Traveling as a vegan can be a challenge, especially if one does not prepare ahead of time!
My prep began a month before the trip! I went onto Pinterest and looked for vegan dining options in both New York.City (which we were making an overnight stop) and Pittsburgh. I was able to find numerous places to eat, as well as some great activities for us to do! Food prep began the night before, I stocked up on fresh fruit, vegan cereal, vegan crackers, nuts, raisins, huge chopped salad, bottled water, juice boxes, and planned out our breakfast. I packed everything and was ready to go! The following morning, bright and early, I made breakfast to go for my son and husband, and we were off!
Our first stop was Champs for dinner! I was extremely excited to try this place! It had great reviews by both vegans and non vegans! I had already checked out the menu prior to our trip, so I already knew I was going to love it! Champs is 100% vegan and offers fresh cold pressed juices and baked goods as well! I was not disappointed!!! This was the best vegan food I have ever had! Full of flavor, lots of variety, and all really fresh! Not to forget, this was a complete hole in the wall type diner, with barely enough room to fit our large group. A line of people waited patiently outside while tables slowly opened up! Definitely worth the wait! I highly recommend it!!
The next morning we were off to Pittsburgh!
We made it to Pittsburgh, where we stayed with my brother in law. We headed out for the day to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We love this place, we had visited before and knew it would make for a great activity! Our son loves natural history so this place was a hit! For lunch we decided to eat at their cafe which offered vegan options right on the menu!!!! No need to ask for anything special, they had salads, soups, and sandwiches which were all advertised vegan! I was definitely impressed, most cafés offer the basic foods like pizza and burgers, forget vegan food!
Dinner was another great restaurant! Also one which I had looked up in advance. The DoubleWide Grill offers not only a huge regular menu, but also a huge vegan one!!!! Let me warn you though, this is not my typical low fat vegan fare....but I wanted to go ahead and splurge a bit! I love that this place was able to blend both vegan and non vegan food, offering a great menu and an upbeat family atmosphere!
Lunch and dinner the following day were at home! I treated them to vegan pizza, using my husband's favorite Dayia cheese! Dinner was veggie skewers, potatoes, salad, and corn on the cob! Truly fantastic! Things get a bit blurry here...the next day my son and I woke up with a stomach flu. I mean, the works, it was awful!
The next day we awoke from the dead, barely, and attempted to join in on the activities for the day! A trip to Schenley Park was great! Beautiful walking trails, awesome play ground, wild deer forgiving in the woods, huge pond, and fantastic stone bridges! Unfortunately, I began to feel sick again, so no meals besides some fruit had taken place. I went to bed early and hoped for the best!
The next day we headed to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This place is so beautiful! If you love plants and gardening, or just the outdoors, it is a must! Really amazing gardens, butterflies, and just a great atmosphere! We ate lunch at their café, which had a phenomenal vegan menu! Again, we didn't have to request anything special, it was offered on the menu. I would say out of 20 options, half were marked vegan! That is very impressive. Even the special of the day was a vegan slider! The food was great!!
Our last dinner...well, my husbands last dinner in Pittsburgh was from Loving Hut! Another great find on Pinterest! I just felt awful again so I did without dinner. Loving Hut is a 100% vegan restaurant! they have a huge menu and even offer desserts, which I did order! Lol! My husband loved it! He said is was some of the best vegan food he's had!
I highly recommend doing as much research as you can before heading to your vacation destination. Pack as much food for the road or flight as you can to avoid having to stop at fast food joints! Traveling as a vegan doesn't have to be a challenge if you are prepared!
