Eating Our Way Through NYC

We were offered free tickets to see the Rangers/Canadiens game in NY last Friday night so we decided to turn this trip in to the city into a ‘not so free’ event and stay the night. We always talk about staying over in NY even though it’s only an hour away but there’s something about leaving a game late at night and not having to rush home or get stuck in tunnel traffic. We found a pretty decent price for a room at the Holiday Inn a few blocks away from the Garden and off we went. The game was awesome, so many Canadiens fans that made the night really energetic and exciting. I love Canada and love to respect them and their country and gladly sang along to their national anthem ‘O Canada’ along with the other couple hundred Canadiens fans we were sitting near. I even enjoyed chanting along to their “Go Habs Go!” chant. I didn’t expect to see so much red in the stands! And so much French being spoken around us. Very fun night and the Rangers won 6-3. So Saturday we awoke in the city and felt so relaxed to know we had the whole day to enjoy. We really like the Lower East Side for their veggie restaurants and bakeries and the Tenement Museum. If you haven’t been, it is a must stop if you’re in the area. The Museum folks were able to purchase a Tenement building in the late 1980’s that hadn’t been inhabited since the 1930’s. It was left exactly as it was back then and you can go on a tour to see what it was like to live there at the turn of the century. Very cool stuff. They are located at 97 Orchard St, http://www.tenement.org/ . This time we did the tour “Piecing it Together” where you see the home and garment shop(their living room) of Jewish families and hear about their struggles at that time. It was really interesting and makes you wonder why we complain about anything today….we have it so easy now.

A few doors down from the museum is one of our favorite shops, Mooshoes, 78 Orchard St, http://www.mooshoes.com/. They sell non-leather footwear and a few accessories including bags, wallets and belts. We love the kitties who roam freely throughout the shop. They know they own the place.

Our next stop was Babycakes, 248 Broome St, http://www.babycakesnyc.com/. Vegan bakery extraordinaire. I wanted all the cupcakes with their pastel pinks and lavender frostings. They all looked so good to eat so we indulged in one those heavenly cupcakes and a scrumptious pumpkin loaf.
There are so many great veggie restaurants in this area but I had made a list before we left home of what was where and I was determined to go to a new place since we always wind up at Red Bamboo in the Village, our absolute favorite place in the whole world. This time we opted for Organic Grill, 123 First Ave (East Village), www.theorganicgrill.com. We had been here before many many years ago and it was worth the trip back. They were serving brunch for the day and since I had previewed their menu online, I was really salivating for the tofu frittata with bits of vegan sausage, home fries, peppers and onions all mixed in. I enjoyed it immensely along with my black current iced tea. My other half had the tempeh portabella burger with home fries which was just delectable. They also have a huge selection of hot teas and desserts which would be perfect to linger over.
And off we were again. Since it was only 2 blocks away, our next stop was Live Live, a raw, living foods shop, 261 E 10th St, http://www.live-live.com/. They sell all kinds of yummy raw packaged foods and whole food vitamins and cosmetics too. It’s the ultimate place to go if you enjoy Living Live. Tiger the cat was most welcoming to us and all the other patrons as we mingled about and chose some treats for ourselves.

Next to Live Live is Quintessence, a raw foods restaurant. We’ve eaten here before and it is amazing but how much can one eat in one day ? A new bakery just opened up a door or 2 down, Cowgirl’s Baking. Since we were heading home soon, we thought why not get some more goodies for the ride. We got a peanut butter and jelly bar(picture crumb topping, with gooey jelly and a peanut buttery crumb bottom) and a glazed donut, all vegan, all yummyness. So this ended our journey as we found a quick cab back to the train station and back to home. It was a really fun filled day as we ate our way through the veggie big city!

The Big Apple

Yesterday we had a wonderful time in the Big Apple. We've always wanted to bike the "Greenway" that runs along the rivers on both sides of the city so we finally made the trip in to do it. We were concerned that our bikes would be too tall on top of the car going through the Lincoln Tunnel but silly us realized huge trucks and buses go through with no problem so we were fine. We parked around 51st street right near the West Side Hwy and then started biking along the bike path. We saw so many cool things, the cruise ships docked with lots of folks coming from and going to their vacations. The USS Intrepid was bustling with sightseers and the helicopter sightseeing launch had many going up. There's a skateboard park and Chelsea Pier with lots of sporting activity (with a very convenient public restroom right along the path too!) Going north a bit, I was amazed at how many beautiful parks there were right along the water. Folks were kayaking (with free rentals!), playing softball and basketball and hanging out listening to live bands in Riverside Park. It was a real treasure to see NY from this vantage point. We then made our way up and over to Central Park and what an experience that was. As many of you might know, Central Park is closed to car traffic on weekends so the roads are all open to bikers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, joggers, walkers, etc. What we didn't realize were how many giant hills there were. It was certainly a workout. We walked our bikes to Strawberry Fields where the memorial to John Lennon is, saw the radio controlled boats in the pond, listened to a violinist play in a lovely shaded area and watched turtles swimming about in the rowboat pond. So back on the park roads, I couldn't believe the serious bikers, we thought we were pretty tough, but some of these fellas and ladies were cruising through at unbelieveable speeds dodging joggers and slower bikers(us). After our ride through the park, we made our way back to the car and then drove over to a new favorite veggie restaurant, Curley's Lunch. It's a tiny little cafe at 328 E. 14th St, between 1st & 2nd Ave. Lots of good ole fashioned veggie burgers, french fries and vegan milkshakes. Yum! We then made our way to Babycakes(248 Broome St, between Orchard & Ludlow-Lower East Side), a vegan bakery, and indulged in some fine vegan cupcakes, gluten free. While strolling about the Lower East Side, we decided to take the Tenement Museum tour which I've been wanting to check out. This was the coolest thing ever, I highly suggest this tour! There's actually quite a few different tours and topics but mostly they take you in to an actual tenement building which dates back to 1870 and tell you about the families who lived there and their struggles, very interesting stuff! And a trip to NY is never complete without a stop at MooShoes, the non-leather alternative shoe store. My hubby bought a new vegan wallet made from recycled bicycle inner tubes. How cool is that?! All in all it was a fine day, can't wait to do it again!