Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

To Go Or Not To Go To New York City

MJ-S

By MJ-S
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

MJ-S Contributor
MJ-S
Posted

I would love your thoughts about what I should do with this situation.

My 20-something cousin from Spain is coming to visit for Thanksgiving. We have planned to go to New York City for a few days (Sun - Tue beforeThanksgiving).

She has visited several times before and we've been to New York each time, so she's already seen it,but she is super excited about being there during autumn (something about a movie with Richard Gere lol).

This is the first time she's visited since I went gluten/dairy/and now soy free, and I'm super concerned about getting sick while she's here. It's going to be enough of a challenge hanging out where we live in Boston. I've stopped going to all restaurants for months now, so I'm going to be taking some risks just going out around here, nevermind travelling where I have to do all three meals out.

I haven't yet managed to take a trip without getting horribly sick. No matter what I order, I'm just very sensitive to cross-contamination. When I do get sick, trust me, nobody should be around me. I don't want to make the rest of her trip miserable seeing as how we will be in tight quarters - shared hotel room, car ride, etc. Plus, I will have to do all the driving there and back, no matter what condition I'm in.

To complicate matters, she had a serious allergic reaction of her own this week to possibly anisakis (in fish) and the doctors have said no fish for now, so my only "safe" option - sushi - which I was relying on, is now out.

I'm considering cancelling the New York portion of the trip. She will be disappointed, of course. I don't want this disease to rule my life, but at the same time I'm just not sure if the risk is too high for this particular week. Not only so we can enjoy the week together, but also because I can't afford to be sick for my favorite holiday and first gluten-free Thanksgiving, which I am hosting, AND my birthday, which falls this week as well.

Should I risk it and go? Or wuss out and stay home?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

You're anything but a wuss, but honestly at this point if I were you I'd stay home. You and she can still have fun and a nice visit without you risking getting sick.

In time, you will be able to navigate a trip like that but right now, considering everything, I think you'd be better off sticking closer to home.

Since she's seen NYC already, hopefully she will understand.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

It's only three days. If I were you, I'd pack an ice chest full of safe food for the trip. Hotels usually have ice so you can keep your food cold pretty easily. If you can find a hotel room with a microwave it will make things easier, but you could even get a cheap, small microwave at WalMart or Sears to bring with you. I've seen them on sale as low as $30. Alternatively plan on food that's good cold like salad, fruit, and sandwiches. Eat your breakfasts and dinner at the hotel, and pack a non-perishable lunch that you can eat on the go for Monday.

Gluten-Free Fun Rookie
Gluten-Free Fun
Posted

It makes me so sad to read this post. New York City is a wonderful place for people with Celiac. We have many restaurants that go above and beyond the average restaurant to make a safe meal for those people who require a gluten-free meal. Restaurants like Heartland Brewery (Midtown West), Bar Breton, Nizza NYC, Rosa Mexicano, and so many more are certified in the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program. They prepare meals safely, fully understand cross-contamination issues, and have well-trained staff members all willing to accommodate you.

We have a 100% gluten-free bakery (Tu-Lu's), a 100% gluten-free store (gluten-free NYC), 5 Whole Foods, 2 Trader Joe's, 2 Fairways, and at least 100 health food stores that sell gluten-free food.

Please reconsider staying home and come to NYC next week. Do not let Celiac take over your life.

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

I second that. NYC is an AWESOME place for celiacs. There are so many more options than I think you even realize! Do a google search, or search this site. Definitely bring snacks in case you need something quick but definitely don't let celiac deter you from coming to NYC!

MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

There is also Pure Food & Wine (vegan), Risotteria (gluten-free restaurant), Bloom's Deli and a dozen other places that I can't think of that have gluten free menus that can probably handle gluten-free/df/sf to some degree. You can also hit up the NYC Celiac Meetup group and see if they have suggestions.

AndrewNYC Explorer
AndrewNYC
Posted

I am gluten dairy and soy free and I live in Manhattan so I can provide some advice. While I don't eat out much, two places come to mind that I could survive on for a week in NYC if I had to. They would be Whole Foods prepared foods section and Peters Diner on the upper east side. Blooms deli near grand central is also okay for this diet. The other places people listed in this thread are good gluten free places, but beyond that I am not sure how far you will get with both dairy free and soy free. So if I were you I would stay near Whole Foods Columbus Circle if possible. It has the widest prepared foods area maybe of all the WFs in manhttan and you can get three meals a day there if needed. Ingredients are posted and I have never had a cross contamination issue. The owner of Peters is easily accessible, he just kind of hangs out in the diner all day, and is willing to help with negotiating the menu and checking ingredients. Its like a Dennys menu geared towards gluten free, so a lot of the stuff may have dairy or soy, but I bet he can help you figure that out and still get plenty of variety to eat. Blooms works too but I am not sure there is anyone like an owner there who can help negotiate the menu and the kitchen for you, though the waitresses are fairly knowledgeable.

Often times when I travel I find a chef type service to make food for me that I can store in a fridge at the hotel. I dont have any to recommend in NYC but you might find. I think eating at whole foods will be less expensive for you though.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


maximoo Enthusiast
maximoo
Posted

so did you go to NY or not?

MJ-S Contributor
MJ-S
Posted
  • Author

I did not go. Thank you everyone for the advice and suggestions. The next time I visit NY I will try these places. This time around it was just too much for me to deal with, since I need to avoid dairy and soy as well as gluten. We had a wonderful time in Boston and took some day trips instead. I only risked a couple dinners out, and stayed healthy for the week. Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic, too!

ElseB Contributor
ElseB
Posted

I went to New York for the first time this past September and was overwhelmed by the number of safe places to eat. Now, it took some planning and research. I researched ahead of time so that I knew what restaurants were located where. But some days we ate lunch or dinner twice just to fit in another restaurant! It was the first time travelling when I didn't have to dip into my supplies of snack bars and cereal that I brought with. I agree with all the suggestions other posters have made. Another great restaurant that I don't think anyone mentioned is Candle Cafe.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,964
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Cbear
    Newest Member
    Cbear
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      If black seed oil is working for his Afib, stick to it, but if not, I can say that ablation therapy is no big deal--my mother was out of the procedure in about 1 hour and went home that evening, and had zero negative effects from the treatment. PS - I would recommend that your husband get an Apple watch to monitor his Afib--there is an app and it will take readings 24/7 and give reports on how much of the time he's in it. Actual data like this should be what should guide his treatment.
    • Jacki Espo
      Covid caused reoccurrence of DH without eating gluten

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      This happened to me as well. What’s weirder is that within a couple hours of taking paxlovid it subsided. I thought maybe I got glutened but after reading your post not so sure. 
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Tiffany. Thank you for writing your dituation and  circumstancesin such detail and so well writte, too. I particularly noticed what you wrote about brain for and feeling like your brain is swelling and I know from my own experiences that's how it feel and your brain really does swell and you get migraines.    Way back when I was in my 20s I read a book by 2 MD allergist and they described their patient who came in complaining that her brain, inside her cranium, was swelling  and it happened when she smelled a certain chemical she used in her home. She kept coming back and insisting her brain actually swelled in her head. The Drs couldn't explain this problem so they, with her permission, performed an operation where they made a small opening through her cranium, exposed her to the chemical then watched as she brain did swell into the opening. The DRs were amazed but then were able to advise her to avoid chemicals that made her brain swell. I remember that because I occasionally had brain fog then but it was not a serious problem. I also realized that I was becoming more sensitive to chemicals I used in my work in medical laboratories. By my mid forties the brain fog and chemicals forced me to leave my  profession and move to a rural area with little pollution. I did not have migraines. I was told a little later that I had a more porous blood brain barrier than other people. Chemicals in the air would go up into my sinused and leak through the blood brain barrier into my brain. We have 2 arteries  in our neck that carry blood with the nutrients and oxygen into the brain. To remove the fluids and used blood from the brain there are only capillaries and no large veins to carry it away so all those fluids ooze out much more slowly than they came in and since the small capillaries can't take care of extra fluid it results in swelling in the face, especially around the eyes. My blood flow into my brain is different from most other people as I have an arterial ischema, adefectiveartery on one side.   I have to go forward about 20 or more years when I learned that I had glaucoma, an eye problem that causes blindness and more years until I learned I had celiac disease.  The eye Dr described my glaucoma as a very slow loss of vision that I wouldn't  notice until had noticeable loss of sight.  I could have my eye pressure checked regularly or it would be best to have the cataracts removed from both eyes. I kept putting off the surgery then just overnight lost most of the vision in my left eye. I thought at the I had been exposed to some chemical and found out a little later the person who livedbehind me was using some chemicals to build kayaks in a shed behind my house. I did not realize the signifance  of this until I started having appointments with a Dr. in a new building. New buildings give me brain fog, loss of balance and other problems I know about this time I experienced visual disturbances very similar to those experienced by people with migraines. I looked further online and read that people with glaucoma can suffer rapid loss of sight if they have silent migraines (no headache). The remedy for migraines is to identify and avoid the triggers. I already know most of my triggers - aromatic chemicals, some cleaning materials, gasoline and exhaust and mold toxins. I am very careful about using cleaning agents using mostly borax and baking powder. Anything that has any fragrance or smell I avoid. There is one brand of dishwashing detergent that I can use and several brands of  scouring powder. I hope you find some of this helpful and useful. I have not seen any evidence that Celiac Disease is involved with migraines or glaucoma. Please come back if you have questions or if what I wrote doesn't make senseto you. We sometimes haveto learn by experience and finding out why we have some problems. Take care.       The report did not mention migraines. 
    • Mari
      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes71 That is so much like my story! You probably know where Laytonville is and that's where I was living just before my 60th birthday when the new Dr. suggested I could have Celiacs. I didn't go on a gluten challange diet before having the Celiac panel blood test drawn. The results came back as equivical as one antibody level was very high but another, tissue transaminasewas normal. Itdid show I was  allergic to cows milk and I think hot peppers. I immediately went gluten free but did not go in for an endoscopy. I found an online lab online that would do the test to show if I had a main celiac gene (enterolab.com). The report came back that I had inherited a main celiac gene, DQ8, from one parent and a D!6 from the other parent. That combination is knows to sym[tons of celiac worse than just inheriting one main celiac gene. With my version of celiac disease I was mostly constipated but after going gluten-free I would have diarrhea the few times I was glutened either by cross contamination or eating some food containing gluten. I have stayed gluten-free for almost 20 years now and knew within a few days that it was right for me although my recovery has been slow.   When I go to see a  medical provide and tell them I have celiacs they don't believe me. The same when I tell them that I carry a main celiac gene, the DQ8. It is only when I tell them that I get diarrhea after eating gluten that they realize that I might have celiac disease. Then they will order th Vitamin B12 and D3 that I need to monitor as my B12 levels can go down very fast if I'm not taking enough of it. Medical providers haven't been much help in my recovery. They are not well trained in this problem. I really hope this helps ypu. Take care.      
    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Fascinating.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.