Night and Day in the Hood

In one month's time I will no longer have the luxury of living a block from Columbus Circle. No more quotidian trips to Whole Foods (sometimes I don't even buy anything, just find myself in need of a little browse-thru to make sure everything's in check) and no more Saturday nights at the opera...God, the trials of being a college graduate. But who am I kidding? In the 3 1/2 years that I've lived next to Lincoln Center I've never seen a performance, and honestly, it's about time I distance myself from that organic food oasis. I believe my university's motto is, "Fordham is my school, New York is my campus", which, for me, translates to, "Fordham is my school, Whole Foods is my campus". It's shameful, I know.

I look forward to my new neighborhood, which will most likely be in Harlem or Brooklyn, but for now, Columbus Circle will do just fine.

Sweat in Style

It's not quite cold enough to discourage me from running, however, come December it's going to take more than an adrenalin rush to get me outside. With this in mind, I decided to get back into Bikram yoga. Well, actually, Sunday prompted this change as Central Park was closed to all but New York Marathon runners. I thought I could weasel my way in but just a block from the park I was faced with a flash mob, barricades and police officers:

So, I took my business up to Bikram Yoga NYC on 72nd and sweated away all the toxins of Halloween weekend. The uniform 90 minute class consists of two sets of 26 poses in a room heated to 105 F with 40% humidity. During this time you sweat profusely, usually losing 1-3 pounds of water. It's hot, it's exhilarating but above all it's good for the mind and great for the bod. It does, however, require an entirely different wardrobe than running. Function is key, but aesthetic is also important; when you look good you feel good and when you feel good you kick ass. If you're going to sweat, you may as well do it in style. Below I've included a selection of my favorite items for both Bikram and cold weather running.

Bikram:

Lululemon (Top L)       Prana (Top R)       Nux (Bottom L)       SPACECAT (Bottom R)

Under Armour (Top L)       O'Neill (Top R)       Nux (Bottom L)       Onzie (Bottom R)

Running:

Icebreaker (Top L)       Sugoi (Top R)       Patagonia (Bottom L)       Smartwool (Bottom R)

                                Oiselle                                                                                             Zella                                  

                        Nike                                                                          Columbia (literally the best)

Running? Check. Bikram? Check. Wrestling? Eh, Zealand says it's overrated...

Fall in Central Park

Ten consecutive days of 6.5 mile runs through Central Park, roughly 17 million pictures and here are the fruits of my labor:

p.s. Zealand says hi.