NYC 2014: The Food

Seeing as I’m in Tampa this weekend, I thought it was a good time to detail all the amazing eats we had on our trip to NYC!

I may have mentioned this on the blog before, but I actually have a spreadsheet of vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants in New York City. Whenever someone recommends a place to me or I see a ‘best of’ list, I add new options to the list. It’s also awesome to be able to share with folks when they ask me for recommendations in NYC. In my travels, I love to revisit my tried and true favourites, but also make an effort to dine at new places. On this trip we had great success with a bunch of new places that quickly skyrocketed to the top of my list (and Corbin’s too!)

Brunch

Brunch may easily be one of my favourite meals and I was looking forward to enjoying brunch at Friedman’s Lunch (in Chelsea Market) I ended up eating some of the best pancakes ever! They were fluffy, delicious and served with blueberries and maple syrup. I also loved that they served Harney tea. Corbin enjoyed the brunch special which included grits, bacon and some poached eggs. Our server was lovely and the atmosphere was stellar. They were extremely knowledgeable of gluten free and I was excited to be presented with so many options. Going to Friedman’s Lunch also gave us an excuse to hang out at Chelsea Market which is one of my favourite places in New York (though I was sad that Anthropologie was closed since we were there on Thanksgiving)

Champs is always a favourite when we’re in New York and it was actually our first stop as soon as we arrived! We were surprised to find they had a new location (on Meserole), but once we were there we were in vegan foodie heaven. I had the gluten free tofu benedict, which was absolutely delicious. It was the perfect cure to a morning of traveling and a bit of a hangry Ashley. Corbin had the Loaded Breakfast Burrito which was GINORMOUS and full of all sorts of goodness. We also ran into 2 friends during our brunch, proving that it IS a small world after all! 

The morning before we left we squeezed in a brunch at Sacred Chow, which I enjoyed. I had a delicious gluten free waffle topped with apples, cinnamon and coconut cream, while Corbin opted for a scrambled tofu bowl with tonnes of veggies and squash. It had also been on my list for awhile, so it was great to finally pay a visit and fuel up before a long day of traveling. 

Lunch

Between Black Friday shopping and watching Disenchanted, I needed to grab a quick lunch. I had seen a couple of different Organic Avenue locations throughout New York and decided to check it out. I was happy to find a number of soup, salad and wrap options along with a selection of fresh juices. Everything was labelled whether it was gluten free, vegan etc and the ingredients were also clearly listed. I chose the lunchbox salad collard wrap and kind of lost my mind at how delicious it was!! It was a chickpea salad with cashew ‘mayo’ and a lot of veggies inside a wonderfully fresh collard wrap. I wish we had Organic Avenue in Canada as this would be a stellar option to pick up on the go. 

On Thanksgiving we made reservations at Rockin’ Raw to enjoy a special lunch with our friend Sheryl! I had been to Rockin’ Raw once previously (during the hurricane) and remembered being impressed with their unique flavors and options. They had a special menu for Thanksgiving, so we all chose a few different options between the regular and holiday menus including cauliflower mash, ‘cheesy’ broccoli, pumpkin soup and a cheezy burrito. 

It’s no secret that I love dessert (especially raw ones) so I was delighted by the Thanksgiving options which included an incredible pecan pie. Holy wow, it was divine. Rich, creamy and perfect. The meal was an awesome way to celebrate American Thanksgiving and enjoy a lovely afternoon with Sheryl. 

Dinner

Because we saw a show almost every night we were in New York, our eating schedule got to be a little bit wonky. We ended up finding ourselves eating dinners after shows pretty late at night, but I think our dinners ended up being the best meals we had! 

First up was Otto’s Tacos in the East Village. These were serious tacos!! Otto’s Tacos has lots of options for meat eaters and a delicious mushroom taco for the vegetarian crowd. We grabbed a side of chips and guacamole and were blown away with the HUGE portion of guac along with a bag of chips. The tacos ranged from $3-$3.50 each and they were awesome. Such great flavours, freshly made tortillas and a seriously stellar meal for less than $20. They had a record listed for taco eating and Corbin was seriously considering going back and trying to beat it. Hah! 

Heading home after Pippin’ I was feeling hungry and was hoping to grab a falafel or something quick. We found a falafel place called Mamoun's thinking that it would just be an easy, inexpensive, tasty option. Little did we know that we were entering a well recognized falafel restaurant! I grabbed a falafel plate and Corbin enjoyed a shwarma and for less than $15 enjoyed an incredible meal. Their hummus was outstanding and the falafel was crispy and delicious. Corbin loved his shwarma and thought their hot sauce was awesome. I don’t have any pictures of this meal, but know that if you’re wondering on the east village late at night (or any time of day) looking for a great, cheap meal - this is the place!!

Last but not least, Pala. 

I’ve been telling everyone about Pala because it was hands down, the best gluten free pizza I’ve ever had and Corbin said it was the best (gluten-filled) pizza he’s even eaten. Pretty high praise, but worth every word. 

At Pala they take their topping choices very seriously and you’re unable to make substitutions. That being said, there are a lot of options for meat eaters, vegans and gluten free folks. I chose the Uvetta pizza with butternut squash, red onions, raisins, red pepper rosemary and daiya. After the first bite, I couldn’t stop RAVING about how delicious it was. The toppings were plentiful, but the crust was the real star. It was chewy, flavourful and had a BUBBLE. So many gluten free pizzas have the texture of cardboard or bricks and this pizza was light and airy while still having an amazing texture. I can't remember which one Corbin had, but he has said that it was the best pizza he's ever eaten. The service was outstanding (even though they were close to closing) and I can’t wait to go back!! 

Honourable mentions go to the treats we enjoyed at Babycakes, the goodies and fresh juice we picked up at a local market to enjoy for breakfast on a couple of days and the warming lunch we had at Peacefood Cafe before we made the drive to the hockey game. If I wasn’t hungry before, I sure am now after recounting all of the incredible food that we enjoyed on our trip!

Do you have any favourite places to eat in New York City? I’d love to add them to my list!! 

NYC 2014: The Fun

We've been back from New York for almost a week and I am still filled to the brim with the city's infectious energy.

Our trip was wonderful. I mean, I always look forward to visiting and have a lot of fun planning our time there. Corbin managed to get around okay on his crutches and we were able to pack in SO MUCH in just five days. Rather than give a play by play of our days there, I've decided to break down the trip into two posts "the fun" and "the food".

A big part of why I love New York includes the incredible theatre scene. Between Broadway, off Broadway, off off Broadway, amazing concerts & cabarets and classes galore, I always leave feeling inspired and enthusiastic about my job as a performer. There are so many wonderful and intriguing things playing on Broadway right now, it was really tough to choose what we would see! We managed to squeeze in 4 shows in 5 days, which was awesome.

Of the 4 shows that we saw it would be difficult to pick a favourite because they were so vastly different. BUT Honeymoon in Vegas may have taken that spot for me. It was already special to see even before it started because Corbin and I got to hear some of the songs from the show last year when we attended Jason Robert Brown's concert at 54 Below. It was very cool to hear how these songs had evolved and see them in the context of the show. It was really, really funny with a stellar cast and great music. It's only in previews right now, but I would really love to see it do well. So good!!



Since we were there over Thanksgiving, Broadway's schedule was a little different than usual and on Thursday night (Thanksgiving) there were only a few shows playing. Pippin was one of them and I managed to score us some rush tickets in the morning (as we navigated around the parade in a car!) Pippin was visually stunning with a cast who had an amazing set of tricks. Carly Hughes was divine as the Leading Player. Josh Kaufman, less so. He was the winner of The Voice - season 6 so he could sing well... but that was about it. I'm glad that we saw it, but overall I was underwhelmed.

Disenchanted was the reason we chose to go to New York in the last week of November, because my friend Bobby was playing in the band and the show was beginning previews after a run in Orlando. Bobby had been telling me for months how funny the show was and how great the cast was onstage, so I was really stoked to see this one (and him!). It did not disappoint!! Disenchanted tells the untold story of 10 Disney princesses. It's smart, funny and the music is catchy. The 6 gals in the cast were ridiculously talented and each of them had so many great moments in the show. I especially loved Lulu Picart as Hua Mulan Pocahontas and Princess Badroulbador, Alison Burns as Belle, The Little Mermaid and Rapunzel and Becky Gulsvig as Cinderella. The costumes were perfect and the show had a good message. I couldn't help but sit for the duration of the show thinking "Can someone PLEASE do this show in Toronto?!?" They officially opened last night and I really help they have a good long run in New York.

I was having trouble choosing our final show for our visit. There are so many incredible shows and finally I decided on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I loved the book when I read it a couple of years ago and I was intrigued by how they would adapt it for the stage.

It was phenomenal.

They did an amazing job with the adaptation, capturing the feeling of the book and giving the audience an inside view into what it could be like to live with autism. The creative team accomplished this with an awesome cast (especially Alex Sharp as Christopher, making his Broadway debut) and an impeccable set, sound and lighting design and incredible choreography. I was seated in the very back row of the balcony (rush tickets again) and I loved that I had a perspective of the entirety of the stage. It's playing both on Broadway and in London's West End and highly recommend that you see it if you have the chance.

NYC tip for tickets: Check out to see if the shows you want to see have a rush ticket policy. You can potentially score great tickets for $35-$40 on the morning of the show at the box office. We did this for both Pippin and Curious Incident. Also check out the TodayTix app for iPhone or Android. Lots of great deals on tickets (same day and a week in advance). Feel free to use the referral code LRLJJ to get $20 off your first order. It's awesome to save money on tickets and both options save you having to wait in line at TKTS!

In addition to all of the time we spent on Broadway, we also navigated to the Nassau Coliseum for a New York Islanders game!

 

 

We had so much fun when we went to the game last year and it's crazy how affordable it is to go to a game in Uniondale vs. going to one in Toronto. For the price we paid for 2 GREAT tickets on Stubhub, a car rental, gas and tolls, we would barely be able to get ONE ticket to see the Leafs play in Toronto. And the Islanders fans are awesome! People can afford to bring their families, they sing songs about their players and when the game was tied with 4 minutes to go, people were on their feet cheering the boys on. The energy in the stadium was ELECTRIC and the Islanders ended up winning with 23 seconds left in overtime with a sweet goal by their captain, John Tavares.

When we weren't navigating New York State freeways or hanging out near Times Square, we spent our time checking out some of our favourite places including some great restaurants (details in my next NYC post), heading to some of my favourite stores (such as Harney and Sons), getting to know the Lower East Side, driving through Central Park and partaking in a little bit of Black Friday shopping. I scored some jeans for $7.80 at Forever 21 on Black Friday eve, some great new bras at Victoria's Secret and we paid a visit to the 24 hour Apple store for Corbin to get a new iPhone. Nothing crazy (like the people who were camped out in tents at Best Buy!!) but fun to splurge a little bit.

NYC remains my very favourite place and this trip certainly satisfied my craving to visit once again. I left feeling inspired, giddy, even more in love and happy about life!!

 

Off to NYC

I've got my passport, my sparkly ticket and too many dresses packed, and I'm ready to head to NYC tomorrow morning!! 

 

This trip has been in the works since my birthday in April and I couldn't be more excited to head to my favourite city with my very favourite person! Corbin and I had such a wonderful time last year, I'm really looking forward to a repeat.

I will be tweeting, instagramming and Facebooking our adventures which will include 3 shows, (Honeymoon In Vegas, Disenchanted and 1 TBD with Side Show and Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time being high on my list!), an Islanders game, visits with friends, incredible food, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and some Black Friday shopping! I've been plotting our days for a little while and am stoked for our adventures. It's always a tough balance when you travel, between visiting previously discovered favourite places and making time to explore new ones. I'm hoping this trip has a good balance of both.


There will most certainly be a blog post about the trip when we are back, but in the meantime feel free to follow along on social media. I think there will be a lot of squeals and smiley faces!

Are you planning any Black Friday shopping? How do you balance between old and new places when traveling?

Does Anyone Really Enjoy a Sequel?

Thank you to everyone who came to last night's show, sent sweet messages and caught me on Rogers Daytime Show or CBC Here and Now. Your support means the world to me and the show was a phenomenal experience. 

On Bell Let's Talk day I had the pleasure of connecting with all sorts of amazing people, and many people who were sharing The Life is Sweet Project and blog series. Cory was one of those folks and I'm so glad we connected. He's been an incredible supporter of the Life is Sweet Project and I'm grateful that he agreed to be a part of the blog series. 

It’s quite fitting that the opportunity to participate in this blog arose out of social media, as my initial entry into the Twitter universe (OK, OK, “twitterverse”) was connected to my journey with mental health. Allow me to explain.

In 2009, while on vacation in New York City with my husband, I experienced an episode of psychosis that lead to a harrowing return to Toronto, a suicide attempt, brief hospitalization and months of anxiety and depression as part of the fall out.

Even in this darkest moment of my life, I can see the sweetness and have gratitude for a number of realities. Above all, I was blessed with a partner whose love is so unconditional that even when the paranoia I was feeling caused me to turn on him, he remained steadfast and continued along the journey of recovery with me, no matter the twists and turns.

Secondly, I was fortunate to have a family, both family of origin and chosen, who offered support, not only to me, but to my partner, as well. I continue to assert that part of any successful approach to dealing with mental health issues must also include a focus on the caregivers, which is why I am glad to have since become aware of organizations such as F.A.M.E.

I also benefited from an employer who offered a short-term disability program and a manager who showed compassion while I adapted to the side effects of medication and accommodated my need for regular sessions with a psychiatrist during work hours. I know this sort of safety net was crucial in ensuring I didn’t simply fall through the cracks and could continue to contribute to society.

So, where’s the connection to social media in all of that? Having lucked out again by responding well to the initial treatment, I attempted to return to a “normal” life (or next to normal, at least). A big part of my physical activity prior to the episode was running and so I chose to register for the New York City Marathon as a way of reclaiming the city where it all began and proving that I not only survived, but was stronger. In order to secure a spot in the race, I signed up through Team for Kids, one of the official charities, which meant a large fundraising commitment. But having already sent numerous requests over the years for various causes connected to my running, I felt the need to branch out beyond friends and family. Enter Twitter.

And while I had simply envisioned the chance to get a few “retweets” of my donation page and spread the word about the work of Team for Kids, something even sweeter happened. I began to form connections with people sharing similar interests, including my passion for food. (I often state my running mantra is that I measure my miles in mouthfuls.) Between the spring and fall of 2012, I was astonished by the network of people with whom I had shared great food experiences and who were willing to help me with my fundraising goals. And so, it being the song of the summer of 2012, I decided to have a kiki….a kiki for the kids.

Matt Pettit of Rock Lobster Food Co. got the ball rolling by saying he was on board in whatever way I needed. From there things grew, with Matt Basile of Fidel Gastro’s offering to bring his popular food truck, Priscilla, and Tequila Tromba and Hogtown Brewers making sure we stayed hydrated as we took to the dance floor. And because a kiki would be nothing without a draq queen, I enlisted the beautiful and talented Cassandra Moore to give a lesson in this festive art form.

Toasting food and friendship with Matt Dean Pettit at my Kiki For The Kids – September 14, 2012

Matt Basile and Kyla Zinardi – a dynamic duo that never cease to amaze me with their energy and warm hearts

Jennifer Nichols, founder of the Extension Method and owner of The Extension Room and Libby Avalos, a childhood friend who helped me face anxiety during high school and beyond.

The generosity of individuals, restaurants and other businesses astounded me, as I amassed almost 40 items for a silent auction, from jewelry to gift cards, to a vacation to artwork. The venue itself for the fundraising event was also special to me, having spent many an hour stretching and sculpting at The Extension Room in ballet fitness classes with Jennifer Nichols. And while I debated about also sharing my deeper inspiration for returning to New York with those in attendance – that it was a physical test, a chance to support a charity, and (in my mind) the final piece in my recovery – I opted to focus on the fun. But I left that night knowing that the outpouring of love and encouragement were just the fuel I needed to complete the 26 miles of the marathon.

And then Hurricane Sandy hit. Over the course of that week, I was saddened to see the destruction people were faced with. I truly was torn with the question of whether or not to head to New York (an internal debate that I took to Twitter) and, yes, disappointed at some of the backlash the running community was dealing with. I finally chose to board the plane, arrived in New York, picked up my race kit and returned to the hotel to rest and take in all of the emotions of being back for the first time in three years. I was awoken shortly after by a gentle nudge from my husband, letting me know of the city’s decision to cancel the marathon. I turned to grab my phone and saw a slew of texts and tweets from friends and followers.

In this moment too, I looked for the sweetness. First and foremost, I was in a hotel with power and food, while others not so far away were still in crisis mode. And within the group of people who had made their way to New York, my journey from Toronto was a short one, unlike some of the runners who had traveled much longer distances. So we picked up and headed home the next morning, trying to claim a partial victory for at least facing the fear of returning to New York City.

But I couldn’t quite end it there. I didn’t have the sense of closure I was hoping for, the chance to turn the page on the psychosis and depression. So the following Sunday, November 11, I plotted out a marathon route in Toronto. Off I went, and 42.2 kilometres and 3 hours, 54 minutes and 57 seconds later, it was done. It felt fantastic to complete the physical feat, to tell people who had donated and cheered me on that I had completed the goal (just in a different location). So, for me, it was time to roll the credits.

And then, “someone” decided to write a sequel. Last summer, after making the decision to leave the company where I was working to pursue freelance opportunities, I found myself once more paralyzed by depression. To those who think that word is dramatic, simply do a search on monoamine oxidase A.

Drained of energy, I also found the interest I had in my passions of running and food (along with many other everyday activities) vanish. Even travels to London, England during Canada Day and Madrid during their Pride weekend failed to really get my heart pumping. The experiences were muted and I felt like I was simply going through the motions.

As the title of this blog suggests, I was not a fan of Depression: The Sequel. The feeling of sliding backwards was discouraging and compounded my lower mood levels. Despite being a “digital champion” for Canada Running Series in the lead up to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I found myself switching to the half-marathon distance, before eventually withdrawing completely. I also was unable to continue with a mentorship program for LGBTQ youth that I was involved with and that sense of letting someone else down pushed me further down.

Fortunately, in addition to the friends and family who had walked every step of the way with me during my past recovery, I had my social network, a good number of whom had become friends in real life. The sense of genuine concern, the patience and understanding as I bowed out of activities and the willingness to share their own struggles with any number of challenges meant that connections formed on a computer and phone had an actual impact on my depression. Which is why I’m thrilled to say that the comeback was a flop and that by October, the curtain had come down and I felt reengaged with the world around me.

Am I naïve enough to believe there isn’t a possibility of a third (or fourth or fifth) depressive episode during my lifetime? Definitely not. Just look at Die Hard, Friday the 13th or Rocky (just hopefully not Sex and the City). But I continue to educate myself, look at ways of practicing self-care, share my story, offer up gratitude and try to find the Life Is Sweet spot.

A “sweet spot” from my solo marathon that I try to keep in mind.   

Cory Pagett enjoys exploring his interests in food, the arts, running, LGBTQ issues and travel. Through social media and real-world connections, he is grateful to be a part of communities that share these passions. As a freelance translator and bilingual communications expert, he is acutely aware of the power of language and is increasingly seeking to use his words in the war against stigma in its various forms.

Adventures in New York

It's been more than two months since my latest trip to NYC, but unfortunately it's taken me this long to get this post up! While unfortunate that it's taken me this long, it's lovely to reminisce of such a lovely visit to my favourite city with my favourite person!

After visiting NYC twice a year in 2011 and 2012, I was itching to go by fall 2013. Corbin had never really had a proper visit to New York, so we decided to go together in November. There was a bunch of things happening around that time that I wanted to go to and so many restaurants that I wanted to visited and Corbin told me to go ahead and plan the itinerary - so fun! Here are some of the highlights from our time there.

Amazing Meals

The food in New York is always a highlight for me. I love adding to my list of incredible Ashley-friendly restaurants and visiting  all of my favourites. This trip certainly did not disappoint!! On our first day we stopped at two of my very favourites: Sun in Bloom and Pure Food and Wine. We had a wonderful brunch at Sun in Bloom as soon as we arrived and it was totally worth the jaunt to Brooklyn!

Amazing sweet potato soup, breakfast burritos and scrambled tofu were gobbled up and enjoyed immensely. Our dinner at Pure that night was beyond words; everything was phenomenal and worth the 2 year wait since I had last eaten there.

Everything at Pure was unbelievably delicious from the kale salad and raw cheese plate to our tamales and Pure's signature zucchini and heirloom tomato lasagna and our epic desserts along with sangria. It was such a special, memorable meal and Corbin's first experience with gourmet raw food. Writing about it makes me want to hop on a plane and go eat there right now... Other amazing meals included more trips to Brooklyn for Buttermilk Channel

and two visits to Champs (yes, it was that good!)

as well as a lovely breakfast at Peacefood Cafe on our last day. New York was good to our tummies and so easily Ashley (and Corbin!) friendly.

Wonderful Treats

The treats that we had in New York deserve their own description - they were so good!! We ended up making two visits to Babycakes because we couldn't get enough!

Round one included a pumpkin eclair, cookie sandwich, churro and samoa donut. Round two had another cookie sandwich, a scrumptious scone and a pumpkin chip loaf that Corbin was adamant about getting (he said it was delicious!) I think it would be really difficult to pick a favourite from all the treats we sampled as everything was so delicious! Babycakes is just heavenly, but probably good that it's far away from my daily existence so I can only go there for treats when I'm in the city! The other noteworthy treat that we had was at Chloe's Soft Serve Fruit.

It is an awesome alternative to froyo or ice cream that is made with fresh frozen fruit and therefore has no dairy or gluten and is crazy delicious!! So many flavor options and toppings make for a really awesome and allergen friendly dessert. It's been on my list for awhile, and I will definitely be going back again and again!!

Incredible Theatre

I always feel inspired by the calibre of theatre and performers in NYC and this trip was no exception. There were some really cool shows happening while we were there and we really enjoyed everything we saw. Part of the reason we went to NYC over that weekend was because Jason Robert Brown was doing a concert at 54 Below. JRB is one of my very favourite musical theatre composers and it was wonderful to finally see him in concert and get to meet him (briefly!) after the show.

He played songs from so many of my favourite shows (The Last Five Years! Songs for a New World!) as well as some from shows that are on their way to Broadway (or should be!) He had an amazing group of singers with him and a stellar band; it was a great night. We also got to see Bernadette Peters in A Bed and A Chair which was really awesome.

She is such a talent and I loved Wynton Marsalis' arrangements of Sondheim with a full jazz orchestra and the rest of the cast including Cyrille Aimée, Jeremy Jordan and. Norm Lewis. I also made my third visit to The McKittrick Hotel for Sleep No More and it still continues to be the most captivating piece of theatre I've ever experienced. It was Corbin's first time and it was really cool to discuss our different experiences and approaches to the show. The ambiance at the McKittrick before and after the show was incredible and we just loved the jazz bands playing throughout. Before we left Toronto, I received a Facebook invite from Drew Gasparini for an industry reading of his show Crazy Just Like Me starring some phenomenal performers (Alex Brightman! Jason Gotay! Andrew Kober!) and was ultra stoked to realize that it was happening while we were there. Both Corbin and I adored this show. It was funny and smart with such a talented cast and great music. It's already won some awards from various festivals it has been a part of and I can't wait to see where it goes. I felt so blessed to see so much great theatre while we were there and certainly felt inspired to up the ante in my own work!

Adventures and Magical Moments

Corbin and I are pretty good at having a lot of fun together and New York was just an even bigger playground for us! We had the best time exploring the city and discovering things together. We visited with some lovely friends including the always delightful Sheryl (complete with her NYC Marathon medal!!)

We ventured to a New York Islanders game,

experienced the MOMA (for free!), walked along the Highline, navigated the NYC Metro and discovered all sorts of cute art

made all sorts of new friends and frolicked in Central Park (complete with a photo shoot - thanks Corbin!). 

I often feel that extraordinary things happen when I'm in New York and this trip with Corbin proved this theory to be true once again. All sorts of really neat, magical things kept happening to us in the city. We found parking everywhere (super close to wherever we were going). We were upgraded to the dining room at 54 Below and got to sit DIRECTLY IN FRONT of Jason Robert Brown. We experienced the city at the top of an incredible rooftop in Washington Heights. When we walked into Peacefood Cafe one of our very favourite songs was playing. Simply wonderful.

All of these things + the amazing adventures, theatre, treats and meals culminated into an unforgettable trip with my love and I can't wait for us to travel more and head back to NYC together for more fun!!