If you read my last post, you'll know that we spent the first full day of our vacation in Philadelphia. It was such a fun, busy, crowded day at Comic Con, but on Sunday, we were ready for something of a slower pace. After a little bit of discussion, Mom, Gary, and I decided we'd like to spend the day in one of our favorite small towns, New Hope, PA.

Historic New Hope is home to numerous 18th century buildings.

I've been to New Hope twice before, and I absolutely love it there. The town has such a great vibe. Almost the whole main area of the town is made up of historic buildings that have been restored without too much updating, which I find so charming. They capture the original splendor of brick walls and old fireplaces, while keeping things looking clean and crisp. There are almost no chain restaurants or stores, opting for local fare instead. Coming from a town that's being overtaken by franchises and losing its historic charm at a shockingly rapid pace, that's something very important to me. So, I was quite happy to go back.

We checked out of our hotel Sunday morning, packing a cooler of fruit for the back seat. Charlotte and I enjoyed a breakfast of bananas and berries in the car on our way. It was a pretty quick drive from Philly to New Hope, and we arrived just about the time that the stores were opening. We found a parking spot on the street right at the start of the business district, and Mom immediately found a spice store and located the Hawaiian black lava salt that she'd been searching for since her visit to us a few weeks prior. (I have a few unique sea salts in my cabinet.) She was pretty excited about it, too. We walked a short distance and in a window I saw a sign reading "Vegan Jerky". You know I had to see what that was all about. The owner of The New Hope House of Jerky was standing out front and mom quickly informed him that Charlotte and I were vegan and were curious about his vegan jerky. Even though he wasn't open yet, he invited us in and showed us to the display of Louisville Vegan Jerky Co products. He happened to have a bag of their Sesame Teriyaki flavor opened, and offered us a sample. Holy hell!!! The stuff is amazing. The texture is great, tough but not hard to chew at all, and the flavor is infused in every morsel. It's just salty enough to feel decedent, and all of the ingredients are easy to pronounce. It's made with textured soy protein and spices, vinegar and oil where needed. I walked out with two bags, one of the sampled flavor and one Bourbon Smoked Chipotle. Charlotte was hooked from the first bite, too. I know that the vegan/plant-based movement is growing when you can buy vegan jerky right beside the regular stuff in a store that prides itself on all of the unique animal jerkies (is that a word?) it sells. We're changing the world, people! (FYI, I just ordered more this week from Amazon... all the flavors!)

Posing by the canal with my baby.  It's such a pretty town. — Posing by the canal with my baby. It's such a pretty town.

After our jerky purchase, Charlotte and I met up with Mom and Gary at Karla's, a European-style restaurant on West Mechanic Street. It's the cutest little place! The whole patio area is encased in salvaged doors that give it a cool eclectic feel. The original (probably 1700s) brick floor is abused and uneven, and beautiful in its historic splendor. Gary had a gigantic slice of quiche, non-vegan of course, that he loved. Mom had a Bloody Mary because... Sunday. I just had a hot tea since I knew we'd be going to lunch at the vegetarian restaurant in a little while. However, I would love to go back and try some of her plant-based fare. There's a gazpacho on the menu that's calling my name.

We walked leisurely after leaving Karla's, stopping in several shops along the way. Charlotte and I ventured into a clothing store that specializes in tie-dye and "hippy" style clothing, where she found some little bean bag animals. Of course, I bought her a couple. The neatest thing in the store, however, was the life-size Buddha that sits next to the counter. Charlotte hugged him, which was adorable. Apparently, he's for sale, but you'll have to shell out $1,000 for him. If I had that kind of money, I'd love to have him sitting in the corner of the yoga studio.

Trying out some shades during our stroll.

One of my favorite things about New Hope is the art work. Everywhere you look, there are sculptures, painting, jewelry, knick-knacks made by local artists. I feel like these unique items give a town such character. I love walking around in the shops and seeing paintings of the local scenery, or looking at jewelry where the man who made it is sitting behind the counter ready to answer any questions you have. In a world where it seems things are becoming more and more commercial, it's so nice to know there are places that nurture an old-world way of doing things.

Strolling with her Nina. Look at those brick sidewalks... so lovely.

Once we reached the middle of town, we hung a left and headed to Union Square Drive to find the vegetarian restaurant that was suggested to me by one of my awesome fellow vegan-mom bloggers, Lauren of NaturallyLauren.com. Sprig and Vine is a gourmet vegan restaurant specializing in local, seasonal food. We arrived around lunch time and were asked if we had a reservation. Uh oh! That's not a good sign. The restaurant was packed, but as it turns out, they save seats at the bar and outside for walk-in customers. Yay! We decided to have a seat outside and enjoy the lovely day. Gary decided this wasn't his cup of tea, so he left us ladies to enjoy lunch and headed off to get a drink by the river. After perusing the menu, it was clear that anything we chose would be delicious making it so difficult to decide what to order, but we finally made our choices. Mom ordered the scrambled tofu tacos with corn tortilla, avocado, spinach, smoked paprika aioli, habanero-chili ranchero sauce, radish, and cilantro. I chose the yellow corn grits with coconut milk, lime leaf, chili-oil, baby bok choi, scallion, and peanut. For Charlotte, we ordered chocolate chip pancakes. She never eats sweet, decedent food, so I figured we'd let her splurge on vacation. We asked for two orders of kale chips, since we're both addicts, and a bowl of fermented veggies. When traveling, it's always a great idea to get fermented food in as often as possible, since stomachs tend to get a little wonky when they're off their schedule. This combo was kohrabi, radish, and carrots. So tasty! The kale chips weren't extremely flavorful, but reminded me of the burned cheese I used to pick off of the aluminum foil after mom would make nachos when I was a kid. LOL! In other words, they were cheesy tasting. I really like them, but mom said she wished they had a bit more seasoning. When our meals came, I was really impressed with the presentation. It was tough to take a bite of my grits and ruin their beauty, but once I did I was in love. The word "orgasmic" comes to mind. The grits were so creamy, almost sweet, and the chili oil added just a hint of spice. The addition of the earthy bok choi was a perfect way to top them off. I found myself wishing I had ordered two bowls. I wasn't that hungry, I just wanted to experience that feeling again. I literally moaned when I took the first bite. Yes, they were that good. Charlotte said her pancakes (which I somehow forgot to take a picture of) were "soooo gooood." Since she ate half of an adult portion, I'd say they must've been pretty tasty. Mom also adored her tacos. In her own words, they were "Fabulous. Excellent. Filling." They were definitely pretty and smelled amazing. I can't wait to go back next trip and try something else on the menu. They offer biscuits and cashew-herb gravy, for God sakes! It was so hard to turn that down, but I didn't think that eating something so heavy would be a good idea after eating raw for two months. Next time... ;-)

Kale chips and mom's scrambled tofu tacos.

My incredible grits!  I want to fill a bathtub with this and roll in it. — My incredible grits! I want to fill a bathtub with this and roll in it.

While eating, a lovely couple sat down at the table beside us, and we struck up a conversation. We discussed our reasons for becoming vegan, and I discovered that the man was a doctor who made his choice based on scientific research, which I thought was pretty cool. We ended up talking for an hour or more after our meal. Eventually, Mom decided to go meet Gary and take Charlotte with her. I told her I'd be right behind her, but ended up sitting and talking to my new friends a while longer. And wouldn't you know it, my phone battery died around that time. When I finally bid farewell, I began the walk back to Main Street. I had no idea where Mom and Gary were with my child, but I figured I would find them pretty easily in a small town with one main strip of shops. I walked to the end of the shops where the residential area starts and was in awe of the beautiful historic homes. If I didn't mind cold winters, I'd love to live there. The town makes me fall in love with it again every time I visit.

After turning around and heading back toward where we parked the car, I finally found my family sitting at the outdoor bar area of Mojito, a Cuban café. Gary had made a couple of new friends, too, as I found out. They were busy discussing politics at the bar (yikes!), while Mom and Charlotte were sitting at a bistro table behind them. Luckily for me, there was an outlet right beside the table, so I was able to charge my phone. Charlotte was completely exhausted by this point, so she crawled into my lap and fell fast asleep. We ended up sitting there for the duration of her nap, chatting with the other patrons. There was a sweet couple who came in with their newborn baby girl, and we shared pregnancy and birth stories for a bit. That's always a great bar conversation. Haha! I just love how friendly people are in New Hope.

Once Charlotte awoke, we were ready to head home, but not before she got to do her favorite part of coming to New Hope... walking over the bridge. The bridge between Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA spans the width of the Delaware River, and has a line drawn in the middle dividing the states. It's obligatory to take your picture straddling the line, so that's what we did.

Can you see the excitement on her face or what?  The kid is such a great traveler. — Can you see the excitement on her face or what? The kid is such a great traveler.

Once we made it to the other side of the bridge, we made a potty break at the Lambertville Station Inn. The Inn was a train station at one time, and it's full of history. Charlotte just really enjoys using their bathrooms because they're so pretty. Honestly, I agree. The restaurant is a pretty cool place to hang out. According to Mom and Gary, they have great cocktails, and I saw a black bean and basmati rice burger on the menu, which is a great sign. I've not eaten there, myself, but Mom likes it a lot. They source a lot of local foods, and I'm sure they're the kind of place that would prepare a vegan meal for a guest, no problem. One of these days, we'll have to spend more time exploring Lambertville and try it out.

Our Sunday in New Hope was once again an enjoyable one. I adore the laid-back attitude and hippy feel of the town. It's definitely my kind of place. I look forward to going back soon and exploring some more.