Vacation!!!!

For the first time in a few years I finally got to go on vacation to a NEW place!!! New York was an amazing adventure filled with the 3 F's (friends, family, and food). This was my first trip to a new place since my diagnosis almost seven years ago. I know what you are thinking, wow! this girl never gets to travel. Well it's true, traveling is something I want to do but don't have a budget for right now. I didn't realize how different it was going to be traveling with food allergies. Keep reading to learn about some restaurants I found and the ways I managed to not get glutened.

The first part of the trip was spent in upstate New York. Kingston/Boiceville were beautiful with a small town feel. My cousin got married at Onteora Mountain House. It was a beautiful venue in the mountains. The rehearsal dinner was at Hickory Smoked BBQ in Kingston. The restaurant was amazing at verifying all of the food they served. Platters were delivered to each table, but to make sure there was not going to be an issue, a separate plate was brought to me (directly from the kitchen) with a little bit of everything I could eat. When I wanted more food, the wait staff was great at bringing me out individual servings of everything. The wedding venue itself provided a gluten-free/ vegetarian option for wedding guests. I am still trying to figure out what I ate, but can tell you they have great bartenders that make great drinks. I don't know what I would have done without the open bar. The brunch provided the next morning was nice with an omelette station, fresh fruit, and some other not gluten free items.

Next came a few days in the East Northport neighborhood of Long Island. This included a day trip to Greenport, some wine tasting, and a stop at a side of the road farm stand. Greenport was a cute little city right on the water. We had amazing seafood at a restaurant called Crabby Jerry's. I didn't get a picture of my fresh seafood because I was so hungry I couldn't wait to start eating. We found an old-school ice cream shop and got root beer floats, took a walk and ride on a carousel. On the way home we stopped at Pindar Winery, only to find out they do not ship to California, and at a farm stand to get some fresh corn and fruit.

The trip ended with a few beautiful and hot days in "The City". My family and I stayed in a beautiful (brand new) Hampton Inn a few blocks from Times Square. We ate at a variety of different restaurants including Etcetera, Etcetera (http://etcetcnyc.com), The Lincoln Square Steak (http://lincolnsquaresteak.com), Macy's in Harold Square, and Ben's Kosher Cuisine. We also did the typical touristy thing, sightseeing by Circle Line Tour, The Empire State Building, the 9/11 Museum, and Times Square. Check out those amazing coffee cups from the Hampton Inn.

 This was dinner on the way home! The wine was courtesy of United Airlines for not having a pilot in the correct airport when it was time to take off. We only left 90 minutes late!

 I was very impressed how gluten free friendly all of the restaurants on the trip were. I had no trouble finding food to eat or places to snack around the city. My fear of traveling is over and i know i can feel comfortable eating most anywhere I choose to travel.

Have you been to NYC and found a gluten free friendly restaurant? Please share!!

Breana