Mmmmmm. Vegan Ice Cream

Ice cream.  The long lost delicacy of the vegan.  A remnant of worlds past, this delicious delight exists in the dreams – or nightmares – of those dedicated few who chose to call themselves vegans.  Or that was until I stumbled over my neighborhood vegan ice cream shop.

That’s right.  Vegan ice cream shop.

Now I know there are vegan ice cream options in the freezer section of my nearest health foods store.  Between coconut, hemp, almond, and whatever else you can freeze, these options are plentiful.  But I’m not talking about the bland, freezer-burned, chalky flavors found in the frozen section of Whole Foods.  I’m talking about the real deal: amazing, delicious, hand-served, in-house made ice cream.

Lucky for me, less than half a block away is Stōgo, a vegan ice cream haven.  Through the day I’ll catch myself fantasizing about which dairy-free ice creams I’ll be choosing from later that night. Flavors like Creamsicle, Coconut Green Tea, and Mojito Sorbet come to mind.  Despite just having devoured an entire 10 ounce cup, my mouth is already beginning to salivate.  If you can’t tell, I love ice cream.  It’s probably my most favorite thing in the world next to blankets—yes, I love blankets.

I usually don’t go out and advertise for people, but this place deserves it.  Stōgo offers tons of crazy flavors that will get your palate educated in the pleasures of being vegan.  They even offer seasonal flavors.  Being that Thanksgiving just passed, tonight I grabbed up the remains of some Pumpkin Pie and Coconut Sweet Potato.  I even threw in a new flavor that I just couldn’t resist: Vegan Eggnog.

I dare not write more, for I am already fighting off the urge to run down the street and grab another.  I guess living this close is a double edge sword.  Gift and curse alike, one thing is for certain: the people at Stōgo are making vegan ice cream nostalgia a thing of the past.

For any of you in NYC, Stōgo is located on 159 2nd Ave, entrance on E 10th street between 2nd and 3rd.

New York City

On a tiny island with millions of people, I have come to find my home.  An intriguing place, Manhattan offers a world of possibility fueled with lightening fast speeds that can either elevate or destroy you.  Whether you’re searching for enlightenment or fists full of money, NYC can accomodate your progression.  At the same time, it can be your biggest hurdle.

In the epicenter of what many call the modern world, New York City stands as a platform for rapid movement.  Both literally and energetically, everything moves fast here.

Before I came to the East Coast, I was used to a life of open spaces, leisure, and sunshine.  In Los Angeles, life was a task that could be put off until tomorrow.  Procrastination and the settled nature of my ways was tolerated with tones of acceptance and relaxation.  If I missed a week of yoga or sat at home waiting for my next gig, I knew that I could always ‘pick it up’ tomorrow.

This mentality does not exist in New York. If you decide to wait around, life will not only pass you by, but it will beat you up.  The first week in my new abode gave great testament to this.  Low on energy, I spent a lethargic amount of my time in bed.  The move, the city, and other emotional dramas were keeping me unmotivated.  Since school hadn’t begun and I had a week to settle in, I decided to do it slowly.  And boy, was this the wrong thing to do.

I felt like I was going crazy! Energy was flying over my head at a thousand miles per hour.  Walking around on the street, I felt like one of those music videos where everyone is flying by while you’re stuck in slow motion.  I was on a different playing field, separated from the bustling life of everyone else.  My un-productivity was never more apparent and it literally repelled people away from me.  It was as if I existed in an alternate dimension.

Not only was I energetically segregated and ostracized, but things in my life started to collapse.  Money problems arose. Issues with school – a school I had yet to attend – came up.  Trouble with mediation and my yoga practices manifested.  Everything that I was usually able to sustain in Los Angeles was thrown into chaos in New York.  Something had to be done.

I began to break my sloth-like stride.  I got up in the mornings, I read books, I walked around and engaged in conversations, I meditated with fervor and practiced yoga with consistency.  I stopped being lazy and adopted an attitude of action.  Really, I just decided I was going to become a New Yorker.

I know this sounds like a cheesy New York City Council Ad, but what I am explaining is much deeper and probably applies to any place in the world.  Its just that in New York the energetic current was so overwhelming that I was unable to continue using my usual Los Angeles model of energy.

Once I adopted this new form of intense and compact energy, I saw a mergence of fields. It was as if all the puzzle pieces came together at once.  Instead taking an energetic beating, I was now riding the wave of NYC.  Once in motion, I was amazed at the ease and speed of which things came together.  Within a week I had an internship, job opportunities, success in school and a community of yogis to call my own.  Everything fell into place.

The zeal of a city such as New York is a thing to marvel at.  A man-made complex of whirlwind energies capable of rapid evolution and regression is based on the collective energy of motivation, directness, and action.  The megalopolis is a true testament to the collective power of humans.  Used in the correct way, it could propel our world into greater realms of evolution.