Staycation: A Night in Manhattan

On top of the world: Empire State Building Observatory

In the original Fame, one of the characters lives in an apartment in Times Square.

But unlike the movies, most New Yorkers live in more residential neighborhoods. So I jumped at the chance to spend the night at the Embassy Suites on 37th Street.

The new hotel, the first Embassy Suites in NYC, is officially Embassy Suites by Hilton New York Midtown. And it's ideally located for anyone spending a couple of days seeing Broadway shows, visiting museums, and of, course, going to the top of the Empire State Building.

On top of the world

Room with a view AND windows that open

Before my recent stay, I had only been to the top of the ESB once (I also edited at a magazine in the building for 8 years). I was with 2 of my daughters, then 5 and 10 years old. As soon as we got to the top, the power went out in the trip-state region and we had to walk down 86 stories, and 6 and a half miles home.

Skylawn Bar at Embassy Suites

This time, with the 5 year old now 20, nothing so dramatic happened. And we actually got to go twice. We had a New York CityPass, which allowed us to go in daylight, and after 10pm. How convenient that we were only 3 blocks away.

My foodie 20 year old also had a bucket list for her short time back in NYC between her summer internship in Buenos Aires and returning to college. One place on it was Beyond Sushi, a vegan sushi restaurant that happened to be just a block from the hotel.

Colorful and tasty vegan sushi

Plant based dining

Beyond Sushi, a mini NYC chain, has plant based sushi and dishes like 'fun guy' mushroom dumplings, (say it out loud) noodle soups and curries and shared plates with roasted cauliflower, eggplant with tahini and farro sunchoke risotto. We over ordered but managed to eat everything.

Hotel food and more

Some rooms at the Embassy Suites have balconies

The Embassy Suites has a cocktail and appetizer evening reception daily, with a rotating menu of snacks. We checked it out and there was cheese, chips and bean dip. Just for journalistic purposes, I had a martini and it was quite delicious. There were meaty olives and it was icy cold.

If you want a craft cocktail, with top shelf liquor, the SkyLawn Bar has both indoor and outdoor seating and local spirits. Brooklyn distillery NY Distilling Company supplies the local Dorothy Parker gin (one of my faves) and Ragtime Rye Whiskey. There is also a Rooftop Cinema Club, open to the public. Hotel guests get priority seating.

A bar for little kids: the cereal bar

Like all Embassy Suites, the hotel includes breakfast. Omelets are made to order, with lots of fresh veggies. There is also fruit, cereal and yogurt. We were impressed that the fruit included fresh mango.

Leaving the hotel

Apps at the evening reception

If you are traveling with little kids, Bryant Park has a carousel, and free games and crafts. Once there's a nip in the air, the park has free ice skating.

Madame Tussauds New York features wax replicas of local celebrities. And you can also walk The High Line from the northern terminus on 34th Street down to the Meatpacking District.

Note: I was given a complimentary one night stay at Embassy Suites. Opinions expressed are my own.

A New Love: Vegan Philly Cheesesteak

All in red for Philly Love Run

Before and after a long run, carbs are your friend. For the first time, I traveled for a race, the Philadelphia Love Run. This half marathon starts near the iconic "Rocky' steps. But unlike Rocky, I don't drink raw eggs as part of my training.

Vegan cheesesteak from Wiz Kid

We drove to Philly, since taking the train or bus involves lots of walking. What I didn't factor in was how many tourist things we'd want to do in the city. The day before the race, a day where I usually try to rest a bit, I walked over 12 miles.

I stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar, which just so happened to be within blocks of 5 places where we were planning to eat.

Kimpton stays the same

Kimpton welcomes runers

This was my first time staying in a Kimpton since the chain was acquired by IHG, but the hotel still retained its individuality. Everyone at the hotel was exceptionally friendly, and dogs are treated like royalty. Each canine guest has its name written on a chalkboard, and there are treats and a water bowl at all time.

In the morning, there was coffee in the lobby, and wine in the evening. [Sadly, no wine when you are running a race]. Best of all, the morning of the half marathon, there was a bowl of fruit, plus Gatorade and water bottles. I always drink a water on the way to a run, so this was perfect.

And everyone running - there were at least 30 of us in the hotel the morning of the race - got a late checkout.

Triple threat (for your waistline): triple chocolate donut

Federal Donuts

One of those places was Federal Donuts. The carbs in a donut are negated by a 13.1 mile run. And even if you aren't planning a long run, the donuts are worth the splurge. The mini chain is owned by the same geniuses being Zahav, a fantastic Mediterranean restaurant. [We tried to get a reservation a month earlier but were shut out].

After the Love run, Philly bling

There are only a few choices at Federal Donuts, but we loved our selection; a triple chocolate and a peanut butter malt.

Lose a toe nail? Check the Mütter

The Mütter Museum specializes in the human body, with actual skeletons and specimens. You can see what gangrene does to a foot, or tumors preserved in liquid. Since runners have grotesque food oddities - we share tales of toe nails that fall off and strange foot lumps. X-rays of runners' bodies would fit right in at the Mütter.

The Impossible Burger at Wiz Kid

Photographs are not allowed at the Mütter Museum.

Sense of the city

The walkable city map at the History Museum

The Philadelphia History Museum deserved a visit because it has a huge walkable map of the city. I figured it would be fun to walk over the race route. We also checked out artifacts like photographs from the Saturday Evening Post. The magazine was published in Philly, and the museum owns a complete collection of Norman Rockwell covers for the magazine.

That vegan cheesesteak

"Cheesy" sweet potato fries

After the run, we walked two blocks to Wiz Kid, a fast casual off shoot of Vedge and V Street Kitchen. You don't want to wait a long time for your food after a run.

We had the gooey, messy and utterly delicious Wiz Kid Philly, made with seitan, mushrooms, onions and 'wiz' sauce made from rutabagas. Believe me, it worked.

The KFT

Since there were three of us, we also got the KFT - Korean fried tempeh with kimchee and sriracha, and an Impossible Burger special.

The back up camera on the Toyota C-HR, incorporated into the rear view mirror

The Wiz fries, smothered in that vegan cheese sauce, were a must. In a nod to health, we had sweet potato fries.

The wheels - a Toyota C-HR

We drove this sharp looking Toyota C-HR. It has an aerodynamic design, but a pretty large blind spot Luckily, it also has a blind spot monitor. You have to train yourself to rely on the tech.

The car has Toyota Safety Sense P, which includes pre collision alert, pedestrian detection and lane departure alert.

The swooping roof looks great but reduces sight lines

My favorite feature is automatic high beams; you can see clearly at night, but when another car approaches, the lights dim.

The C-HR [which stands for coupe high rider] is sexy and eye catching. The Ruby Flare looked great, even though a flock of pigeons christened it early in the drive. I also drove a teal C-HR in Florida in early March.

Most important, the Toyota C-HR was quite comfortable. After all the walking and running - and eating - I needed to relax.

Note: Toyota loaned me the C-HR and Kimpton provided a complimentary room. Opinions expressed are my own.

Local Foods: For Vegetarians, Vegans AND Meat Eaters

Great vegan food in Houston

Eating local can be great for a vegetarian. But what about when you are in Texas, land of the meat eater?

List of farmers at Local Foods

We 'discovered' a local chain in Houston, Local Foods. This is one of a long line of upgraded fast casual places, where you order at a counter and your food is delivered.

But Local Foods outshines its competition. It offers inventive soups, sandwiches and salads that will please a wide variety of people. And it has local beer.

What it doesn't have is hot coffee.  We were in Houston during a spell of a cold rain, and the nitro cold brew on tap just wasn't appealing. But everything else was spot on.

The delicious sides at Local Foods

We had the garden sammie, with brussels sprouts, avocado, hummus and pickled onions. You get 2 sides with it. We chose beets and chickpeas with cauliflower.

The other great vegetarian choice was vegan meat balls, made from mushrooms and pecans. It had a spicy tomato sauce. With it we had Tuscan Kale salad and a squash said with figs and carrots.

Vegan 'meat' ball sub

My meat eating brothers-in-law raved about their roast beef with curried cauliflower and turkey confit with brie.

Next time I have to try the vegan gumbo and vegan taco salad.

And the Cavo last with pomegranate. And the dinner vegan cheese steak.

Travel to Central and South America: Bogota Latin Bistro

BBQ tofu special

With one kid spending her junior year in Ecuador and another who studied in Chile, we have had more than the usual exposure to Central and South American cuisine. It seemed fitting, when our youngest went off to South America, that we revisit Bogota Latin Bistro.

Pom palm salad

This lively restaurant, which can get quite loud (blame the cocktail menu, which specializes mojitos and Caipirinhas by the pitcher) has a quieter enclosed backyard, where we ate the other night. And if you are not a rum fan, the Hendrick's mojito subs in gin, with the addition of elderflower liqueur. Lovely.

Not just rice and beans

I love rice and beans, but as a vegetarian, I eat this often. Here, you can go beyond that. Entrees come with two sides, including quinoa, kale with red onion, plantains, cabbage salad and cilantro mashed potatoes.  There are vegan beans or ones with pork. I've had all the vegetarian and vegan options over the years.

Chipotle corn crusted salmon 

There are arepas and empanadas, guacamole and ceviche to start. We shared a pom palm salad; hearts of palm with pomegranate seeds, avocado, mango and a mess of greens.

Gluten free? They've got you

Bogota has a dauntingly large menu, with its own vegetarian section, and vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options designated throughout. There are two dedicated gluten free fryers.

I usually have the quinoa cakes, a vegan take on crab cakes, with a spicy sauce, or the vegetarian plate: rice and beans, with threes sides. There are also vegetable tacos and grilled tofu.  I had a special of BBQ tofu since it was almost Labor Day.

There are also lots of fish options, from fish tacos to several preparations of salmon.  The chipotle corn crusted salmon was spicy and perfectly cooked.

Bring on the Veggies: Luxe Vegetarian at Nix

A winner: the shaved brussels sprouts

The beginning of the year is often a time of asceticism: after over-induluging at the holidays, people exercise more, go on a diet, drink less. So it was easy to convince my carnivore friends to try out the vegetarian Nix in Greenwich Village. This is not abstemious dining by any stretch (and there are wonderful, inventive cocktails) but they were trying to eat less meat and since it was my birthday, I got to choose the place.

Nix is owned by the same team behind Dovetail, but it's less formal and strictly meat-free. What it isn't is less expensive, because the sharing plates add up and before you know it, you've accumulated a hefty bill.

Michelin star

Nix was just awarded a Michelin star, which means reservations could be harder to come by. We made one four weeks before, but late January isn't really a big dining out time in New York.

This broccoli dish is off the menu

Dipping in

We started with the delicious tandoor bread and a couple of dips. The flatbread is delicious, but $6 for one is a bit steep. The labneh and red pepper walnut dip (Muhammara) were both quite tasty, but each dip is $5; 2 breads and 2 dips and you're already $22 in.

Drinks

Sunchoke salad, a lighter dish

Most of the cocktails are $14. We had a Nix martini, with vodka and thyme, the Honey Bee, with gin, sake, and Thai basil and the Albion, another gin drink on the rocks, with blackberries. All had just the right proportions and it was easy to order a second round. Wines start at $50 a bottle and quickly go up.

If you are avoiding alcohol entirely, there are homemade sodas: Pear & cardamom; Blackberry & juniper; and Mango & paprika.

The sharing economy

Shiitake cacio e pepe

Our server told us that 'chef recommends' 3-4 'lighter' sharing plates for a party of four, and 3-4 'bolder' plates. In other words, an appetizer and an entree per person. The lighter plates are $13-15 and the older are $16-30. We followed the numbers and while the flavors were exceptional, the portions were not really sharing size, and we joked that chef recommended you have a sandwich before coming. 

The only dish we didn't love was tofu-skin pockets filled with sweet potato and a tomatillo pepito salsa. But maybe we were just annoyed that the dish comes with three, so we were up-sold to a fourth. If the plates are for sharing, how many tables have three people? On the night we were there, not a single one.

But the roasted sunchokes with living greens were outstanding, as was a broccoli, cheese and peanut dish that is no longer on the menu.  We also had the jicama salad with blood orange. Our favorite lighter dish was the shaved brussels sprouts with almonds and cheese.

Service snafus

Artichokes with broccoli rabe

The plate sharing, unlike the sharing economy, leads to table overload; we got a glut of dishes all at once and were overwhelmed with dishes, our own plates, and serving spoons. But once we had each taken a little bit, busboys kept trying to whisk the half filled plates away. If you are the first person taking food from a sharing dish, you want to make sure everyone has, so you don't take enough, and then the next person takes even less; you need to go around a second time to finish the dish. But we felt we had to fight off the busboys and keep our plates.

The same thing happened with our $6 bread. We had one, ordered another and before we could finish it, someone had grabbed the plate away, along with our dips.

Swoon-worthy vegetarian food

On the other hand, we swooned over the shiitake cacce e pepe with polenta and the intoxicating braised cabbage with potato puree and truffles. I guarded these closely so we could savor every scrap.

If you are vegan, there is a separate menu. Some of the dishes,  like the 'bolder' Artichoke and broccoli rabe sauté, with preserved tomatoes, show up on both menus, but there are few extras on the vegan one. Since you rarely see broccoli rabe on a menu, we had to get it, and the bitterness of the greens played off the sweetness of the tomatoes. Plus, we got to ask my husband, Rob, "more broccoli, Rob?"

Because I loved so much of the food, I would definitely eat here again. I'd just make sure I had a hearty lunch beforehand.