INFRA Across America

My next stop was Big Bear Natural Foods in Morrisville; one of four in a small chain of family-owned stores around the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border.  This one is located conveniently (for a car haha) right off of US-1 and is a great choice for travelers headed south from the New York/New Jersey metro area. I arrived just as some heavy rain came rolling in and the incredibly friendly staff had no trouble with me stashing my bicycle inside as Big Bear really embodies their namesake; the store was so much larger and wide open then I had expected! Coming from New York, I'm much more accustomed to the old "hole in the wall" health food stores of yore, but Big Bear was much more spacious and that made for a more enjoyable shopping experience as I could stretch out and wander through the wide aisles, perusing their selection. A selection that truly satisfies the needs of any natural food junky! These guys are definitely on top of the latest trends in the health foo...

About fifteen years ago I was living in New York City. I had just begun to change from a vegetarian who ate whatever to someone who was much more conscious about the health and environmental impact of what I was putting in my body.   LifeThyme Natural Market was one of the first health food stores I'd ever stepped foot into and it became a regular stop for me.  Smaller, more personal shops like LifeThyme can be integral when someone is first beginning their journey into greater health through diet and lifestyle.  They can provide just as much education as provisions.  Oftentimes the personalized customer care that smaller stores have can help to make someone like the person I was fifteen years ago feel more comfortable about asking questions and trying things that are out of their comfort zone - and that's many times what we really need! It was great to see that the core aspects of what made the store great were still there while the decor and selection ha...

It was a beautiful, clear day to be riding to Cornucopia's closest "relative" in INFRA, Rising Tide Market in Glen Cove, New York. Rising Tide and Cornucopia share a common birth in 1976, the common goal of providing our respective communities with natural, healthy, and allergen-friendly food options, and the common culture of Long Island.  Glen Cove is located on the north shore of and is surrounded by some of the most gorgeous neighborhoods that Nassau County has to offer.  It's the perfect place for a nice, long, bike ride... if you enjoy all of the best hills this island has to offer! My favorite part of Rising Tide is clearly the staff! The owner, Jerry, is not only someone who I have great respect for as an associate in the natural foods industry, but chatting with him in the store, it was quite clear he was a well-loved and authentic member of his community. Rising Tide is the kind of store where the owner knows every customer's name, knows exa...

Who am I? My name is Drew.  I was born on Long Island in a small community about fifty miles from New York City, where I lived for a number of years.  I now live in Patchogue, NY - about five miles from the house I grew up in - and work at Cornucopia Natural Foods in Sayville - about two miles from that same house. When I was a lad, I would ride my bicycle everywhere.  I rode it to school, I rode it to the gym, I rode it to my friends' houses.  As I got older, I became more interested in riding for the sake of exploring new places and began to ride all over Long Island.  Finding new and interesting spots - particularly away from civilization and engulfed in natural beauty - became one of my favorite past times.  I began to ride further and further until I found one of my favorite ways to spend a day was to simply ride out into the unknown until the sun went down.  But wherever I went, I always had one big idea in the back of my mind; biking across...