Last spring Derek and I went to New York City to meet up with his cousins visiting from Belgium. This was the first time since I’d been to the city in years. I was a little apprehensive, mainly because of how the city and state handled *you know what*. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The city did not disappoint; I’d forgotten how wonderful Manhattan is.

As I chatted about in my New York post from a few years ago, being plant-based vegan in Manhattan is incredibly easy. It seems as though there’s a vegan spot around every corner, many of which are even organic. Naturally, I’m in heaven. I want to try ALL the things!

We did get to try some new spots on this visit, as well as the tried and true ones. Below are some of the highlights of our trip.

Le Botaniste

I cannot express my obsession for Le Botaniste effectively through this post. I love it so much!

It’s amazing how plans just work out sometimes. For starters, we found a perfect VRBO right around the corner from the Park Avenue condo where the cousins were staying. Then, I discovered Le Botaniste – an organic plant-based restaurant was literally 250ft away from our rental. But the real kicker? I found out through the restaurants’ about page that Le Botaniste was created and inspired by Belgium! Incroyable (French word for incredible)!

The menu, which is all organic and plant-based, has “globally-inspired dishes: Spicy Chili Sin Carne, Tibetan Mama coconut curry and the surprising Pasta Bolo”.

Juice Press

Juice Press all day, everyday. Oh my gosh, if I lived in New York City I think that’s where all my money would go and it would be easy to do since there seems to be a Juice Press around every corner. Seriously, there are at least 30+ in Manhattan. Heck, there was even one when we got off the plane at JFK.

My favorites are the blue magic smoothie and the vegetable broth. The latter might not sound that exciting, but their veggie broth is the most delicious liquid I’ve ever tasted. They serve the broth in a to-go coffee cup so you can sip while you wander the city.

The Butcher’s Daughter

The Butcher’s Daughter has become a tradition, whether we’re on the west coast in LA or in Manhattan. It’s definitely one of the best veggie spots I’ve ever been to; it’s a total vibe. They offer some delicious juice on tap, including wellness shots.

Where did we stay?

Derek found the perfect VRBO top floor condo right around the corner from the cousins staying on Park Avenue. Sadly, I forgot to take many pictures of the condo. All I have is this random mirror selfie in my favorite scarf.

What did we do?

We played tourists, because well…we’re tourists while in NYC. 🙂 The cousins arrived a few days before us, so they went ahead and visited the spots that we’ve done before (or didn’t care to do again).

We packed a lot in – SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a bit of shopping, and more.

Until next time, NYC.

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