adventures in the dmv

weekend getaways- aren't they great?

a weekend trip with your cousin to the DMV to visit the greatest person ever; that person, the greatest one ever? that would be my little sister, made this trip even better than great - it was the greatest. our trip was full of amazing food, beautiful hikes, museums and monuments.

this was Sam's  first trip to DC - one weekend trip to the dmv certainly doesn't give one enough time to fully discover all the amazing things the dmv has to offer - my 7th trip down and i still haven't done everything there is to do!

here is a little glimpse at our weekend trip

Saturday we started our day at the Baltimore veg fest - this was so much fun, i could have spent all day here. there were so many vendors sharing knowledge of a vegan lifestyle, factory farming, vegan dog food and treats plus an array of food vendors selling amazing vegan food. while there i had an amazing beet, carrot, apple & lemon juice, purchased raw vegan chocolate macaroons, vegan coffee cake & palmier es. PETA had t- shirts for sale and i could not resist buying the "I am not a Nugget" shirt, along with human grade vegan doggie treats for my pup Anna. I certainly couldn't leave without buying a batch of "nacho cheeze" vegan raw kale chips plus 3 jars of PB & co peanut butter. before leaving i also had to grab a slice of vegan pizza for a buck.

in the afternoon we took a trip over to great falls national park - one word. amazing. the Potomac divides the park into two sections - the Virginia side and the Maryland side, we explored the Virginia side. at the start of our walk there were a few kayaks & knee boarders challenging the rapids, a little further down we ran into a few rock climbers. around dusk, about halfway through our hike, 4 curious White tailed deer were alongside the trail - absolutely beautiful.

the weather on Sunday was absolutely gorgeous. on Sam's must do list was to visit the DC Zoo. we spent half the day exploring.

while there i wasn't sure how i felt about the zoo, i know where i stand on circuses and the welfare and exploitation of animals - but i was conflicted about the zoo. this trip has prompted me to do a bit more research, i am curious to read others views who share a similar lifestyle as i do.

the animals were pretty active towards late afternoon/early evening - i am assuming it was around feeding time.

in the birdhouse the peacock was certainly putting on a show

after visiting Arlington cemetery and before visiting the zoo we stopped over at sticky fingers. one of my favorite things to do in dc is to EAT! there are so many amazing vegan restaurants in dc, sticky fingers was on my must do list for this visit. we made it just in time for brunch - i get a bit overwhelmed at all vegan restaurants, there are so many choices.

i finally settled on a "not your mothers tuna melt" with tomato and quinoa salad. the tuna melt was made with chickpeas, an array of spices with daiya and tomato served on grilled mulit grain bread - it was amazing. on the side i enjoyed a bit of quinoa salad full of veggies.

my sister ordered the french toast platter with tofu scramble and grits - i have never had grits before, after one bite if hers i am officially hooked - so good! her french toast and tofu scramble were also excellent. know if we could convince sticky fingers to open up here in NH.

cupcakes were a must  - the owner of sticky fingers has won the food networks cupcake wars twice - YAY for vegan cupcakes.

i left with a double coconut cupcake encased in toasted coconut and a red velvet. my sister selected  the margarita cupcake and the strawberry lemonade. the verdict; the coconut was my favorite with the margarita coming in at a close second. the red velvet was okay.

Sarah and i discovered sunflower on my last trip - everything on the menu is vegan or can be made vegan. the food is fantastic and the service super fast.

we started with coconut "shrimp" and salt n' pepper chik'n

both were amazing - this day was definitely a cheat day...meaning all the foods i am not suppose to eat - fried, spicy and faux meat , these types of foods make my tummy very angry, so this was more like a farewell meal for me, a lesson learned to continue to only  eat the foods that make me feel 100%

Sarah and i split the sunflower platter- wheat meat, oyster mushrooms, greens & celery sauteed in a spicy brown sauce along with an order of pineapple rice - pineapple, faux ham, zucchini & rice tossed in a tomato based sauce.

on Friday night after a fantastic dinner of yellow gazpacho, coconut fried tofu bites with a plum sauce and vegan lemon lime cheesecake we headed over to fairouz a hookah bar. were we smoked hookah (mango) and relaxed for a bit. this is also where i had the worst / strongest drink ever - vodka that literally tasted like rubbing alcohol - after 3 sips i was all set. hookah good, drink awful.

another amazing trip to the dmv made even better with the company of my cousin and sister.