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PETA Names NYC Nation's Most Vegan-Friendly City

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has declared New York the nation's most vegan-friendly city.

To mark the occasion, PETA presented City Council members with a Manhattan skyline replica carved from vegetables, complete with a Chrysler Building made of radishes.

"New York has really gone for the green," Dan Mathews, Senior Vice President of PETA, 1010 WINS. "They're really focusing on vegan gourmet items and making them at a pretty cheap cost, no longer just at upscale eateries, and I think that's the big difference."

Several City Council members attended Wednesday's event and one suggested that the council adopt "Meatless Mondays'' at City Hall to highlight healthy eating.

"New York boasts more than 140 vegetarian restaurants, countless veggie-friendly establishments, and the first vegetarian public school," stated City Council member Corey Johnson. "The trend in green cuisine is healthful, draws food tourists, and employs thousands."

Actor Alan Cumming, star of Broadway's "Cabaret" and CBS' "The Good Wife," was also on hand for the City Hall presentation.

Cumming started eating vegan two years for his health and out of concern for animals. He praised the city's commitment to vegan restaurants.

The vegetable skyline was sculpted by food artist James Parker.

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