Somewhere New: East Village and Brooklyn

I got to spend 5 whole days in NYC this trip while taking Leslie Howards Pelvic Yoga Workshop. The workshop was every day so I spent most of my time there but I did snap a few pictures of both East Village area and the different neighborhoods of Brooklyn I visited.







I spent a lot more time in Brooklyn than I ever have as well. I really liked all the different neighborhoods I visited and stayed in and actually can't wait to go back because it seems like a whole different city from NY and I want to explore it!







This trip, more than most of my others was also really about reconnecting with old friends.



John having morning coffee with me at Swallow and a few of his possessions.



William ensconced in the realness of his new brownstone.

Somewhere New: Coney Island - NYC

One morning before my yoga workshop Rachel and I decided to take the train out to Coney Island. Living only a few hours from Ocean City I'm certainly familiar with the antiquated beach town feel but I never pass up and excuse to eat boardwalk fries.

Coney Island is the home of Nathan's Hotdogs. Sadly they did not know I was coming and so they did not think to have a vegan hot dog waiting for me - for shame! We happily sipped lemonade and ate fries for breakfast though.

On this particular morning it seemed that Coney Island was deserted save for the beach-loving local retirees. Beach season officially started the week after we made our visit so I would wager to guess that it is vastly more populated now. Rachel and I walked down the boardwalk to the next subway stop and I stealthily photographed old people.

I was pleasantly surprised to find some Os Gemeos murals just outside the subway stop.

Where to Eat Vegan: Champs Bakery - Williamsburg, NY

Champs Family Bakery is a hip little vegan spot in Williamsburg

My first trip to Champs was a hurried morning stop-in for a vegan donut. Dun-Well Donuts, which are sold at Champs are: 1. Amazing 2. Vegan! and 3. Made in Brooklyn. Unfortunately I threw my donut in a bag to transport it on the metro so I didn't take a picture of it but I can attest to its tastiness. Champs is just one of several locations where Dun-Well sells their donut, and next time I hope to visit their main digs.



While I was there for my donut I noticed that they had lots of brunch items on their menu and so on the last day of my trip I went to try some of their food.

Does anyone else feel completely overwhelmed with the choices at vegan restaurants? It's anxiety inducing! While I had plenty of time to make a calm, rational choice for my breakfast at Champs, I let myself get bogged down by all the choices and instead of going for the Croque Monsieur or the Monte Cristo I opted for the Cowgirl Scramble.



Which is not to say I did not enjoy my scramble! Tofu, kidney beans, bell peppers, corn, potatoes, cheese and avocado piled on a thick piece of texas toast - how can you go wrong? In retrospect I wish I had gone for one of the more decadent vegan options like the Croque or one of the more healthful veggie bowls. I played it safe though.



I loved the laid back vibe here and the big yellow booths and I would love to go back and attend one of their Drive-In Dine-In events. Every last Sunday of the month Champs plays a movie and creates a matching menu. For example one month they played "Good Morning, Vietnam" and served it with vegan shrimp spring rolls, pho, and espresso flan. Last month they played "A Bronx Tale" and served a 3 course Italian menu. Fun!



Location:

176 Ainslie St
Brooklyn, NY

Hours:

Mon - Friday: 8am - 10pm
Saturday: 10am - 10pm
Sunday: 10am - 6pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Caravan of Dreams - East Village, NYC

While in New York with Rachel Lee a few weeks ago I finally had the pleasure of trying Caravan Of Dreams. Organic, all vegan and certified kosher - this place came with several recommendations from friends. We stopped in for brunch on a Saturday at 12pm and were pleasantly surprised that there was a vacant balcony seat. As our food started to arrive we marveled at how quiet the restaurant seemed for a weekend brunch but no sooner had we commented on it then the restaurant filled up.




Among the offerings we had to consider were: French Toast, Berry Spelt Pancakes, Beet Raviolis, Seitan Nachos, Spanish Paella, Risotto Croquettes, a few amazing looking sandwiches and the Lover's Salad (avocado, olives, mango, pine nuts, veggies, dried berries, and balsamic shiitake dressing).

Being the predictable and heartily appetited ladies that we are we both went for a burrito.





Rachel got the Caravan Burrito stuffed with Seitan, black beans, Spanish rice, sautéed vegetables, guacamole and salsa. I never thought I would see Rachel eat a burrito with a knife and fork. But, like I said...we're ladies.

I went for the Breakfast Burrito potatoes, sautéed kale, guacamole, smoked tofu, chile de árbol. I'm a sucker for the kale. My only qualm was that I would have liked some of the sour cream sauce that Rachel had served with hers but thats really only because the chile sauce was too spicy for me and so I didn't use much - leaving my burrito to be a little on the dry side.




For dessert (yes dessert for breakfast, so what) I got the banana filled crepes topped with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry coconut ice cream. Rachel got the Carrot Cake with Buttercream Icing. The crepes and bananas were perfect but the cake was a little too nutty for me and seemed very heavy on cinnamon. In any case it was devoured!

Location:

405 E 6th Street
East Village

Hours:

11-11 Sunday through Monday
11-12am Saturday
Brunch until 5pm every day woo!

Insta-Miami

I have some sad news friends. It seems that I have either misplaced or somehow erased the cards that held the rest of my Miami and Key West photographs on them. Part of me is trying to look at this as a practice of non-attachment. The other half of me is kicking myself for being such an unorganized photographer. So...unless they show up there will be no more sharing of all the wonderful food we ate or the places we visited. All I have left to share are my instagram photos from the trip.

Our last day in Miami we stumbled upon the REAL Wynwood District. Up until then we had been all around the edges of it but hadn't gotten to the real meat of it yet. We were blown away by all the amazing murals and spent a few hours just walking around taking pictures.