open-faced sandwich. Portobellos, fried Bandung tempeh, red onion, Read more…