Tag Archives: nyc

Traveling Vegan in NYC Part II: Restaurant Reviews, Food, Places that Closed, and Heaven on a Plate.

Posted by LD in Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

 

 

 

I love New York City. It is just really one of the World’s treasures. For vegans it is a resource that is unmatched in the United States. It has ever culinary wish you could make and every creative food your palate could desire. I always talk to my husband about where I want to go eat if I were in NYC right now. He has obviously been listening because the other week he said “Let’s go away for the weekend!” I was excited but careful. For me, money is always tight and I want to budget. So I pre-planned everything, every restaurant and activity and even snacks. We left a little late on Saturday and realized halfway there that although we did plan for the dog’s accommodations, hubby left the house without her leash on. He then fell asleep for most of the ride until he woke up and told me.

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So a short stop in Petsmart (or was it Petco) in Connecticut and back onto the highway. We got there in a reasonable amount of time regardless and I was so excited to start my culinary adventure. First however, we had to check in. My dog Lola was so excited to get out of the car and into the hotel to meet everyone. Did I mention it was about 10 degrees out? Thanks polar blast for that cold wave.

 

IMG_2945   IMG_2944 (Lola arriving in NYC smelling everything and so excited to get out of the car)

 

MARRIOTT CENTRAL PARK: Accommodations

 

The staff at the Marriott Central Park was equally excited. It was a beautiful new hotel that just opened and we were staying in the Courtyard Marriott section but there is also a Marriott Residence Inn section making it the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere. Very cool. The staff is great and so was the hotel. I recommend it to everyone and anyone. Can’t go wrong with Marriott especially on Broadway between Times Square and Central Park near 5th Ave.

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DUN-WELL DOUGHNUTS: BREAKFAST / SNACK

After the bellman brought up the luggage and the valet took the car away. We headed across the Williamsburg Bridge to Dun-well Doughnuts. I met a man in line who helped me pick his favorites and a few other fun donuts for our half dozen box while my husband ran across the street to a local Bodega to get money from the ATM. It gave him all tens which he still thinks is the most hilarious thing in the world. I grabbed a vegan hot cocoa and a coffee for the hubby and we sat at the window to begin our feast. WOW was my first words. The donuts are those spot on sweet but not too sweet yeasty dreamy fluffs of heaven. They flavors and coatings are far from average and not at all tasting of “fake” fruit flavors or funny after tastes. They are as close to perfect as I can think. I just wish they were in Boston so I could get fatter by eating them every day.

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Foodswings: Lunch (closed)

Next we decided to walk the 1.5 miles over to Foodswings in Brooklyn on the Park Slope Brooklyn Bridge side of Brooklyn. This place is known for amazing home style eats. Burgers, mac n cheese, and fried chicken but all vegan all the time. One problem when we walked up the gate was down. So we saw a door to the right and walked down a long kinda shady hallway into a speakeasy door to find a girl sitting at a bar eating corn chips and salsa alone. This was not Foodswings. I walked out to find another couple doing the same thing and I agreed to check my phone Facebook to see what was up. They had announced in the beginning of the month that their lease was up and they had a fight with their landlord and would close at the end of the month. It wasn’t the end of the month but this explained it I guess. I was pretty upset that they didn’t bother and update their website, twitter, or FB when they actually closed. It was kinda a stinky move on their part. I met them at The Seed conference a few years ago and had their fried chicken and they seemed cool. But I guess time and business changes folks. oh well! (Note: I checked today on FB and they posted that a few days later (after I left a message on their twitter) they stated on FB they had been closed all week and reopened for a few days and closed again for good, thanks for telling us after you were closed a week. Really not impressed guys.)

 

PEACEFOOD CAFE: LUNCH / SNACK

We caught a cab bag to Manhattan and got ready for the dinner of the year. The vegan epicenter of high end vegan food…. Candle 79. We stopped at Peacefood Cafe first though for a snack since our lunch was now cancelled and because a twitter follower commented that she could eat her “weight” in their chickpea fries. All I know is I ordered a seitan medallion sandwich, chickpea fries, and a key lime pie to go and the seitan sandwich could’ve caused my husband and I to divorce and ask for custody over it so we didn’t have to share. It was THAT good. My only complaint. The key lime pie must have sat near onions in the fridge. The taste transferred into the tofu base. Not good but you could tell it would’ve been.

 

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Then Candle 79 after a quick trip back to the hotel to walk the dog and freshen up for dinner.

 

CANDLE 79: DINNER

I will be honest, I thought Candle 79 was going to be all talk. I had heard it was good but too pricey and that it didn’t live up to the hype. However, it is someplace you just have to go no matter what other folks say because it does have quite a celebrity following. The truth? It is actually THAT good. The menu is daunting. You want to order everything but are unsure. The prices are high but that is the type of restaurant it is. Think Morton’s or the Palm without the meat. The hostess was delightful and took our coats. A rude customer came in behind us and was quite demanding that he be seated before us (we had a reservation as did he) but she handled it with the grace of a ballerina and assured him he had a table and she would be right back. We were brought down the long thin first floor up some stairs to the second floor overlooking 79th. It was a nice view bu there was a huge flower display in the window that blocked some of it. The ceilings were gorgeous and made of several colors of wood. The staff was attentive and polite. I ordered a kola (which reminds me of coke in the Caribbean), a Caesar salad, and the Seitan Piccatta. My husband ordered the dumplings appetizer and the Rosemary-Balsamic Grilled Seitan. My salad was wonderful. I had wanted a Caesar salad since I had gone vegan but had never had one. While we waited a waited came over and told me that the chef sent out a appetizer for us to try. It was a lentil filled spoon with some jalapenos and maybe celery? Whatever it was it was fresh and a little spicy and a perfect bite. I thanked him and the chef immensely, it was an honor. When the salad came it was tangy and filling and the little Parmesan crisp were perfect. The shocker was the grilled “chicken” on it. It tasted 100% real deal like a grilled chicken. Even my husband was shocked. He ate what I didn’t finish. I tried his dumplings which were good but I should’ve dipped more sauce. The Seitan Piccatta was outstanding. They only tiny change I would made. Making it thinner and not stacking it on top of each other. That’s it. Kinda lame but it’s the little things sometimes. My husband was enamored with his seitan as it tasted like real beef. I did not like steak much before going vegan so I wasn’t shocked I did not love his dish but it was real deal beef flavored and textured. The sides were good though! Then dessert was ordered. OMG dessert. This is the best dessert I have ever had at any time in my life. Pure heaven on a plate. We got 3 desserts to share as my husband is a sugar addict. We ordered the flan, chocolate brownie, and the chocolate peanut butter truffle. The flan was heaven on earth. I would probably not have shared if my husband hadn’t just snagged a piece. The brownie was pure chocolate decadence with divine ice cream. The ice cream on the flan was also just sublime. The peanut butter chocolate truffle thing was too chocolatey for me but perfect for my husband. he loves a good death by chocolate flourless cake and this was more chocolate than peanut butter so he was happy. I would eat there every day if I could.

IMG_2961 IMG_2984 Caesar Salad

IMG_2964 Dumpling/Potstickers

IMG_2982Seitan Piccatta

IMG_2968 Rosemary Balsamic Seitan 

IMG_2969 Q-Kola

IMG_2971 Mexican Chocolate brownie

 IMG_2973 Peanut Butter Chocolate truffle

IMG_2985 Pumpkin Flan with Sugared Toasted Pepitas

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IMG_2980IMG_2981Restaurant Selfie: Candle 79

 

 

 

 

Blossom Cafe: Sunday Brunch

The next morning we arose bright and early to have brunch with my old college roommate Andrea. She is one of those amazing NYC girls that is so well read and refined yet relaxed and fun that you can bring her anywhere and she will have been there or know the owner or have a story about it. She had been to Blossom but she isn’t vegan. She ordered the grilled cheese, my husband ordered the stuffed french toast (and ate half of it before I could snap a photo!), and I ordered the country brunch platter. Everyone was quiet and cleaned their plates. Like my grandmother would say, we were all part of the “Clean Plate Club”. I especially loved my chutney, scramble, and the fried sweet potato. I mean it was all good but that chutney! Yummm…

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AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

We dropped off Lola with a dog walker for the afternoon so she could play in the upper east side and Central park. I couldn’t bare to leave her in the hotel all day. Then the hubby and I ran off to the Museum of Natural History on the upper west side. It is one of my favorite places in the world. It is so fun and beautiful to look at and if you can’t afford to pay it is free. We paid but you don’t have to or you can pick what you want to pay. It is pretty amazing that they do that for folks. 

 

 

 

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V-NOTE: SUNDAY DINNER

We then embarked on a new high end restaurant and wine bar for an early 5 pm dinner. It is supposed to rival (if not exceed) Candle 79 in food, wine, and service and is owned by the folks from Blossom. It is on the upper east side and although they did have one outstanding item on the menu, I wouldn’t go back. Mainly because of service but the food wasn’t great either except for the one item. It was just barely okay. We changed our reservation from 630 pm to 5 or 530 pm and arrived early. We were seated right away and the place was almost entirely empty. There was a couple at a table and a man who looked like he worked there, drinking at the bar. That was the first not so good sign. A man who looked like his twin was our server (brothers?). He came over and was friendly enough but was slow. He didn’t refill glasses, he had a busboy bring our food, and when the rush came in at 6-630 ish he started forgetting our order but didn’t forget to charge us for what we didn’t get. When I went to the bathroom (which was not very clean), I overheard him saying that an article written on a tablet the other female server (the only two staff on the floor) had was “not good” for their business. I understood right away that they got a bad review and honestly, I wasn’t shocked. I had to bring the bill up to the female waiter to explain the bill was wrong since he refused to come back for us to pay. She said oh okay I will take it off and he came up behind me and said “What’s the problem?” I explained he had charged us for items he never brought us and he said “Well you know we got slammed”. That isn’t an excuse in my book. You are a waiter, you deliver food. I didn’t ask for anything outside of this. You will get slammed every night in NYC. You should still be able to do your job. The only good thing: the mushroom risotto. Order it to go and you will be in heaven.

IMG_3025IMG_3026 Too gingery ginger ale.

 IMG_3027 husbands wine

 IMG_3029 Corn Chowder that was watery and more like corn liquefied, also blisteringly hot. Burned my tongue.

 IMG_3030 Seitan medallion app with potato salad. Bland.

IMG_3031 Eggplant parm. appetizer. Bland and had more zucchini than eggplant.

IMG_3032 Mushroom Risotto. Marvelous.

 IMG_3033IMG_3034 Mexican Stuffed Poblano with Walnut Sauce. Not enough sauce. Bland. Poblano wasn’t roasted well or thin enough. I used to love this dish when I was not vegan. It is a quintessential Mexican holiday dish (I’m part Mexican). They killed it 😦 .

IMG_3035 Fondue. Tiniest amount of chocolate ever with barely any fruit and 2 cookies cut in half and two pretzel sticks for I think $16. Lame.

 

 

 

HOME

We picked up Lola after that from her dog walker and headed back to the hotel to pack and go home. The dog walker was amazing and you should use her services if you are ever in town. I will post a link soon! I was happy with the trip overall and even more happy to have picked up a vegan guide to NYC at Dun-well along the way. Although Foodswings and V-Note were a big buildup with little return. They other places more than made up for it and I have a book of new places to start trying! Please feel free to tell me more places to go next. I can’t wait for another traveling vegan trip! Maybe I will see you in your town!

 

Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy.

Christmas in New York City

Posted by LD in Shopping Vegan, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nearly every Christmas as a child, my father would bring us to NYC the weekend before the actual holiday. We would do plenty of cool things like skate at Rockefeller Center or eat at fancy restaurants, but the main purpose was to get our first Christmas present early at FAO Schwartz. We would wait in line and see the guard and hear the music and the clock inside and cling to the window in anticipation. I was always preparing for a doll or stuffed animal of some sort and my brother towards the remote control cars. I have now passed this tradition onto my stepchildren. So this weekend when they arrived, off we went to NYC with my husband and my Aunt for a fun filled weekend.

We spent the night at the Courtyard Marriott in Chelsea on West 30th. We got in late due to a flight issue with the kids and decided to head right to bed. I planned to have breakfast nearby and then off to the Statue of Liberty after that. Everyone was up at 9 am and the weather was so warm we couldn’t believe our luck. No coats were really needed… IN DECEMBER! So off to breakfast less than a 1/2 mile away at Blossom Du Jour. Let me first state that when you walk in and it is tiny but the staff is so friendly and happy you can’t help but smile and feel this huge warmth. They were taking out fresh croissant and vegan cronuts sandy with cinnamon and sugar and the little kid inside of me got giddy. My aunt and the kids both had the waffles and my husband and I had the vegan scramble wraps. I also bought 2 cronuts for us all to cut and share. The verdict? I am in love with their cronuts. I could eat them every day for the rest of my life. The waffle was very dense, I snuck a bite from my oldest. Then I inhaled my almost too-eggy-to-be-true tofu scramble wrap splashing it down with Raspberry Lemonade Soda. It was the best faux egg breakfast meal I have ever had. I am not exaggerating, you MUST try this. Even my husband was happy. The only comment was “I should have ordered two, I am still hungry”. This was about an hour later.

 

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I grabbed a smoky avocado wrap to take with me in case there was nothing vegan for lunch options on Ellis Island or at the Statue of Liberty. We grabbed a cab and headed over to Battery Park. The seagulls were out and the squirrels were acting like they were a small free circus act. It was a beautiful day for the animals of NYC and my kids were so delighted by it all. The youngest started naming all the birds. I could not have asked for a better set-up. We got our tickets quickly from will call and hopped right on the top floor of the boat to the statue. It was a wonderful ride and the seagulls follow you all the way. My husband took tons of photos of the 50 or so floating over our head. Seagulls are my favorite bird and probably one of my favorite animals. I find them smart and funny and both land and sea all mixed together. They are so resourceful and determined as well. When i was a kid my grandmother and I would go to Revere Beach outside Boston and get french fries from Kelly’s Roast Beef and feed them to them. This of course is probably not healthy but they loved it and I loved them. I digress.

When we got to the island we were luck enough to have tickets to the platform (but unfortunately not to the crown). So we climbed the 400 or so stairs up and it was such a beautiful view. The kids were just in awe and ran about the island afterward. We taught them about the importance of it all as we went along. They really seemed to understand it. My aunt loved going because she could see her grandparents in her mind traveling across and arriving. The joy that must have overtaken them. It is truly a magical place. We headed back a bit later to go to the Central Park Zoo.

We got to the zoo with about 1.5 hours to visit. If you have never been there this is more than enough time. It is a small zoo. There is also a Children’s zoo attached that could tack on another 30 minutes but we didn’t indulge on this trip. Now I know many vegans are against zoos. I am in many cases. This zoo however is small, has minimal animals and ample staff. I feel confident the animals get enough attention and care but I do agree there is nothing perfectly like the wild. I am lucky to have two very animal loving girls as step-kids. They were interested and the youngest even felt like we should take one of the seals home to put back in Boston Harbor. I was happiest however in the aviary of tropical plants and birds. It was similar to a sauna when entering and it felt as though you truly were in their habitat. They flew freely and there was no border between you and the birds. Some you could touch they were so close but I told the children not to because you don’t poke animals. There was also a darkened area sectioned off for amphibians, snakes, etc. I am terrified of snakes so I stayed away I only went in to see the mongoose. Because they are adorable.

 

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When we left we waited to watch the clock go off and the animals dance around the pedestal while the clock sung a Christmas carol. Then walked to Strawberry Fields so I could take a photo of the Imagine Mosaic and then to dinner. The kids ran the whole time, stomping on snow piles and jumping off rocks. It was a great day in Central Park.

 

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We had dinner at Le Pain Quotidien on the upper east side just a block from the park. The food was the best I have ever had since I became vegan. I wish they had a Boston location in which case I would be there every Friday. The whole family was in awe. We started with a sampling platter of prosciutto, cheese, breads, fruit, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, infused oil, and jams. I had some oil, bread, fruit, tomato, and jams. It was amazing. Then for dinner I chose the six vegetable vegan quiche that came with a side of mesculen salad and a pot of tea. The dressing was perfect on the salad. I would fork a few of the greens onto a slice of bread with apricot preserves from time to time. So indulgent. The quiche was absolutely beautiful. Brightly colored layers with a simple and rich flavor and topped with an artichoke heart slice. The small slice of quiche was perfect. When it was time for dessert I picked the Hemp Seed Blondie which was more like a small square cake with a few chocolate chips than a brownie but still delicious, I also grabbed a taste of the brown rice pudding my oldest stepdaughter had ordered and it was yummy. I left so happy and full. The whole family continued to rave about it on the ride home that night.

 

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Last we headed over to FAO Schwartz. It was later about 8 pm and the line had dissolved. We headed right in and the kids looked for about an hour until deciding on their choices. Both chose extra large stuffed animals. The youngest chose a Cheetah and the oldest a strikingly life-like Orangutan. The Cheetah was named Candice while in line and the Orangutan was Enrique. Full of smiles and french country flavors we headed back to the hotel and then home in our new Prius. It only cost $35 in gas for the trip there and back. Amazing car to own.

I am so grateful for my family and our ability to have these adventures this holiday and all year. I hope that all my readers have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Much love this Holiday Season.

 

Food is Love. 

The Hippie Gypsy.

Ananda Ashram: The Food, The Experience, The Yoga, The Cooking

Posted by LD in Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This past long weekend I booked a trip to Ananda Ashram in Monroe, NY. I was going to do karma yoga (volunteering), as well as for the meditation/yoga retreat portion of the visit. After falling down the stairs last November, I have not done yoga so I was a little worried about this part. My ankle was not where I thought it should be to start bending, twisting, and leaning all my body weight on it but hey why not give it a whirl, I could always adjust the moves down to something simpler. The meditation however was a big focus for me and I knew it would help that I was volunteering and eating well the whole time, as the Ashram is strict on a vegetarian/vegan diet with mostly gluten free options and no caffeine or other “poisons” to the system. I was happy because I pretty much live this way anyway so it took out some distractions.

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The Food: I need to incorporate more gluten free options in my diet and combine my whole grains with a balance of veggies and fruits. Every meal was so well balanced that I found myself jealous of the chef. He was amazing. He knew so much about food and flavors and was so calm in the kitchen. getting to work cleanup in the Dining Hall was more meditative than work. But because Ananda is truly a magical place the trip had more in store than my volunteering with cleanup. I eventually got to help cook with the chef when someone called out.

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The Experience: An Ashram is like a Monastery that they allow other people to come visit and try out. Lots of different types of people live there, live nearby, work there, do immersion projects there, and study there. I met at least one of each. I found that people go to Ashrams for a million reasons. Some just to detox from the city (since this one is run by Yoga Society of New York this is common), some go to figure something out personally, some go to discover if they want to become yoga teachers, some go to write/create in a quiet space, and others go to meditate and clear out the system. Because of this there are all kinds of people. Teachers, architects, artists, yogis, mystics, entrepreneurs, etc. Everyone however seems to have a commonality of being very open and honest and okay with others quirks. I met one woman who was very clear with me that I was not to touch her when I went to serve her some soup and another person who I became fast friends with I hugged goodbye and text with daily since. Either way it was very open and honest and refreshing. I would go every weekend if I could. I know I am probably not selling it but it needs to be experienced. The air, the dorms, the meditation, the Kirtan (singing prayers at the end of the night), the chanting, the music, the smell of incense, the lake, the walk, the feeling after early morning gentle flow yoga. It is all an amazing package. Everyone just falls into sync. We were cautious to not keep each other up at night, clean up after ourselves, do things together or apart without any clingyness or judgement, talk openly about our lives, tell others when those stories were upsetting or made us happy or curious, it was truly a magical time. Everyone always said thank you. This sounds underrated but everytime you did anything. The volunteer work you were slated to do or simply holding a door open or sliding to the side to fit in more people at Kirtan… someone said thank you. We said a prayer at every meal which I honestly haven’t done since I was a child. It felt nice to thank the world for giving us the food and god for creating it and allowing it to nourish us and each other for putting in the hard work to make it delicious. You forget what goes into a single meal and you forget to be thankful for well… everything.

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The Yoga: First off, I didn’t fall or hurt myself so I am proud of that. Second, they have amazing yoga teachers. They even have a yoga teacher program so people can become yoga teachers. My first class was gentle flow yoga with my dorm roommate who was originally from Slovenia but now lives in NYC. She was literally the most amazing teacher. She just knew how to make a 1 hour class perfectly balanced and peaceful at 7am. I felt wonderful when I left. The next class I took was an intermediate level and I had to make some modest adjustments but I did rather well and was happy with myself. I did fall off my yoga blocks at one point while trying to sit on them but I survived. And I laughed.

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The Cooking: I got to cook at the Ashram. I got to cook with an amazing chef at the Ashram. It was almost serendipitous. We all know I love to cook and I hope that I am pretty decent at it but being able to cook for 75 people at an Ashram is another deal all together. The chef (Jeremy) is someone that you feel like you knew growing up. He is the guy next door, your first crush, your best friend, your college roommate, and just happens to be a great young chef as well. He is from Long Island used to surf and loves to combine different cultural foods together to make strangely perfect combinations. I got to contribute to a quinoa dish he was preparing and infuse my Mexican cooking skills and knowledge with the Indian style he was infusing. It ended up lightly Mediterranean as if you were on holiday in Barcelona. I felt very inspired by him. It made me also want to not only cook more but start using different combinations. He swore that mint and cilantro combined well but I wasn’t sold on that. However it made me wonder what other combinations I may have let slide by that others find amazing. Perhaps I should take some cooking classes? See what the world is putting out.

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Overall, I am in love with Ananda Ashram. I want to live there. The whole losing my pension thing may be an issue though and I would probably lose my house due to no income but I would be relaxed and refreshed and calm. I found my calm there. Sitting on a porch swing that was fashioned between two large trees overlooking the lake. That is where I felt my calm for the first time. I felt my brain finally go silent while trying to meditate. It was a wonderful feeling. I worked for it the rest of my meditations and found it if only for a few moments. Coming home has been hard though. I have been trying each day to fit in my mediation and balance my food so that I make better choices and kinda of take out the garbage. I have found that a breakfast of hazelnut milk (which FYI drinks like cows milk but with a hint of nutty flavor) and gluten free cereal of any kind is perfect with some fruit and a cup of tea. No more granola bars and water for this girl. I think starting your day out with a true meal that will benefit your body is the only way to start. I know I will forget some days and fall off the wagon but as a core item I think I will need to make this a priority. Meditating 2 times a day as well will need to be a priority. It helps me stay calm during my otherwise stressful work week. It isn’t easy but it is easier than having a rush of adrenaline causing you headaches throughout your work week. The yoga is also a positive change. There is a yoga study across the street from my office and they had a Groupon for $6.90 a class for ten classes so I joined. It just feels like the world came together after this weekend. So now I am off to tackle the universe and find out who “I am” (OM).

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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

Rant: Why Vegans and Really Anyone Should Go on a Retreat

Posted by LD in Confessions and Rants of the Vegan Persuasion and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Going to Ananda Ashram

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This weekend I will be going away to Ananda Ashram in Monroe, NY instead of to New York City with my husband who is working at a conference there. This was not intentional as I am in love with NYC entirely but it is already teaching me why I decided to add this item to my proverbial “Bucket List”. Going to a retreat, a real retreat not a spa weekend, is about going into yourself and pulling out the poisons. Selfishness is one of those poisons. However, I like to think I am replacing the selfishness that is bad with a different kind of selfishness. One that is more focused on taking care of myself and taking that time to care for myself when I otherwise may do something to appease others and support others and allow myself to fall apart. I truly think we all do this at least some of the time. if you are a parent, I am sure you do it more than anyone knows.

So I am looking forward to this because for the first time in my life I will be entirely alone on purpose with no hope to meet a friend or converse heavily or party around the town. I will be volunteering and eating a clean vegan diet as the Ashram is Vegan and Vegetarian, no caffeine, no alcohol, no junk. I love this. I love that I will be somewhere where my already developing “self” is not strange but instead the rule and not the exception. I think this will be a good change of pace. I will also be working 3 hours a day to volunteer. The duties will be at the mercy of the Ashram although I am sure they won’t have me roofing or anything! I just think the reminder of selfless and focus on self is an interesting dynamic. It seems like they are opposites but in truth they are like a yin and yang that are totally in harmony with one’s body & minds & needs.

I think this will be worth the $35 a day it costs with all food included and I hope to find it worth even more in what I take away. There are meditation clinics, chanting, sanskrit classes, and yoga. Although I am not good at any I hope to be. I need a way to wipe out the noise in my head and get back to basics the way I am sure everybody does sometimes. The work – eat – sleep regimen gets old and tiresome. The anxiety overwhelming. If I learned anything from the other night it is that even things that we think we brush up will sneak into our heads at night and if we do not know how to clear them out we will be a mess in the morning.

So I encourage everyone to do this. Take a day or a weekend and go to a retreat. Clean out your body, the noise in your mind, and the stress on your soul. I will report back how it goes on my end. I am sure I will be struggling but it will be worth it.

 

buddah

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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy