Virginia Virginia Check-In Thread - Page 2

Hey Welcome to VB!



I'm in Va Beach too and don't know very many veg*ns (vegetarians and/or vegans) here either. Welcome to the boards and congrats on going vegan!

Yeah there's not too many. More in Norfolk where PETA actually is but it's rare to meet another vegetarian. The only other vegetarian I know is 10 years old. We had a veg meetup here for awhile but it was much more centered around eating locally and was mostly meat-eaters. It's gone anyway.



It's a great city though. I've been here all my life and there's lots to do, especially in the summer. Glad you found Amalfi and Bangkok Garden. If you like Indian we also have a couple great Indian places. One of my faves (because of the staff) is Nawab by Hilltop. Heritage has some good vegan stuff and we have amazing farmers markets during the summer.



Where did you move from? There's good places down at the oceanfront but very few have vegan options. There are some but it's limited and you kinda have to hunt down the one vegan item on the menu. Norfolk has some great places but I'm so rarely out there I wouldn't be a good source. If you moved from somewhere really veg friendly, I'm sorry cause it's kind of seafood heavy around here. It's really cool to have another VB person on VB

Arizona is awesome. I was just in Scottsdale in January. My Husband is in the military too- Coast Guard. Just did his 8 years and is now in the reserves. Lots of military here, as I'm sure you know



My birthday is June 6th and Amalfi catered for me last year. The cheesecake is good and definitely one of the better ones I've had but honestly, you can make a better one at home. It's worth having though. That was my cake last year and the vegan tomato cream sauce pasta which too was ok. Rajput is great. Nice atmosphere. Spice of India is also really good. It's a pretty place and the food is amazing. It's in Chesapeake though. I still haven't been to a Chipotle. Everyone raves but I never make it there. I do hit up Qudoba sometimes and really like Pelon's in the northend. That's a great little spot if you want fresh California style tacos with a huge dose of local surf culture. They have veganizable tacos.



We are getting a Trader Joes this Friday I'm super excited about that. I've been driving an hour with friends to the one up in Hampton for ages. Can't wait for it to open. Now we have our very own Ulta and TJ's. No more hour long drives for vegan make-up and good groceries.

We're all a work in progress



TJ's=Trader Joe's. It's opening Friday-this Friday- on the corner of Laskin and First Colonial right by Hilltop. It's on the south side of Laskin and on the West side of 1st Col. They definitely have more vegan stuff and it's much less expensive than FF. There is also a Qudoba across the street. Ulta is where I get most of my makeup, not all but most. It's a huge makeup store kinda like Sephora but awesome-er. It's out off Dam Neck rd in a really cute new shopping center that's all tucked away and secretive.



If you wanted, I could go with you on a sort of vegan tour of the city. Heritage is where you'd buy vegan cream cheese but there's others out there too. Navan foods has some vegan stuff and everything is labeled because it's an allergy sensitive store. Most of my little life revolves around the oceanfront (the numbered VB oceanfront) so that's where my best advice will come from. I found my Husband in Chesapeake and it's a great city with some cool discount stores like Garden Ridge (kinda sucky lately but still ok) and a nice retail district. There's a sweet little Farmers Market At Croc's on 19th every Sunday from 8-12. It's small but close.



I think that's about all I know, lol. I've tried to pick my brain for you Everyone I know that's moved here from somewhere else has kinda has a hard time adapting. Not too sure why and I bet you're fine but it can be an odd city to live in sometimes. I never had to do deployments with what my Husband did in the military but I do have friends who's husband's have done long leave terms. It's tough but do-able. I have no military in my family but both of my BIL's and my SIL are in. It got it's ups and downs. Have you found the commissary yet? That's a little gold mine for produce and every day staples. Same with the NEX. Great bonuses for the military and good ways to save a few $'s. It's fun talking about all our local stuff.

It would be super cool to hang out one weekend even just for lunch or something. I hear ya about time. I'm pretty limited in that area too. Full time job + 2 volunteer obligations and a Husband makes me a busy girl.



I'm down at the oceanfront but can go anywhere. Towne Center is great and has a nice sushi place but not much else in terms of vegan related places. Do you like sushi? I have a sushi guy at the beach who's really fun. Sonoma at TC is a cute little wine bar and has some vegan wines. Oh and California Pizza Kitchen is The Yum and has veganizable options. But again, my expertise is the beach.



Just to be upfront, I'm not vegan. I'm vegetarian. I was vegan for a few years and know my stuff though. I buy vegan products and oddly, find the consumer side a lot easier than the food side. I do ok but don't call myself vegan for obvious reasons. Just so that's out there. Goodness that just felt like some awful confession.



I'll PM you my # and we can set up whatever works for you. I'm excited and think we'll have fun. Have you ever been to a TJ's? We could do that and maybe sushi for lunch. Or ULTA. Makeup is always fun. Either way I'd be thrilled to hang out.

I got your PM and will respond to that too later.



I can definitely use new friends but I also come with a package of great people. My friends are awesome and very welcoming if you ever want to expand your circle.



I may have given off the vegan aura only because I dig the vegan scene and have high respect for vegans. I'm just... not right now. And my Husband is a meatasaurus. I think I mentioned that. But that's neither here nor there



You've never had sushi?!?!?! Oh what a wonderful world awaits you, lol. It is just rice and seaweed but it's also so much more. And tasty. And heavenly. And really scary if you've never been. If you're an adventurous eater, it's fantastic vegan fare. As for the wine thing- some (well, a lot, sadly) are made with isinglass to clarify the wine. Isinglass is fish bladder. I know. Not cool. These are things I can't un-know and if you ever want me to not say something, just tell me. For shoes and makeup and all that odd stuff, I'm your girl. And Trader Joe's. I got that stuff down pat. I fail a lot but I do know what I should do. If that makes sense.



The oceanfront is great to live by. I'm not ON the beach but I can walk there which is great. I can also show you good spots for parking. That can be really tough in the summer and it's only going to get mega worse. Gotta love tourist season! Which, unfortunately, does not mean we can shoot them.