Go to
www.happycow.com and you can find some health food stores (as well as restaurants) in NYC which might help - and there are green grocers everwhere.
I eat raw at SAD restaurants all the time. Take Denny's, not known for it 's raw fare. But reading the ingredients listed with other things, there's an egg scramble with onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and tomatoes. A chicken sandwhich as avocado on it, as well as tomatoes and generally other-than-iceberg lettuce. Scope the side dishes, ask what the side veggies are, if it's not specific. I have found broccoli, zucchini and other summer squash, and spinach hidden amongst all the entrees. Even if it's not listed, ask!
So, you could certainly say you want the caesar salad (or any other salad), for instance, without the chicken, cheese or dressing, topped with the lettuce and tomatoes they use in their burgers, some avocado from the chicken sandwich and all the veggies in the vegi egg scramble, and any other tidbits of things like broccoli, zucchini, and spinach you can find, but all raw please. Then you can use salad dressing you bring, or simply squeeze lemon juice on it (if you have the avocado, you've got some good fats, and may not need dressing), or ask if they have olive oil.
The letter described above is much the same as the letter in the book I was referencing. I am updating my post under Restaurants and Eating Out to add the book's information.
Also, in terms of food dehydrators, you might try looking at
www.craigslist.com or
www.freecycle.com to find one that's really inexpensive. I know when we move up to the Excalibur, I want to give my current dehydrator to someone who could really appreciate and value it.