An Ode to Central Park (the first)

As a brand spanking new 25 year old (wow, 25, oye) and with a quarter of my life behind me, I decided it was time to make some new goals for myself. First up, a half marathon in the Bronx! (yes, that’s my “I’m excited and ready for anything” outside voice, but inside my head I’m thinking… “ugh…a half marathon”).

It’s true I’ve been the one in the family with the less-than-stellar workout routines throughout the years. I much prefer chocolate chip cookies and M&Ms, but it’s past time to try some new things – just for the record, that’s adding running, not getting rid of the sweets.

I do enjoy running and its I’m becoming more and more addicting to as I start to really train, but I’m beginning to realize that training in this city in particular makes it so much more fun. There’s something seriously awesome about running through Central Park and having it be my neighborhood park.

I love Saturday mornings before the heat, humidity and hordes of people have hit when it feels empty (okay, maybe just “less crowded” because let’s face it, nothing in New York is ever empty), and the city seems like it’s all mine. Or there are days like today when I set out and five minutes into my run a torrential downpour hits and for some reason running in the puddles of the park sounds like a fun idea. And, as I’m scaling through the rushing water, trying to keep my contacts in my eyes and makeup from running all over my face, I look around and realize that I’m not the only one who is enjoying this.

New York, you’re going to be a fun training ground.

Seattle Takes New York

I’m calling this week Seattle takes NYC. Seriously though, Seattle has taken New York. And frankly I want my city back. I moved for a reason – well many – but this week has made me realize how much I most definitely don’t miss the Seattle weather. As a sidenote, I am fully aware that this statement will probably come back to haunt me later when its 90 degrees here with 80 percent humidity and a cool 82 with zero humidity in Seattle, but that’s neither here nor there.

During brunch this morning, a friend from Seattle started talking about how the weather – maybe more accurately how prolonged weather – affects New Yorkers and it got me thinking. “They’re just kind of grumpy and angry,” she said and the more I looked around the more I realized how right she was. People were scurrying (practically pushing) past to get into the subway and out of the rain, poking you right in the face with their umbrellas, splashing puddles with their galoshes (okay, that might have just been me) and just having a general distaste for the day. The same craziness ensued this past winter when we had snow for about two weeks straight – I braved the cold to walk to lunch one day only to be confronted by a man who proceeded to scream “THIS IS THE WINTER FROM HELL” at the top of his lungs. Happy Tuesday to you too, sir.

And, as much as I hate to talk about the weather (even though it’s my go to conversation starter and basically the only thing I talk about on Twitter) it’s something that New Yorkers seem to bring up rather constantly. Perhaps because the weather is so extreme, but then again so are New Yorkers.

Okay, now that this blog has been properly introduced with a nice discussion of the weather…on to bigger and better topics.