Hi Friends,
I know it’s been a while since I have posted but life has been a complete whirlwind since about mid June when my husband and I decided to move back to New York City from Santa Cruz, California. Once we said yes, the locomotive of life was full steam ahead.
I drove cross country with my mom from California to New York over 12 days. It was a beautiful adventure and I am working on my post. While the food was meh at times, the sights were beautiful. South Dakota, I am talking about you!
Once I arrived in NYC, I had to wait forever for my furniture to arrive from California. I honestly couldn’t take it anymore. We had a few causalities of the move, including a container with more than 2lbs of sugar dumping EVERYWHERE, but overall the worst part was the wait.
I’ve been back just over 5 weeks and I am settling back into city living. I have to say, I am beyond thrilled to be back. For one, my anxiety of living in Santa Cruz has just about vanished. I didn’t talk about it openly on my blog, but we were the unfortunate victim of multiple felonies while living there. The worst was coming home in the middle of the day to find a man in my house robbing me. It seriously was one of the scariest moments of my life. Sadly, we have a list of other things that happened to us out there and I am beyond relieved to be out of there. (And people think NYC is unsafe. ha!) But seriously, my year plus of anxiety literally melted away once I got back here. That is a HUGE sigh of relief.
After being gone for more than 2.5 years, it is so wonderful to be home again. I belong here. My heart and soul thrive in New York City. I love reconnecting with old friends and exploring familiar neighborhoods that have both completely changed but strangely stayed the same since I was gone. I also have been actively updating my list of dedicated gluten-free restaurants and bakeries in New York City. Sadly, there are many lists floating around with places that are NOT safe for people with celiac disease. (Just because someone uses the word safe, doesn’t mean they are.) I will do my best to keep this as current as possible.
One of my favorite things about being back is meeting so many new celiac friends that have followed my California adventures and my #crosscountryceliac trip. I absolutely LOVE when I run into people that I don’t know in gluten-free restaurants in NYC who say “welcome back.” Strange, maybe? But it’s now happened THREE times and I get a kick out of it every time! I am always surprised yet giddy when I meet a gluten-free stranger who “knows” me. If you see me, say hello!
So now I am back and trying to get into a routine of blogging again while also balancing work, life, health, etc. Additionally, I am trying to maintain some of my California slow vibes in a city that is running on adrenaline at all times.
I’ve missed you all but I want you to know that I haven’t forgotten you. Thank you for all of the Tweets, Facebook messages, and Instagram comments. You keep me going!
Much love and thanks for sticking around,
Erin
p.s. Have you signed up for my Gluten-Free Globetrotter newsletter yet?
Hi Erin,
Love your posts. Have you ever been to Quebec City? I’ve always wanted to go, but do not speak French. Do you think I would be asking for trouble trying to dine out for a week? I would prefer not to cook on my vacation. What do you think? Do you have any info on gluten-free dining in Quebec City?
Also, FYI… I visited the Canadian Atlantic Provinces two summers ago, and I am happy to report it is a celiac diner’s dream! They “get it” there, and you won’t find nicer people anywhere. I particularly liked Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. Very quiet and laid-back, and the food was wonderful– especially if you like lobster and fresh produce.
This year, I’ve had good experiences in the Canadian Rocky mountain communities. And Victoria, British Columbia was pretty easy. Some of smaller communities on Vancouver Island were tricky, but I survived a week of eating out in restaurants.
Thanks again for all the valuable info you are putting out to the celiac community. We really appreciate it.
Cheers!
Denise from Edmonton, Alberta
Hi Denise, thank you so much for the kind comments! I love hearing about your excellent experiences in PEI and Cape Breton Island. Thanks for sharing!
As for Quebec City, I haven’t been since the early 1990s so I am sure much has changed since then. I would suggest getting a French translation card. Here are some options: https://glutenfreeglobetrotter.com/resources/glutenfreetranslations/
In addition, I would recommend visiting the CCA of Quebec website where they have a list of restaurants: http://www.celiacquebec.ca/
I hope this helps! Enjoy your trip.