First time renting a car and it went pretty smoothly with Midway, a local company; they provide shuttles to and fromLAX; the only issue we had was having to pay double for the insurance after booking with Expedia; howeverafter contacting Expedia, Iwas able to get a refund
Monica's Airbnb in Glendale - 5/5
Modern loft with private parkingaway from the hustle and bustle of LA but close enough with a car
Beyond Vegan - 5/5
No notes for my first meal in LA
Ralph's - 4/5
The Southern California Kroger-1 star off for being expensive
The Broad - 4/5
Cool but very short experience;convenient paid parking garage
The Museum of Contemporary Art - 5/5
Right across the street from The Broad and more interesting
Beewali's Vegan AF - 3/5
Maybe it's because Iordered the wrong dish, but I did not find my food to be extraordinary; however an LA mid is a 4 in most cities
Donut Friend - 5/5
My favorites were the mochi donut, youthbrulee, and king puff. Although I love passionfruit, I don't think it belongs on a donut.
Pine & Crane - 4.5/5
I would not order the eggplant dish again, but the passionfruit green tea with grass jelly was so good thatit warrants a4.5.
Ramen Hood - 5/5
So good, especially when I'm starving in the middleof the Huntington Library parking lot; one of the best vegan ramens I've had
Norton Simon Museum -0/5
The art was just organized by time periods with no stories to tie them together.
Huntington Libary - 5/5
I almost skipped out because I was hungry, the parking lot appeared to be full, and I have gardens back home to see, but I'm so glad I didn't: the libraryand art museum collection were spectacular.
Bofomofo Cafe (San Gabriel Valley) - 5/5
The OG location, the Strawberry Basil Ginger Lemonade was so pretty and yummy! The vegan popcorn chicken and mapo tots were also good snacks. I would not recommend them as a meal replacement though because I only ate the tots for lunch once, and I would later die of starvation.
Bakers Bench - 5/5
Chocolate croissants are my favoriteso any place I canfindoneis a winner in my book.
Los Feliz Flea Market - 5/5
An unexpected find on my trip to Bakers Bench
Glowing - 4/5
The sandwich itself wasn't memorable, but the fact that I wasableto pick up a vegan sandwich with vegan deli meat and cheese from a market for dinner was memorable.
Echo Park - 5/5
The most memorable neighborhood in LA for me
Sunday's Best Thrift Apparel - 5/5
I came back home with two new winter jackets.
Santa Monica Pier - 0/5
Maybe it's because it was cloudybut the beach view here was not that pretty and there's not much to do at the pier if you're vegan
Satdha Plant Based Thai Kitchen - 3/5
The beet noodles were good, but nothing else was memorable. Because it is in Santa Monica, I think the food and flavors are catered to white people v. Bulan Thai in Silver Lake.
Gracias Madre - 4.5/5
The food was okay but the horchata, non-alcoholic drink, and vibes weregood enough that I'd return.
Bofomofo (Cafe San Diego) - 2/5
I got the same drink as the San Gabriel location and it was not as good or pretty.
Din Tai Fung (Glendale Galleria) - 3/5
Overratedunfortunately; we did not do our research mamas andthe fillings for all thedumplings we ordered were the same so we should have just gotten one dumpling and spent the money onother dishes; the orange green tea was the best thing my sister and I ordered
Glendale Galleria - 2/5
We walked the whole mall and did not buy a single thing, and it wasempty for a well-known mall. The biggest draw was the Apple Store, where I did get a USB-C chargerfor my rentalon an earlier trip.
Escape Room 66 - 2/5
I have a whole blogreview on my experience but $50 for a mid experience is a lot.
Ranking every place I went to in San Francisco (3 = mid)
Senor Sisig - 3/5 Maybe it’s just the vegan burritos that aren’t good Fisherman’s Wharf - 3/5 Cool if you eat seafood I guess Presidio Tunnel Tops - 5/5 Beautiful Southern Pacific Brewery - 3.5/5 Good Hazy beer but loud and crowded Shizen - 3.5/5 Unique sushi rolls but I wasn’t a fan of the flavors Sara’s apartment - 5/5 Comfortable couch, nicely decorated, good dog, and fun times with the gracious host Waymo - 5/5 Positive use of technology Enjoy Vegetarian - 2/5 One of the lesser vegetarian Chinese restaurants I’ve been to MoMa - 4.5/5 Big fan of modern art museums Asha Tea House - 5/5 Thankful Sara diverted me away from Boba Guys because the blood orange tea from here was fire. BART - 4/5 I couldn’t independently figure out this transit system. OM Sabor - 3/5 I ordered $50 of food but nothing stood out. Dolores Park - 5/5 Nice views Alamo Square Park/Painted Ladies - 1/5 The Painted Ladies were so faded and covered with overgrown trees. I saw way cooler and prettier houses on my walks around the city. Boba Guys - 0/5 Just not good-I have full reviews elsewhere on this blog. Lombard Street - 5/5 Unique street within walking distance of the oceanfront Aquatic Park Cove - 5/5 Breezy ocean front with a view of Alcatraz Wildseed - 4/5 Okay food but the non-alcoholic Passionfruit Sour? *chef’s kiss* Diamond Coffee & Pastry - 4.5/5 Vegan pastries and unique tea options in walking distance to Golden Gate Park Irving St. - 5/5 Street I stumbled upon on my way to Golden Gate Park filled with many Asian businesses Golden Gate Park - 5/5 Best attraction in San Francisco de Young Museum - 5/5 Better than MoMa because more art; good curated and informative collections Conservatory of Flowers - 2/5 Cool if you like plants because there are more plants than flowers Queen Wilhelmina Garden - 0/5 Pointless if it’s not tulip season Lands End Lookout - 3/5 I wanted a view of the ocean and got it as I walked from Queen Wilhelmina Garden, but I would have needed to walk further to get closer to the beach and bridge. I treated it as a destination and not the start to a destination. The Camera Obscura - 0/5 I was lured inside by the exterior, but this was not as cool as I thought it would be. Tiny Sushi - Oh Baby - 3/5 My fresh guava juice was good and the menu was vegan friendly, but again, nothing stood out for me, which sums up San Francisco food to me. Lara’s Airbnb in Daly City - 5/5 Close walk to a shopping center with a Trader Joe’s and a ~15 minute drive into the city
D.C. is the museum mecca of the East Coast. If you are from the east cost and have the opportunity to live in the DC Metro area for a couple of years, I highly suggest it just for the museums and monuments. The best part is most of them are FREE. Art museum-wise, my favorite is The Hirshhorn, which I've been to several times. I did not enjoy Artechouse-immersive art experiences are not for me-or Planet Word and The International Spy Museum, both of which are more catered towards children. Every other museum is a must-go. If you can time travel 10 years into the past, go to the Newseum.
New York City, New York
Because I have seen historical art from the many specialized museums in DC and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art did not offer anything new to me. I have not been to MoMA or the Guggenheim, but if you are into fashion and design, I highly recommend the Museum at FIT and the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. NYC is the fashion capital of America after all. The Met Gala is the whole reason I wanted to go to the Met, but I got lost in the vastness of the museum and never found the Met Gala exhibit.
Los Angeles, California
After my fourth trip to LA, I have now visited all of the city's major art museums. My favorite would have to be the Getty Center, which has a good mix of modern and historical art inside and a beautiful garden and view of the city outside. The Huntington is my other favorite. While their gardens are more famous, I didn't go for the gardens, which I have at home in Maymont. I went for the library and art museum, which I did not expect to be so good. The iconic lamps at LACMA are cool, but I can't remember anything else I saw there. The Broad is a misnomer because they actually have a very small collection. I loved the Jeff Koons exhibit, but I've seen Yayoi Kusama in DC and a big chair in my hometown, so the rest of the museum didn't impress me much. The Museum of Contemporary Art across the street was more interesting. Lastly, while the Norton Simon Museum had some iconic pieces, it was one of the worst art museums I have ever visited: the art was only organized by time period and not curated so I did not learn anything new or deepen my understanding of the world, which is how I derive enjoyment from museums.
San Francisco, California
While I do shit on San Francisco, I did enjoy my time in the city in large part to SF MOMA and the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. SF MOMA is good, but the de Young museum was even better because it had more and more diverse collections. It was gold I did not expect in a haystack: it wasn't even on my radar when researching the city or park. I stumbled upon free admission on the first Tuesday of the month, and it might be the best art museum I've ever visited.
Escape Room reviews do not give me enough details-they're always like "I had so much fun! Yadda yadda yadda" without any substance, so I'm starting my own.
Best Types of Escape Rooms
I used to think lock-based escape rooms were the problem, but the locks aren't the problem-it's the linear story lines associated with the locks. The best escape rooms are ones where you can solve multiple puzzles at once not knowing where they lead.
Sherlock Holmes: Bombs Away at Escape Room Live in Alexandria, VA
This was my very first escape room I've done, and it remains my favorite. Is it because of cognitive bias or the reasons below? To get out, you have to solve not one but three end puzzles. Additionally, my favorite type of puzzle is word puzzles, and this room fit the bill. I couldn't embed it for whatever reason, but Javin B's Yelp review describes the room well (the only good detailed review I could find of all the rooms in this article by the way-well minus the next one on my list which has a thousand reviews because they solicit them and because people have a lot of complaints but more on that later). I also did this room with a bigger group of friends, which definitely contributes to my fond memory of it, but even with a big group of friends, I still had something to do.
I went back to Escape Room Live Alexandria to do The Wizard's Apothecary room and did not enjoy it as much. I was put with a group of girls, the only escape room on this list that pairs you with strangers by the way, who struggled with the most basic puzzles. It has a lower difficulty than the Sherlock Holmes: Bombs Away room and only has vague reviews from families, which I'm starting to think means it's a bad room because if it's made for families, then it is very simple.
All In Adventures in Roanoke, VA
When I applied to work here and did a test run, I was very judgemental because it was only the second room I had ever done and it failed in comparison to Sherlock Holmes: Bombs Away, but after experiencing more escape rooms, these honestly aren't bad at all.
All In Adventures is a franchise, so if you're looking for an immersive experience, you won't find it here. You will be put in one singular rectangle room decorated with wallpaper and minimal props. They are gradually replacing old story lines to make the rooms more interactive, but for the most part, All In Adventures is a lock-based experience with paper laminated clues. I get it-this looks very cheap, and the CEO realized it, which is why newer story lines are more immersive, but the rooms are fun because the puzzles make sense and incorporate a lot of the room and props. You are given exactly what you need, and you don't need to go hunting for it, which makes it a perfect experience for a two-person group. Maybe it's my propensity for word puzzles, but the rooms require more mental than physical work, which makes me enjoy them.
The Wizard's Castle at Gnome & Raven in Richmond, VA
This is the second escape room I've done outside of All In Adventures and the first of highly rated escape rooms in a string since that I have hated.
The first red flag I now know is the word "family" appears twice on their home page. I went with my little cousins so it was fitting at the time, but I would not return for my own adult self-enjoyment.
If All In Adventures is lacking in immersion, then Gnome & Raven is teeming with it. These rooms are huge and contain rooms within rooms. This is a problem when you only have 60 minutes to explore, and the primary thing you are doing is hunting for items and unlocking chests. Yes, despite feeling like you are in a castle, you are still just opening locks to complete this room. It was very much "find this," open this," which is very linear so if you get stuck on one clue, you can't move on without one of unlimited hints, which I'm also starting to realize is a red flag: I should be able to figure the room out on my own minus one or two hints.
The Lost Temple at Escape FLA in Largo, FL
Honestly, this could have been a good escape room, but I can't remember because we spent 20 minutes on an impossible physical puzzle that has been etched into my mind now, which means we couldn't do anything else so this room was also linear as fuck. Reviews also mention "family friendly." We had to use so many hints to escape in time.
Inksidious at Escape Room 66 in Los Angeles, CA
I planned to do research before doing a escape room in LA but with all the city has to offer, I forgot, so I settled on Escape Room 66 for my sister and I's last hours in LA after a quick search due to their high ratings, locality, and award nominations. Getting there was an escape room in itself. I had to call to figure out the entrance. A very friendly worker told us the code to open the large wooden gate leading to the office building. Upon arriving, we learned of the friendly worker's name, Tuesday. I am not sure if that is her real name, but she was so nice, which made me feel bad for my moping in the escape room (more on that later). She gave us a key to the bathroom in a separate office in the building and gave us free key pens for following the business on Instagram. Despite her kindness, I was immediately disappointed as soon as I entered the escape room because of all the locks I saw and the super small space we were in. For $50/person, I thought I would be getting a better experience than that! Because I changed my opinion on locks in escape rooms after All In Adventures, I stopped using that as a search metric to filter out escape rooms, which I'm realizing now is a mistake. To add insult the injury, the story line was very linear despite Tuesday's response at the end after overhearing me moping about it during the room.
I was upset because there was nothing for me to do. If my sister was figuring out a clue I was stuck on, I had nothing to do. If we were stuck on a clue, there was nothing to do besides ask for a hint.
I eventually perked up when we opened a second bigger room, which I didn't know was going to happen! If I knew we had a whole other room to solve, I would've had a more positive attitude and tried harder in the first half to have more time in the second half. The second half was better in that it was less linear, and there was one overarching puzzle we had to solve, but I wish I had more time to explore it myself. Instead, we relied on Tuesday's unlimited hints to escape in time. My sister enjoyed the story line and set design. Ambiance is not as important to me. I think I would have enjoyed the experience more if we got to the second half quicker and had more people to help us with the first half to get there.
Conclusion
I am still very confused on what an escape room needs to satisfy me, but I do know I must re-add the keyword "lock" in my search of reviews along with the words, "family" and "linear" now and sort by lowest review first just like in Goodreads because I can't trust any of these basic ass reviews from the general public who aren't wont to puzzles.
With COVID restrictions lifted and a stable job finally at my helm, I started traveling again: first locally in Virginia, then to further destinations like California and Florida. Here’s how these different cities or areas rank.
1. Roanoke, Virginia
Home is where the heart is. Roanoke is the perfect combination of big time city and small town feel. Although my religious beliefs do not align with those who live here, I can’t say that I’m bored in this city.
2. NOVA/DC
I don’t want to live in NOVA, but I always have a good time when I return. There’s always something new to try, and I’m never disappointed by the vegan food at Loving Hut. I also really enjoyed my biscuit sandwiches from Preservation Biscuit Company and the Oreo cupcake at the Bakeshop next door during my most recent trip to Falls Church. Each individual city in NOVA is a vacation on its own.
3. Blacksburg, Virginia
As a UVA grad, this is heresy to say, but Blacksburg is a much more enjoyable city to visit as an adult than Charlottesville is. The drive on 81 is scenic, and once you’re in the city, you don’t have to deal with the traffic that Charlottesville has. Located less than an hour from Roanoke, Blacksburg fills in what Roanoke is missing: a tried and true boba shop (Kung Fu Tea), a larger international market (Oasis), authentic Chinese food (Spicity), and an eyebrow threader that doesn’t have bad reviews (Best Eyebrows Threading). 4. Charlotte, North Carolina
I went to Charlotte for a Jesse McCartney concert at The Fillmore, and it was a very easy experience. I thought parking and the post-concert traffic would be a pain, but I easily found parking next to the venue at VBGB Beer Hall and Garden. The signs say you have to make a purchase to get your parking validated, but I walked around the restaurant and stumbled upon the QR code to validate my parking without buying anything. I was able to freely use their bathroom and read my book in my car while waiting for the concert to start. After the concert, I waited for traffic to die down before leaving, and it did not take long at all-10 minutes max-and when I left, it was a straight shot to my Airbnb: I dealt with absolutely no traffic. The highway to Charlotte is a different story, but getting around the city was very easy. I went to Ma Ma Wok for delicious vegan friend rice and BBQ drumsticks and Oh My Soul for an expensive but hydrating Guava Push. Ma Ma Wok had a parking lot, but Oh My Soul had very accessible and plenty of street parking in the quaint NoDa neighborhood, which I was able to walk around while waiting for Oh My Soul to open for dinner.
Fun Fact: My first time in Charlotte was a field trip to Carowinds where I didn’t ride any rides and sat with my middle school teachers the entire day because I had no friends! 5. Bethesda, Maryland
You could technically put Bethesda in the NOVA/DC category, but I wanted to shout it out because unlike all the other DMV cities, I had never been here before. I love walking around the Bethesda Row area and parking has never been an issue for me despite the lack of lots.
6. Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro would be higher on this list if Boba House, a vegan restaurant, hadn’t shut down. The pho at BaoBao Kitchen, despite having the same chef, just doesn’t hit the same, and while the vegan ribs banh mi is really good, it’s not enough for me to drive two hours for, but in combination with the Cinnaholic, it could be. Greensboro also has the next closest Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods after Charlottesville. It also has plenty of bubble tea options like Moshi Moshi.
7. Harrisonburg, Virginia
Despite UVA being bigger than JMU, Harrisonburg is yet another college town that ranks higher than Charlottesville on this list simply because of its unexpected Asian vegan options. First, you have Vietopia, which I’ve been going to since my Duke Bowl days. They have a flavorful hu tieu chay broth, while Charlottesville still doesn’t have a Vietnamese restaurant. Next, you have Boboko, which is an Indonesian restaurant that is now unfortunately closed. You can’t even find an Indonesian restaurant in NOVA. Lastly, you have Mashita, a Korean restaurant with an entire separate vegan menu. The Korean restaurants in NOVA don’t even do that. Right next to Mashita is Aristocat Cafe, a cat cafe offering a wide selection of delicious teas. Charlottesville doesn’t have a cat cafe! Bonus: Even the Jonas Brothers have been to Harrisonburg, performing at JMU for College Gameday in 2024.
8. San Diego, California
San Diego is kind of an outlier on this list in that I don’t really have strong opinions about this city other than that its Downtown is the whitest place I’ve ever visited-that is until I realized Roanoke is pretty white too. I’ve enjoyed my time here but don’t really long for it. I would definitely revisit family but wouldn’t go here on my own volition unless it was to Donna Jean for vegan pizza.
9. Pinellas County, Florida
I can see why people retire in Florida: winter does not exist here. I enjoyed shopping at Countryside Mall and eating at Lotus Vegan restaurant, but I hated the roads getting there. In Florida, if you make one wrong turn, whether it be a late or early turn, the only way back is a u-turn. Because there are beaches in Florida, I can’t say these areas are just roads like in Houston, but I did spend a lot of time driving around trying to get to places I wanted to go.
10a. San Francisco, California
San Francisco is a nice walkable city with many pretty sights, but the vegan food here was sooooooo mid to me. It is also a very white and white-adjacent (Asian) city devoid of any culture. 10b. Richmond, Virginia
All of the same problems I had with Richmond when I lived there still exist: it’s a big sprawling city with lack of public transportation from and to the suburbs, and there’s nothing to do in the suburbs. The food options are good, but is it really worth it to drive 20 minutes for a meal for one? If we could combine the walkability of San Francisco and the vegan food of Richmond, then we’d have the perfect city. 11. Charlottesville, Virginia
What is there to do here besides attend the University of Virginia? I hate Emmett 29-it’s so wide and congested, and the vegan options are so lacking for a big college town. I loved the vegan charcuterie at Botanical Fare, but it is no longer on the menu. Harrisonburg is the better stopping point for NOVA road trips and Greensboro the better Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods option.
12. Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh has four lane roads that lead to nowhere and a good vegan restaurant, The Fiction Kitchen, located in a very empty downtown.
13. Chesapeake, Virginia
Last and very least, the #1 reason why I wanted to make this list, is Chesapeake, Virginia. There’s nothing in Chesapeake except the promise of Virginia Beach, and I’ve had better frozen foods than the one restaurant I tried in Chesapeake.
I don't buy milk tea anymore. 1. Because I can make it at home and 2. Because I can't trust these boba shops to make it vegan. So many of them come premade with non-dairy creamer, a misnomer, as it still contains casein, a protein derived from cow's milk.
My go-to order is now Passionfruit Green Tea, which I never understood the hype for because I had literally never eaten a passionfruit before, and my favorite or top bubble tea shop is Kung Fu Tea despite what my San Diego-born bubble tea snob cousins say. Kung Fu Tea is consistent, reliable, and widely available, in addition the other plusses I mentioned in my previous story.
Passionfruit Green Tea is passionfruit when you can't get passionfruit. It's refreshing with the perfect amount of caffeine, not too much to keep me awake, tartness, and sweetness, especially when combined with coconut nata jelly.
Update: I went to San Francisco and tried Boba Guys again. Because they are very vegan friendly, I couldn't cancel them per my last post, and I went against my first paragraph rule and bought a banana milk tea because I had a canned banana milk tea once and it was good. This one was bad. It was so bad, I asked the barista to add hojicha, thinking I made the mistake and ordered the less flavorful banana milk tea drink on the menu. She made another drink for me free of charge so I ended up having not one but two ice cold drinks to carry with me on a windy San Francisco winter day. Reader, she did not make it to her final destination with her drinks: I had no desire to drink them, and my hands were so cold, I had to throw them away, and I NEVER waste food like that. This blood orange tea from Asha was fire though.
Tea house with actual good hojicha: Matcha Cafe Maiko
If you are a fan of the Smithsonian art museums in DC, then you will enjoy the Cooper Hewitt.
The Museum at FIT
Free admission
For those interested in fashion and or design
Your boyfriend will probably be bored and start playing Pokemon Go
World Trade Center + other unique skyscrapers/buildings in New York
If you're into architecture
Other examples:
9/11 Memorial
Flatiron Building
Oculus at One World Trade Center
If you want to see how capitalism has taken advantage of a tragedy
"Imagine if they made a shopping mall at the Holocaust Museum."
All that other touristy stuff
NYC's got something for everyone: 5th Avenue, Times Square, Chinatown, etc.
Not Worth It:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ($12 admission with valid student ID)
If you've been to other art museums, then the Met is not worth it because everything in the Met, I've seen before. Sure the specific pieces will be different, but the collections are the same as say The Getty, LACMA, or any of the DC museums. I recommend these museums because they are smaller and easier to navigate. Aside from LACMA, these museums are also free.
As a person with social anxiety, the Met was way too overwhelming. Because it's so large, it is hard to navigate: not everything is labelled on the map, and you can't access certain parts of the museum without returning to the main lobby. Normally, this would not be a problem, but with a museum so large, it is a lot of work and time wasted trying to find your way [instead of seeing everything and easing your anxiety].
If you're a new museum goer with NYC as your only means to an art museum, then the Met is for you. Otherwise, I'd recommend more niche museums like the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum or Museum at Fit when traveling in the city.
Rocky Neck State ParkLocated right off 95, Rocky Neck State Park is the perfect stop for those looking for a beach on their road trip up north. I really wanted to go to a beach, but the ones I researched were out of the way. Then while leaving Connecticut, a brown sign on the side of the highway granted me my one wish. In addition to a sandy beach filled clear water and bright green seaweed, the state park features a pathway of large rocks adjacent to the water perfect for those looking for an adventure aka bored boyfriends.
Plant CityWhy? Plant City is the first and only vegan food hall in the world.
Not Worth It:
Plant CityWhy? The food is still a work in progress.
Boston
Must Do:
Brookline DispensaryMassachusetts began selling recreational weed in 2018, and this dispensary opened in March 2019 in a former bank, making it one of the prettiest dispensaries in America. Order ahead for pickup to avoid the long lines stretching way outside the door even at 8 p.m. on a weeknight.
Boston Public Garden 😍 What more do I have to say other than we went on a cloudy day and it was still beautiful
Rose Kennedy GreenwayBest viewed at night when the lights are out and the light and water displays are on
Boston Waterfront The perfect spot to view the transition from day to night after the public garden and before you head to the Greenway
Not Worth It:
Arnold Arboretum Maybe it's because we went on rainy day, but it was a lot of effort walking around for not a lot of reward; I don't think I gained anything from the experience besides a little exercise. The bonsai collection was closed by the time we got there. The best part was probably the shrub and vine garden.
A must go if you grew up playing Barbies and love fashion
You can step inside a Barbie box for a photo opportunity, but beware: the box is made for tall skinny people; I finally understand why people don't like Barbie now.
Old Montreal
Put this in your GPS to walk around the cobblestone city by the waterfront
Also where LOV McGill is located
Grocery Shopping
Honestly, this was one of the best parts of our road trip.
$1 100% fruit juices!!!!! like pure grapefruit and a tropical guava mix
Ketchup Doritos
Convenient Store Shopping
For Canadian beer
Fast Food Restaurants
Tim Horton's coming through with the Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich
Even the fast food restaurants like A&W have poutine on the menu...speaking of which
Philadelphia Magic Gardens $8 admission-buy tickets in advance, and do it for the gram. Honestly, this was the only thing in Philadelphia we ended up doing besides eating at Hipcity Veg. Nothing else really captured my eye, and parking was a bitch during a midday afternoon, so we didn't go anywhere else like the Liberty Bell. Everything else the city had to offer, we had already experienced elsewhere.
Not Worth It:
Hipcity Veg There's no reason to go here if you live in DC. A Hipcity Veg in its birthplace is no different than a Hipcity Veg elsewhere.
"hehe the only thing I know about montreal is.... poutine"
When traveling I, like most others, start by researching popular tourist attractions and the local food scene. I can usually and quickly find sensory experiences on TripAdvisor and food options by searching for "Vegan Food" on Yelp. By only searching for vegan food, I filter out a lot of restaurants. However, with Montreal it was a different story.
I had heard of poutine before, but it never really stayed on my mind as a must-have because it wasn't a vegan dish. Little did I know how vegan-friendly Montreal and Canada was. After my boyfriend mentioned poutine, I immediately did a Google search to see if there was indeed vegan poutine. I stumbled upon this list by Miranda Cipolla, https://www.mtlblog.com/best-of-mtl/8-restaurants-in-montreal-where-you-can-get-poutine-yes-vegan-poutine, the only list of its kind, and thus our quest to find the best vegan poutine in Montreal began (and how our meals in Montreal were subsequently planned).
1. LOV. The first stop on our Montreal trip was the first place on Miranda's list: LOV. When researching LOV and many of the restaurants on the list, I was pleasantly surprised to see multiple locations: Canada is so vegan-friendly, it has vegan chains! Although, the multiple locations became super confusing when trying to correspond locations on Google maps with the ones on the list. Adding to the confusion was the language barrier between French and English. Thankfully, LOV McGill was easy enough to remember so in the GPS it went. However, upon seating and looking at the menu, poutine was no where to be found. My boyfriend asked the waiter if they had poutine, and he responded with "Sorry, we don't have poutine." This is a good time to note that I did not thoroughly research the poutine list before our trip, which is very unusual for a planner like me. I somehow figured we would wing it depending on our location. Thus, when the waiter told us there was no poutine, I thought poutine had permanently been removed from the menu. It was only later when researching for this story that I realized poutine was only absent from the weekend brunch menu. Nevertheless, I was not deterred in the moment because we still had seven restaurants left on the list, and we shared a delicious apple french toast at LOV.
2. LOLA ROSA. After walking Old Montreal and downtown Montreal, we were ready to try again. Because the #2 spot on Miranda's list was outside Montreal, we tried going to next spot, Lola Rosa. This is when Google Maps really tripped me up-again, another failure due to my lack of planning-because all the Lola Rosas had different names-four compared to LOV's two. Additionally, all of the addresses were given to us in English on Google, whereas they were French on the list and Yelp.
I ended up choosing the location closest to us at the moment, but there was no parking nearby, so we just gave up because by then I had already planned for us to go to another poutine place on the list-La Banquise-where my boyfriend could try and compare non-vegan and vegan poutine side-by-side.
3. LA BANQUISE. La Banquise is situated outside downtown Montreal and has no other location, so it was pretty easy to find and park nearby. It was also the perfect dinner spot before we headed further north towards our Airbnb in Repentigny.
La Banquise is a poutinerie, meaning it specializes in poutine. At the #8 spot, it is the only poutinerie and non-vegan restaurant on Miranda's list. Upon arriving at La Banquise, you will see a sign at the front of the line informing guests of the accepted forms of payment, which was very smart and considerate. If you do not have Canadian cash or debit, they have conveniently provided an ATM in a corner next to the entrance.
After we converted our money, we were seated outside where our server informed us alcohol would not be served. I was kind of mad at my boyfriend, who's allergic to alcohol, for agreeing to this because I wanted beer with my poutine, but I didn't want to inconvenience the staff or wait any longer for this delicacy. The menu had plenty of customizable options, so essentially any poutine could be made vegan, but because this was our first poutine experience, we opted for the "La Classique." They also offer non-poutine options if you're interested in non-potato foods.
"La [Classique] Véganomane" was very visually appealing.
Unfortunately, its taste did not live up. The vegan gravy was bland, and the mozzarella cheese shreds were not fully melted (traditional poutine is made with melted cheese curds). Even the fries themselves had no flavor. I later bought a beer at a convenience store, which made stomaching these leftover fries easier, but I left La Banquise with the possibility that poutine just wasn't for me like how restaurant tacos aren't for me.
4. 57 CALS. LOLA ROSA (again). VEGAN RAPIDE. & L'GROSE LUXE VEGE. With internet at our Airbnb, I finally did the proper research on the list. I found out that the #2 and #6 restaurants on the list, 57 Cals and L'Grose Luxe Veg, had closed since the list's 2017 publication, so while vegan restaurants were more prevalent in Canada, they were also highly volatile. With three restaurants remaining on the list (Lola Rosa, Vegan Rapide, and Copper Branch), I decided to forgo Lola Rosa because its poutine appeared to be the same as La Banquise's. The Vegan Rapide location on Miranda's list also used shredded cheese, but I found another Vegan Rapide location using vegan cheese curds. I was prepared to order the Orbit Poutine, which came highly recommended by Yelp, with seitan, minced vegan meat, mushrooms, and caramelized onions, despite initially avoiding the restaurant because of its fast food moniker. The next morning came, and my faith in poutine was temporarily restored, but when we arrived at Vegan Rapide, it was closed-permanently. Sadness overwhelmed me to the point of not knowing what to do next, but luckily there was one restaurant left on the list-Copper Branch.
5. COPPER BRANCH Copper Branch wasn't my first choice for several reasons: 1. It was the most chain-y of the list-I had to endlessly scroll on their website to find the location I wanted. 2. It had the worst ratings on Yelp (the location closest to Vegan Rapide had 3/5 stars because a reviewer saw an employee eating a popsicle while preparing his food lol). 3. Their poutine-made with a mushroom gravy and cubed potatoes instead of fries-was the least traditional. Despite all of this, Copper Branch ended up having the best vegan poutine in Montreal. Neither my boyfriend or I expected our last ditch effort to fulfill this quest.
For a different experience, we opted for the sweet potato poutine first. It was a game changer, as the sweet flavor contrasted perfectly with the savory gravy and cheese, which actually melted. It was so good, we regretted not ordering a large, but we ordered a potato one to try too. The potato one was not as distinct, but it was still good because of the gravy, which I deducted as the key to a good poutine.
So to conclude, don't put all your blind trust into a list, especially if it's outdated. Do your own research. However, I wouldn't have had my vegan poutine experience any other way. If it weren't for the horrible poutine at La Banquise, I wouldn't have looked on Yelp for nearby vegan restaurants and discovered Sushi Momo, the best vegan sushi in North America nor would I have given Copper Branch's sweet potato poutine a try-what if I had tried LOV's poutine and been satisfied with plain potato poutine?! I'd still like to go back to LOV to try to their poutine but from what I've eaten, you can't go wrong with Copper Branch's vegan sweet potato poutine. With so many locations, it's highly unlikely it will disappear after reading my list! After visiting for two days, my boyfriend and I know a lot more about Montreal now: everyone is bilingual and assumes you speak French even if you're Asian; it is home to the largest permanent Barbie exhibit in the world; their grocery store juices are fresher and better; their Starbucks equivalent, Tim Horton's, serves Beyond meat; it is the birthplace of poutine, and last but not least, it has a lot of dank vegan food, including poutine.
In the middle of my sister's graduation a month ago, my dad blurted out that my uncle, who I call Chu Ut, was dying and that he only had two months to live. After suffering an accidental fall, he was taken to the hospital, where it was discovered that he had liver and lung cancer with only 4-8 weeks left to live. My dad told my mom, sister, and I not to worry.
A week later, my dad and I made plans to go to see him in San Diego. My dad hadn’t seen him in 23 years, and I only met him once at his wedding when I was 10 months old: it’s funny how it takes a death to bring everyone together. My dad was afraid of going by himself because of his old age, bad hearing, and spotty English, so I volunteered to go with him. We forgot to include my sister in the conversation. Thankfully, my mom, the great planner that she is, made us include my sister in the trip. I didn’t include her because I thought she didn’t like hanging out with my dad. I’m so glad my mom intervened. Otherwise, I would have been super lonely.
Booking tickets was a struggle because I wanted to spend as little money as possible. As a result, I only looked at the prices and completely disregarded the times. I had to cancel the flight I purchased because we would be wasting an entire day if we flew Friday afternoon. I went into panic mode, and luckily my sister took over and rebooked the flights with her prior flying experience.
Two days before our flight, my cousin Brian texted me saying that our uncle had only three days to live. He died later that night. Mom was worried we wouldn’t be able to see him before he passed. She’s more heartbroken by his death than her own grandmother’s death because he died so young. We joke that he was afraid of my dad yelling at him. My sister never got to meet him. I never got to apologize to him for unfriending him on Facebook because I thought it was creepy how he told my dad I was pretty or for never calling him back on Facebook messenger after he called me countless times (I just don’t like it when people call me on Facebook because I’m not sure if it’s a video or voice call). I regret not trying to get to know him. My cousins say he was a good uncle and role model. Although if I had known he was a life long alcoholic and smoker, I would have realized his mortality and made more of an effort to get to know him. Years ago when they were roommates, my dad remembers going to sleep, seeing my uncle with a six-pack, waking up, and the six-pack being gone. Thankfully my dad is only a social drinker, but my uncle needed alcohol to sleep.
I think I last spoke to him on my birthday when my dad called all his siblings in America and wished them a Happy Thanksgiving and subsequently asked them to wish me Happy Birthday because Thanksgiving was the same day as my birthday. I’m not 100% sure if I did talk to him though. If I did, then he sounded perfectly healthy. No one expected he would be dead seven months later: the youngest of seven children, dead before his own mother, and leaving a twenty-year old son to fend for himself.
The day before our flight we learned that his funeral would be three days after our last day in San Diego. It would be too much for my dad and I to request extra time off. We couldn’t believe we would miss him alive and dead, but luckily, we were able to say our good-byes at a fee of $145 to see him early on our last day in California.
Uncle was dead, but there was no use in crying. There was nothing we could do now except enjoy our trip to my dad’s American homeland.
We made it through security just before our boarding time at the airport. My anxious self would not risk going any later. From Greensboro, we flew to Charlotte, where we would board our flight to San Diego. We had to trek through the whole airport to get to our gate, so again, I was afraid we were going to miss our flight. Because we got last minute tickets, we all got middle seats. Luckily, my dad had an empty seat next to him, so I was able to sit with him on the five-hour flight.
I bought him food on the flight, but he didn’t hear me tell him we had to buy it, so he chose an $8 croissant sandwich, which according to my sister was stale and not good. Oh well—I didn’t want him to starve. I worry about him a lot.
Brian and another one of my cousins, Kevin, picked us up from the airport along with my dad’s sister (Co Ngoc). We hugged, but it was kind of awkward because we had never met before. We were in a van so it was not very conducive for conversation between the front and very back seats, so it would take a while for us to get to know each other. I had expected to connect with everyone instantly even though my sister and I had never met these cousins, and again, I had only met my aunt once when I was 10 months old. As a result, I didn’t know at first whether it was my dad’s sister or sister-in-law (Thim 6) in the car.
Once at my other uncle’s house (Chu 6’s house), we ate some vegan banh canh Co Ngoc made. I’ve never liked banh canh, but this one was really good. I had it again the next morning. Then, we rested, but my sister and I were ready to explore! But the old Viet people were worried about our health and wanted us to chill the Cali way. Brian aka our only ride had to pick up a friend, so we waited and waited until finally they came home and took us somewhere! That somewhere was a mall -_- womp not what I had expected.
I admit the Forever21 was nice: it had areas I’d never seen before in a Forever21 like the lifestyle section, and I did finally get an off the shoulder top, but I was a little disappointed we went to a mall. We spent the majority of our time in Forever because the store was huge. As a result, my sister and I would ditch everyone and do our own thing in the store because it was still a little awkward between the cousins and us (by this time, Kevin’s sister, Angie, and Brian’s friend, Tammy, had joined us). The awkwardness started to subside when we left Forever and went to Starbucks, where I interrogated Kevin and asked him a little about his education, etc.
After a long discussion of where to go next #indecisiveasians, we settled on La Jolla Cove because it was on my list. The locals didn’t really want to go anywhere because they were afraid of traffic. There was indeed traffic, but it wasn’t that bad. We saw some sea lions. My sister and I walked down to the beach, and my cousins were attacked by a sea lion. We spent way too much time there for my liking, but we did leave eventually. Our next destination? 85C Bakery.
On the way there, Angie and Tammy asked my sister and I about our hobbies and we got to know a little about them. My sister and I didn’t realize what we did on a normal basis counted as hobbies, so we compiled a list on our respective phones for future conversations. Brian bought everyone drinks and pastries (minus me, of course, because I’m vegan), but he did offer to buy me my shirt at Forever. He’s such a good Anh/Em. Dad’s family is definitely nicer than mom’s.
I learned more about Angie, Tammy, and Brian at 85C, while we waited to pick up Kevin’s twin brother, Andy, from a bus stop. He goes to school in San Francisco, so he also didn’t get to say bye to Uncle.
After we picked up Andy, we went to Native Foods Café, a vegan fast casual restaurant Brian happened to find located across the street from 85C. We talked about Uncle and really started to bond. Brian learned my sister and I drank, and I think that was when all awkwardness evaporated. We bought alcohol after dinner at Von’s, a California grocery store, and played [drinking games] the night away.
The next morning, our cousins went to a friend’s graduation, which my dad was going to force us to go to, but my sister and I vetoed and said, “We got it.” This was our only day exploring the city alone. We went to the Science Museum at Balboa Park and got vegan donuts at Nomad Donuts beforehand (we didn’t tell dad about the donuts, so we technically lied when he asked us if we were at the park yet, and we said yes). My dad called in the middle of our museum trip worrying about us and telling us to come home early, which really irked me. I also got my period at the same time, which intensified my emotions. As a result, I became really cranky until I took two Advils and ate. I don’t know what I would have done if my sister didn’t have a bottle of Advil or if the museum didn’t have “feminine tissues” aka a pad dispenser.
The museum was kind of meh—a lot of thinga ma bobs were broken, but the IMAX movie about civil engineering made it worthwhile. My sister also made her own fidget spinner, but we missed all the cool temporary exhibits.
Next, we went to one of the few free attractions at Balboa, the House of Pacific Relations, featuring “19 cottages and the Hall of Nations representing 34 nations exhibiting culture, traditions, and history.” I was really excited to see this, but then I realized why it was free: it was very underwhelming. I thought that once we walked into these cottages, we would be instantly transported to the country we were in, but it was just an American “house” with relics from the foreign country we were in.
The gift shop at the “United Nations” was way better. That’s when my sour mood started to subside, but unfortunately, I was getting hungry and it was getting late, and I’m a daddy’s girl who listens to her dad, so we left Balboa without fully exploring it to go get food at the last place on my list, Civico 1845, an Italian restaurant with vegan options in Little Italy/Downtown San Diego.
Service was really slow like Yelp said, but the food was good and we received our check at a decent time after finishing our meal. But because of our curfew, we went home right after and didn’t get to explore Little Italy. Yet, when we got home, my dad was nowhere to be found. The hypocrisy and double standard was real.
We rested, went to my dad’s friend’s house to be introduced to his friends, and went back home. We didn’t go anywhere else because it’d be awkward to leave again. For the rest of the day, my sister and I slept, showered, and ate banh mi way past dinnertime. I ate mine with bi chay provided by the temple Thim 6 goes to.
In the morning, I had vegan heo quay (also provided by the temple), banh hoi, and veggies for breakfast. Then, Brian, Andy, my sister, and I went to the mall again—this time to go to other stores—while we waited for Ba Co, dad’s aunt on his dad’s side, to come down from LA. My sister got crop tops; Brian got a smoothie, and I got a pretzel, so it wasn’t a total fail (we have all these stores in NOVA). Ba Co didn’t end up coming even though the whole day was planned for her and because she told us so late, we couldn’t drive to LA ourselves to see her.
I spent the rest of the day finishing my sister’s leftovers from Native Foods because for some reason, I wasn’t really hungry.
The rest of the time was spent hanging out, talking, and playing 13 (Tiến Lên) (I’m sure there was a nap in there somewhere). I learned on this trip that Californians call stuff differently from us East Coasters like how Chandelier/Stack Cup is Rage Cage and 13 is Killer. Kings also has different rules on the west coast. It was very interesting. And they don’t drink cider. Yet, they name their kids, Jefferson and Thomas. Those are the names of the kids Thim 6 babysits. Small world, right? Anyways, we taught them how to play 13. Learning how to play Tiến Lên is like an unofficial rite of passage into adulthood in Vietnamese culture. I’m making this up, but knowing how to play an adult gambling game is pretty cool.
I also bonded as best I could with Anthony, late uncle’s son. I tried but failed at beating him in Tetris. I met him the first day, but he really wasn’t in a talking mood. My sister and I also helped him access his dad’s bank account. Brian joked that the torch as the family translator had been passed from him to us.
I feel so bad for Anthony though. He’s like the little brother I never had. I hurt for him, and I feel like he has issues, but then again, I shouldn't judge him on the one time I see him after his father’s death—anyone would be messed up after a tragic event like that.
The day ended with late night munchies, which Angie bought on her way home from work (Angie, Brian, and I all work at sushi restaurants lol), and family stories like how Chu 6 was the slowest of the siblings and how everyone in the family was a pimp. I clearly did not inherit this from my dad.
I started my last day in Cali with a banh mi, and we finally got to see Chu Ut at the funeral home. My mom was afraid he would be in a morgue so she didn’t want my sister and I to see him and be scared, but thankfully, he was in a homey visitation room, so we all got to see him. My sister didn’t go close to him though. The nice Vietnamese translator lit incense so we could pay our respects. I apologized for unfriending him, and my dad’s heart beat rapidly, as he would later recall to his friends.
Then, we were treated to lunch by my dad’s friend, whose son, Michael, we met our first night in San Diego (he brought every non-vegan tacos). It was also at his graduation party from UCSD where my sister and I met all of my dad’s friends. The Thai place my dad’s friend chose was closed, so we went to a buffet his family used to go to all the time. It was my dad’s friend and his three children: Michael, Josephine, and Danny, who were all younger than me. Everyone was shocked to hear I was almost 25 though. I surprisingly ate a lot, as there were actually a lot of vegan options. I ate more than my dad. It was stunning. I even cleaned up the smallest bits of lo mein.
After lunch, my sister and I napped until it was time to go to Chu Ut’s apartment to help clean up and get rid of his belongings. His ex-wife, who came back to take care of him, wanted to move ASAP because she was afraid of his ghost. Anthony didn’t want to leave though. My mom just told me they’re planning to live there now, which is ridiculous considering how we threw almost everything away. I wasn’t really much help, but I just wanted to go to get to know my uncle by seeing how he lived, and he lived by drinking a lot of Sunny D. Anthony got mad because he couldn’t find something after we left. I hope he found it.
For dinner, I ate fried rice, another delicious meal cooked by Co Ngoc. Chu 6 took my dad, sister, and I for another 85C run because my sister is a momma’s girl and wanted to get my mom pastries as requested. My sister also took family pictures for my mom literally minutes before we left. Again, thank you mom because without you, we wouldn’t have any family pictures. At home, we chilled and played more 13 until it was time for us to leave. And just like that, we were on our way home.
Our flight to Charlotte was a red-eye flight so it wasn’t a big deal that we were separated on the plane—we could just sleep through it. Although I was really sleepy and kept yawning, I couldn’t fall asleep right way, which was kind of annoying. Even though it didn’t feel like I slept a lot, the next thing I knew, we were landing. In Charlotte, we finally had a long layover where I could relax after our first family vacation in 10 years and get a peanut butter cinnamon bagel from Einstein’s.
For a full review of the restaurants I visited, visit my Yelp page.
