Editors’ Vegan Bucket List Picks

Are you loving the Vegan Bucket List? We had an absolute blast putting together this compendium of vegan awesomeness, and the response so far has been phenomenal. We could easily have included 500 items, but narrowed the list down to the 99 most absolutely crucial things to eat, see, read, and do in life as a vegan. While poring over possible inclusions, our editors had a good long while to think about our own must-dos, and we’ve each listed our top five items from the list.

Joseph Connelly, Co-Founder

• #1. Swim in the greenhouse pool then dine at the Ravens’ Restaurant at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, Calif.
• #13. Take a VegNews Vacation to India. Or Thailand. Or…
• #21. Dine at Candle 79 in New York and Millennium in San Francisco, not on the same night. Go with people whom you truly adore, and feast on appetizers, salads, entrees, drinks, and desserts (multiples of each). Share everything so you get to taste it all!
• #25. Order a Vegan Treats’ Peanut Butter Bomb cake to celebrate your birthday.
• #28. Sail the Caribbean, practice morning yoga, and visit exciting ports of call on the all-vegan Holistic Holiday at Sea.

Colleen Holland, Co-Founder

• #20. Host a cruelty-free Halloween party with caramel apples, spiced (and spiked) apple cider, and pumpkin carving.
• #46. Start a balcony herb garden.
• #68. Spend a week at The Gentle Gourmet B&B in Paris.
• #77. Take a cooking class at Spork Foods in West Hollywood.
• #87. Rescue a companion animal.

Elizabeth Castoria, Managing Editor

• #9. Meet your vegan superhero. Whether it’s Gene Baur, John Salley, Kathy Freston, Wayne Pacelle, or Tal Ronnen, go to one of your favorite star’s public events and thank them for their work.
• #39. Eat kale daily.
• #71. Read Crazy Sexy Diet, and see if you don’t turn into a green-juice drinker. We dare you.
• #75. Start a Vegan Drinks meet-up in your hometown and get to know your local vegans, boozily.
• #86. Make soup in five minutes flat using a Vitamix blender.

Lyndsay Orwig, Office Manager

• #10. Accept that your veganism is bigger than you and your circumstances. Don’t get bummed about it.
• #11. Devour a cowvin cookie at Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington, DC.
• #37. Grab the ‘D’s BBQ Joint wrap at Seattle’s Hillside Quickie and have a picnic at nearby Volunteer Park.
• #42. Help the environment by opting for a bicycle or running shoes over a car.
• #80. Visit the Chicago Diner and feast on the tempeh Reuben, mashed potatoes, and cookie dough peanut butter milkshake.

Jennifer Chen, Associate Editor

• #46. Start a balcony herb garden.
• #61. Eat a huge vegan sundae at Lula’s Sweet Apothecary in New York City.
• #64. Become a vegan hostess extraordinaire by throwing holiday parties, brunches, bonfires, barbecues, fondue nights, and so on.
• #77. Take a cooking class at Spork Foods in West Hollywood.
• #87. Rescue a companion animal.

Laura Hooper Beck, Editor-At-Large

• #1. Swim in the greenhouse pool then dine at the Ravens’ Restaurant at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, Calif.
• #7. Visit Portland, Ore.’s vegan mini-mall. Leave with a tattoo, cookie, message t-shirt, and a few snacks for the road.
• #16. Design your perfect custom cinnamon roll at Cinnaholic in Berkeley, Calif.
• #18. Work with local businesses to add more vegan options to their menus.
• #25. Order a Vegan Treats’ Peanut Butter Bomb cake to celebrate your birthday.

Alexandra Chang, Editorial Assistant

• #11. Devour a cowvin cookie at Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington, DC.
• #30. Inspire at least one person to become vegan.
• #82. Study the history of the women’s, civil rights’, gay rights’, or any other social-justice movement that has bettered the lives of beings who were once treated as property. Learn from them!
• #87. Rescue a companion animal.
• #97. Make your own dim sum! It’s stupendously satisfying, not to mention delicious.

Anna Peraino, Editorial Assistant

• #34. Volunteer for Food Not Bombs. It doesn’t get much better than providing hungry people with free vegan food.
• #67. Attend the Texas State Veggie Fair, then head to Spiral Diner for amazing vegan eats, deep in the heart of Texas.
• #77. Take a cooking class at Spork Foods in West Hollywood.
• #87. Rescue a companion animal.
• #98. Pen your own vegan manifesto. Keep it in a place that’s easy to see, just in case you need at reminder.