Vegan Vacation: New York City

Alright, I'm not going to lie. There are more tourist attractions and vegan-friendly restaurants in NYC than I could ever hope to cover in a single blog entry. I'm just going to give a few of my favorites, but please feel free to share your own in the "comments" section!

Accommodations:

Perhaps the trickiest part about visiting New York is finding reasonably-priced accommodations. In Manhattan, even the no-thrills hotels can be upwards of $300/night. So far, every "affordable" option that I've tried has been less-than-ideal. Here are a few of the better options that I've found:

Millennium Hilton

Built in 2000, the Millennium Hilton has spacious (for New York) rooms, modern amenities and a safe Wall Street location. What's the catch? It's across the street from Ground Zero, i.e. the former World Trade Center site. Construction ends around midnight, even on weekends, and isn't likely to stop until at least 2012. If you don't mind altering your sleep schedule to complement the construction schedule (or sleeping with the complimentary earplugs that the hotel provides), this place can be quite a steal. On some weekends, you can find rates as low as $150/night for a deluxe room with a king-sized bed.

The Chelsea Star Hotel

This offbeat wonder boasts some of the lowest hotel rates in all of Manhattan, as well as an outdoor rooftop lounge and free wi-fi internet access. It's located within 4 blocks of Penn Station. Many of the rooms have decorative themes, ranging from Madame Butterfly to Salvador Dali. What's the catch? The Chelsea Star is part hotel, part hostel and most of the rooms do not have private bathrooms. However, the bathrooms are exceptionally clean and there is a good guestroom-to-bathroom ratio, so if you keep an open mind, you might enjoy this hidden gem. Rooms start at $99/night.

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants:

Truffles at Cocoa V

Red Bamboo is a small Greenwich Village restaurant that serves vegetarian soul food, including some very realistic vegan buffalo wings (they even have tiny wooden "bones" inside). Save some room for dessert - Red Bamboo has several varieties of the best vegan cheesecake that you will ever taste.

Cafe Blossom is the casual counterpart to the upscale, all-vegan Blossom Restaurant. I actually prefer the food and ambience at Cafe Blossom. It features delicious dishes like "seitan ravioli in pesto broth topped with tofu ricotta" in a casual environment. Oh, and the Butterfinger shakes are to die for!

Counter is one of my favorite fancy vegetarian restaurants. It doesn't seem to get as much press as Blossom or Candle 79, but the veggies come from Counter's very own rooftop garden - how cool is that? The dishes can be ordered tapas-style, if you want to try a little of everything. Make sure to ask for one of the raunchily-named cocktails.

Vegetarian Dim Sum House is an all-vegetarian (mostly vegan) dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. Here, you can delight in faux pork buns, shrimp dumplings, red bean cakes, banana wontons, taro balls... Order everything that piques your curiosity - the prices are amazingly cheap.

Cocoa V is a chic dessert cafe in Chelsea. The completely vegan menu boasts 30+ flavors of truffles, as well as a nut cheese plate, cupcakes, chocolate tarts, brownies and a "whimsical quiche of the day." It wins my vote for "most romantic vegan date spot" in NYC.

Hungry for an all-vegan ice cream sundae? Look no further than Greenwich Village! Lula's Sweet Apothecary and Stogo are two of the only all-vegan ice cream parlors in the world. Lula's feels like an old-fashioned soda shop, from the vintage ads covering the walls to the banana splits and egg cremes gracing the menu. Stogo is more like a hip gelato bar, with innovative flavors such as cardamom pistachio and mexican spiced chocolate.

Attractions:

'Big Bambu' at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a behemoth of an art museum - it even contains an entire Egyptian temple! In addition to an extensive Egyptian collection, the Met is also well-known for its period rooms: reproductions of rooms from various historical periods in both the US and Europe, containing (mostly) original furniture and wall coverings. The special exhibits range from haute couture to interactive eco-art installations to famous paintings on loan from other museums.

The Sauna Village at Spa Castle

Spa Castle is located in Queens, but it's worth the trek. It provides a unique combination of European spa with traditional Asian saunas, plus a heated rooftop swimming pool that is open year-round. Each sauna is elaborately decorated with gemstones and minerals that are supposed to have healing powers. The cafe has several vegan options, including edamame, vegetable sushi and an extensive salad bar. $45 gets you a day's worth of relaxation and inner peace.

Some of the 18 miles of books...

The Strand boast 18 miles of new, used, rare and out-of-print books. It's fun to wander through the sea of books to see what you can find.

Alice in Wonderland statue

One cannot visit NYC without walking through Central Park (even if it's just to get from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side). Indulge your inner child with a ride on the carousel or a visit to the Alice In Wonderland statue.

Sign in front of the Comedy Cellar

The Comedy Cellar provides great standup comedy at affordable prices. On some nights, you can even see world-famous comedians!

Of course, there's also The Metropolitan Opera, The Guggenheim, The MOMA, The American Museum of Natural History, American Ballet Theatre, Broadway, shopping...

Update: Vegan Frappuccinos Now Available!

Starbucks announced that its new However-You-Want-It Frappuccino® wouldn't be available until May 5th. However, my local Barnes and Noble Cafe (which sells Starbucks beverages) rolled out its new Frappuccinos today. As I write this post, I'm sipping on a delicious soy caramel Frappuccino!

Sadly, it seems that a large number of customers are writing terrible things about the new Frappuccino on the Starbucks website and begging Starbucks to go back to the old recipe. If you appreciate the fact that Starbucks is reaching out to its vegan customers, I urge you to leave comments on the website in support of the new recipe!

Starbucks Introduces Vegan Frappuccinos!

That's right. Starting on May 5th, vegans can enjoy one of the Starbucks products that has long eluded us: The Frappuccino. Unlike most Starbucks drinks, which can be made with a variety of milk options (including soy milk!), Frappuccinos have always been made with a base that contains 2% milk. I, for one, can't wait to order my first mocha Frappuccino after more than 7 years of going Frappuccino-free!

Vegan Vacation: Quebec City

Accommodations:



Le Chateau Frontenac is the most famous landmark in Quebec City. It's a grand old European-style building that holds the record for being the most photographed hotel in the Guiness Book of World Records. During high season (summer and Winter Carnival weekends) room rates can start at $400/night. However, if you go during an off-peak time, you may be able to find a room for as low as $200/night. This place is seriously elegant. Just walking through the lobby made me feel like a movie star!

A room at the Hotel Vieux Quebec

For those who can't afford to stay at the Chateau Frontenac, the Hotel Vieux Quebec is right around the corner. Hotel Vieux Quebec is a small family-owned hotel with outstanding guest service. The rooms are very spacious and the hotel makes a serious effort to be as eco-friendly as possible. The breakfast - orange juice and pastries, delivered to your door in a picnic basket - isn't the most vegan-friendly, but if you call ahead they may be able to substitute extra rolls instead of croissants (our basket came with a mix of the two). The good news is that the rolls come with a delicious (and entirely vegan) maple "cream" spread.

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants:

Bento box meal at Restaurant Zen

Restaurant Zen is an all-vegetarian Asian restaurant that features some interesting mock meat dishes. If you make a reservation ahead of time, you can even participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Everything on the menu can be made vegan. The only downside is that Restaurant Zen is a little over two miles away from Vieux Quebec. A $12 taxi ride will get you there.

Le Commensal is a pay-by-weight vegetarian buffet restaurant that is conveniently located two blocks away from the walls of the Old City. The vegan items are plentiful and well-labeled. Le Commensal is one of the few places in Quebec City that has vegan desserts, such as carrot cake and coconut tapioca pudding.

Chez Victor is a burger restaurant that has four types of veggie burgers on the menu - a tofu burger, a veggie pate burger, a wheat burger and a spinach and nut burger. If you are vegan, make sure to tell your waiter to hold the cheese and to serve your fries with Ketchup instead of aoli sauce.

Attractions in Quebec City:

Vieux Quebec:


Vieux Quebec or the "Old City" is filled with narrow streets, quaint shops, somewhat less-quaint souvenir shops, street performers and, at times, ice sculptures. It's a nice place just to walk around. You can tell that you're in Vieux Quebec because there are stone walls surrounding it.

Musee de la Civilisation:


The Musee de la Civilisation is a quirky museum that features an interesting assortment of exhibits. While I was at the museum, I saw a display of Egyptian mummies (complete with CAT scans and a model burial chamber that visitors could walk through), an interactive storytelling exhibit on the 7 Deadly Sins, and an exhibit on the aboriginal people of Quebec.

Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec:


The Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec is a large art museum that displays both international and Quebecois art, including some Inuit art. When I was in Quebec, there was a fascinating special exhibit on The Golden Age of Haute Couture.

Nearby Attractions:

Cabane a Sucre:


A "Cabane a Sucre" or "sugar shack" is a cabin that sells maple treats. These can be found all over the province and are a good place to stop on your way to/from Quebec City. If you travel to Quebec during the winter, you can enjoy my favorite treat - hot maple syrup poured onto snow, which the customer picks up with a wooden stick. By the time that the syrup has cooled enough to be picked up, the maple has formed a thick, delicious taffy.

Hotel de Glace:


If you're visiting Quebec City during the winter months (January - March), make sure to visit the Hotel de Glace. The Hotel de Glace is a hotel that is made completely out of ice. While the hotel does offer guests a chance to spend the night, many more visitors opt to take a day tour instead. The hotel features a grand lobby, snack bar, drink bar, discotec, chapel, guest rooms and suites. This place has tons of photo opportunities, not to mention a giant ice slide that is available for visitors of all ages. Enjoy a drink at the ice bar, served in a glass made from ice! If you don't have a car at your disposal, the Hotel de Glace runs a shuttle service that picks up visitors from Quebec City.

Travel Advice:

If you visit Quebec City in the winter, make sure to pack appropriate clothing. Snow boots, winter coats, hats and gloves are a must. Canvas sneakers just won't cut it.

Vegan Anniversary - Going On Year 8

Last week marked my 7th anniversary of going vegan, so I thought I would reflect on some important developments that have made being vegan even easier.

Shoes

Cezanne - Antique Garden shoes from Charmone

When I first went vegan, I had my trusty Converse All-Stars and a pair of clunky faux leather dress shoes from Moo Shoes that caused the backs of my heels to develop large blisters if I wore them for more than 10 minutes.

Now, we have our choice of whimsical stilettos from Charmone or trendy pumps from Olsen Haus. Even Amazon.com has its own shoestore (Endless.com) that tags "vegetarian" shoes for easy searching.

Cheese

Dr. Cow Aged Cashew and Crystal Algae Cheese

When I first went vegan, my local grocery store sold Veganrella, which had the taste and texture of plastic. At the time, Follow Your Heart soy cheese was so new that my friends and I pooled together to make a bulk order directly from the company. Cheddar, mozzarella and "nacho cheese" were the only commercially available flavors of vegan cheese. I could tell that a restaurant was serving me non-vegan soy cheese (with casein) if the cheese actually melted.

Now, the lines between soy cheese and regular cheese have blurred substantially. Daiya's Italian Blend actually melts! Sheese makes over 10 flavors of vegan cheese, including gouda, blue cheese and smoked cheddar, not to mention a delicious herbed cream cheese spread. Dr. Cow makes a sharp aged nut cheese using the same processes that are used in aging dairy cheese. Now, if only someone would invent vegan manchego...

Coats

"Vaute Coat" in Ivory from Vaute Couture

When I first went vegan, I had a hard time finding warm winter coats that weren't made from wool. I compromised and bought used wool coats from secondhand stores or wore a long cotton coat with tons of layers underneath. It used to take me 10 minutes to remove enough layers from my "outdoor outfit" to be able to sit through class in a heated room.

Now, vegans can wear fashionable eco-friendly faux wool coats from Vaute Couture. Even mainstream companies like Anthropologie had faux sheerling and faux fur-trimmed coats this season.

Ice Cream

An ice cream sundae from Stogo

When I first went vegan, there were two dairy-free ice cream brands at my local supermarket - Tofutti and Rice Dream. Rice Dream had a strange consistency and Tofutti had a slight soy aftertaste. Both were only stocked in a few flavors, so I found myself eating flavors that I had never really cared for (like butter pecan) because I couldn't find any mint chocolate chip or chocolate chip cookie dough.

Now, many grocery stores carry Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream, which is creamy, has a slight coconut taste and comes in both of my favorite flavors. In major cities, artisan ice cream shops carry exotic dairy-free flavors, like White Russian White Chip (Wheeler's), Black Sesame (Maggie Mudd) and Cardamom Pistachio (Stogo).

Which new products have made being vegan easier for you? Which areas still need improvement?

Vegan Vacation: San Francisco

San Francisco regularly gets voted "Most Veg-Friendly City" by various magazines, so it's no wonder that I found it to be easy to find food while I was there. The interesting part about San Francisco is that it doesn't have *that* many completely vegetarian restaurants. Instead, almost every "regular" restaurant that we visited had a large selection of vegan items on the menu. For those of you who tend to travel with non-vegetarian friends and family, San Francisco would be a great option.

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Accommodations:


We stayed at Hotel Nikko, a Japanese-inspired ultra modern hotel in Union Square. The room rates at Hotel Nikko were fairy reasonable when we purchased them through Expedia. For $10 extra, we were able to gain key card access to the spa for our entire stay, which had a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room.

Union Square is an ideal place to stay because it is centrally-located. Most of the tourist attractions are north of Union Square and most of the vegetarian restaurants are south of Union Square.

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants:

There are so many vegan-friendly restaurants in San Francisco that it can be a bit overwhelming. Here are a few of my favorites:

Millennium - One of the few upscale vegan restaurants in the country, Millennium serves inventive dishes in a ritzy setting. The prices aren't *that* extravagant (I spent about $70 for three courses and two cocktails). If you're staying in Union Square, Millennium is a short walk from your hotel.

Herbivore - The food at Herbivore is typical vegetarian-restaurant fare, served in the usual "hip" setting. The lunch/dinner food is on par with similar restaurants (ex. The Chicago Diner) but the breakfast is outstanding. If you go for breakfast, I highly recommend the "dessert crepe" - three delicious crepes, filled with baked bananas and blueberries, topped with a coconut cream sauce.

Maggie Mudd - An ice cream parlor that sells many flavors of vegan ice cream! You can order vegan milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, ice cream cakes... If you're vegan and you avoid soy, never fear. Half of Maggie Mudd's vegan flavors are made from coconut milk.

Cafe Gratitude - A raw vegan cafe that has the best raw desserts that I have ever tasted. The creamsicle shake is heavenly. The key lime pie is so good, you'll swear it's the real thing (well, except for the raw nut crust in lieu of a traditional graham cracker crust... but the filling is incredible).

Ritual Coffee Roasters - A coffee shop with tons of vegan baked goods. Try the vegan "bacon" donut for a really weird experience. If you're a coffee snob, this is the place for you. The barristas here know their stuff. If you're lucky, you might even show up on a day when they're holding a coffee tasting.

Weird Fish - A fish and chips shop that also serves vegan fish and chips. You have your choice between seitan "fish" and tofu "fish" (don't worry, it doesn't actually taste like fish - it's just breaded, fried deliciousness). If you eat here, order the "buffalo girls" appetizer. They're not as realistic as the vegan buffalo wings at Red Bamboo, but they're still pretty damn good.

Rainbow Grocery - While not technically a restaurant, who can pass up the opportunity to visit an ALL-VEGETARIAN grocery store? Rainbow Grocery has a fabulous selection of vegan cheeses (Sheese, Dr. Cow's, Cheezly, Teese, Tofutti, Follow Your Heart,...) and the bakery section is full of vegan baked goods.

Here are my votes for best vegan-friendly "ethnic" restaurants in San Francisco:

Best Indian: New Delhi creates unusual Indian dishes, with entrees like mango mushrooms, curried soy cutlets and eggplant tamarind.

Best Chinese: House of Nanking might not seem vegan-friendly at first glance, but tell your waiter that you want "vegan for n" where n is the number of people at your table and you won't be disappointed. The chef will prepare 5 special vegan dishes for you at a cost of $20/person.

Best Mexican: Papalote is a burrito joint in The Mission that serves "soyrizo" (vegan chorizo) burritos.

Attractions:

Fisherman's Wharf:



For $30, you can take a boat to Alcatraz Island and visit the infamous prison. The price includes an audio tour, which lasts a little over an hour and provides a fascinating narration of life at Alcatraz, including interviews from former prisoners and prison guards. While on Alcatraz, you will see spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco.



The boat to Alcatraz departs from Pier 33 on Fisherman's Wharf. While in the Fisherman's Wharf area, you can watch over 1,000 sea lions sunbathing on Pier 39.

The Golden Gate Park:


The Golden Gate Park is an oasis of green grass and trees in the center of the city. It is home to a number of musems and attractions:


The California Academy of Sciences features a three-story rainforest, planetarium and aquarium. Environmentalists: make sure tour the "living roof" and learn about an innovative way of providing low-impact heating and cooling.

The de Young Museum is a fine arts museum that is known for its special exhibits. When I was there, King Tut was on display.



The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest of its kind in the United States. For $5 (cash only), you gain admission to the garden, which is filled with whimsical bridges, statues, koi ponds and a zen garden. For another $4, you can sit in the tea house and enjoy a pot of high-quality tea and a plate of fortune cookies and Japanese crackers.

The Botanical Garden doesn't house many flowers, but it is home to an excellent collection of pre-historic plants, as well as some topiary sculptures of dinosaurs.


The Bison Paddock contains a small herd of bison. It is part of an effort to replenish a population that was once hunted nearly to extinction.

There are also a number of scenic ponds in Golden Gate Park. If you walk all the way to the western edge, you will arrive at the Pacific Ocean.

Mission District:

A melding of hipster and Hispanic culture, The Mission District has streets lined with vegetarian restaurants, quirky bookstores and boutiques, taquerias, hand-painted frescos and an actual Franciscan mission that dates back 1783. It's a nice place to wander around. The Mission is also a short walk from Castro Street, where Harvey Milk had his camera shop.

Chinatown/North Beach:

Chinatown is purportedly home to the largest population of Chinese people outside of Asia. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory offers free tours, where you can watch as the cookies are quickly pressed into their crescent shape.

Just a few blocks away is North Beach, San Francisco's Italian neighborhood. North Beach is also full of cafes and streets referenced in Beat Generation literature (see Kerouac, Jack). Be sure to visit the City Lights Bookstore, a famous independent bookstore owned by beatnik poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Travel Advice:

1) Don't be fooled by the fact that San Francisco is in California. The weather is temperate year-round, but the city can get quite cold in the evenings. We visited in the middle of August and the temperatures dropped below 50 degrees most nights. Make sure to pack some warm sweaters!

2) Getting to the Mission restaurants can be tricky if you're staying in Union Square. At first, we took cabs to get there and it ended up being $15 each way. If you don't want your inexpensive dinner to double in price (by paying for all of that cab fare!), I recommend looking into the BART train system. BART is a commuter train that has most of its stops in neighboring towns, but it has an underground stop in Union Square and two stops in The Mission. For $1.80, you can go from Union Square to the corner of 24th and Mission St. in under 6 minutes!

Vegan Vacation: Bar Harbor

Ben and I went to Bar Harbor for the weekend. Here are our recommendations for vegans planning a similar trip:

Accommodations:















We stayed at the Ivy Manor Inn, a Bed and Breakfast that is conveniently located on the main shopping street. The Inn is quite luxurious, with fireplaces in each room and French country decor. Unlike most B&B's, the Ivy Manor Inn has a restaurant on the first floor that prepares the breakfast. As a result, guests are able to choose from a selection of menu items, which include a delicious vegan oatmeal brulee (think creme brulee, but made with oatmeal instead) covered with fresh berries. During the summer season, rooms can be expensive ($200+ per night), but prices drop dramatically during the rest of the year.

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants:

Eden - An exquisite all-vegan restaurant that features locally-grown vegetables in all of its dishes. The menu changes often to make use of seasonal produce. Some past offerings include: seitan piccata served with a lemon caper vinaigrette and sage mashed potatoes; a local tomato tartlet served in crispy phyllo dough with pomegranate molasses; and West Indies spiced pumpkin soup. Eden is closed for the 2009 season, but will open again in 2010.



















Reel Pizza Cinerama - A pizzeria and movie theater, rolled into one! The pizzeria features many exciting vegan-friendly pizza toppings, including tofu, soy cheese, nutritional yeast and various nuts, fruits and sauces. Best of all, you can enjoy your pizza while watching a film at the theater. The theater has rows of comfy couches and TV trays.

Cafe This Way - A hip cafe that features vegan items on both the weekend brunch menu and on the lunch/dinner menu. The brunch offerings include tofu scramble and veggie sausage, while the dinner menu features cashew-crusted tofu and vegan caviar served with seaweed salad and roasted mushrooms.

Jeannie's Breakfast - A breakfast place that has vegan oatmeal walnut pancakes and tofu scramble on the menu.

CJ's - An ice cream parlor on Main Street that offers two flavors of soy ice cream each day.

Bar Harbor Attractions:



















The town of Bar Harbor is a nice place to walk around. There are parks, quaint shops and magnificent ocean views. Stop at the West End Drug Co. for a blueberry soda at the soda fountain.















Most people who come to Bar Harbor are really there to visit Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park has beautiful scenery and plentiful hiking opportunities. For those who aren't experienced hikers, there are many carriage trails to walk along. Best of all, there is a free bus service that provides transportation from downtown Bar Harbor to many locations throughout Acadia.

Other Nearby Attractions:



















Bar Harbor is a short ferry ride from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. You can take a day trip to Yarmouth for $72. The ferry has a casino and a movie theater on board. If you're a US citizen, you will need a passport. Yarmouth is a quaint town, with lots of old churches and lighthouses. There is a Middle Eastern restaurant called Little Lebanon that has some vegan options.

Portland, ME is a three-hour drive from Bar Harbor. It is the largest city in Maine and it has a number of museums and other attractions. There are many vegan-friendly restaurants, including:

Silly's - A ecclectic cafe with a separate vegan menu. Silly's makes great soy milkshakes, vegan desserts and greasy comfort food. There are also some healthier options available.

GRO - A new raw vegan cafe.

Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro - An all-vegetarian, mostly-vegan Asian fusion restaurant.

Little Lad's Bakery - A vegan restaurant with a $5 all-you-can-eat buffet.