Join me for a run?

Zach and I have been preparing for the Ocean City Half Marathon in Ocean City, Maryland. Our race date is just around the corner, on April 28.

This is coming from the girl who decided last year that some people are cut out for running and others aren't and I'm one of those people who is not. 3.5 miles. That was the most I could possibly run last summer. Coincidentally, that was all I had to do for my tri. The stakes weren't high enough.

Then I read Born To Run, by Chris McDougall. I was not interested in running, but a friend recommended to to me while discussing great reads. In the context of "you should read this, it is a great book," I was totally open to it. Had the conversation been, "you should read this, it will help your running," I probably would have passed. Bottom line, the book turns the pages for you. Story, Science, Adventure Travel. It's all in there.

So now I'm training for a half marathon and having fun with it. Every time I go out for a long run, it ends up being the longest run I've done in my entire life, which is a really exciting place to be. A month ago it was 7 miles. Woo hoo! 7 miles! I've never run 7 miles before in my whole life! Then it was 8.5. And last Monday, I ran home from school, which was 10 miles. Mind you, I bitched and moaned silently in my head for quite a bit of it, but my options were limited. Keep running and get home. Walk and get home slower. Plus, it was a BE-YOUUUU-TEE-FUL day, so I kept running.

While running in NYC, the neighborhoods change at about the same pace as it would take you to read a guide book. Little Italy becomes Chinatown becomes the Lower East Side, then up onto the bridge for sweeping views of the city, and down into Hasidic South Williamsburg, along the colorful bike path into Downtown Brooklyn, up and over and back into Chinatown, round the corner into the South Street Seaport, dodge some tourists, past the Staten Island Ferry, into ritzy Battery Park, and on they go just as long as you keep running.

And there is ALWAYS something to look at. Often, while running, I wish I could snap a picture, but the best camera I ever have is my camera phone and I hate to break my stride. I recently biked two of my favorite runs, with camera in hand, to snatch up some of those images that I pass by while running so that I could share them with you all.

Eastbound on the Williamsburg bridge

Great Lichtenstein-esque mural in South Williamsburg

Bike vending machine. Genius. Need more of these. 

Possibly my favorite picture of the bunch. The side of a city vehicle repair shop.

In between Williamsburg and Downtown BK, the Jersey walls are painted
with murals. It completely changes the landscape. 

Creepy federal owned property by the BK Navy Yard

When is the last time you saw a yin yang in a mural?

Sci-fi nerd mural

View of BK Bridge Park and downtown Manhattan from the
Manhattan bridge

Love this. Elegant grunge.

Thanks for the pep talk :)
This is my favorite tag in the city

Chinatown is shady. So much I'll never know about it. 

Beautiful

There's always a party in the projects 

Seaport vendors under the FDR 

Funky seats south of the Seaport

These two buildings may be the definition of juxtaposition.
Located directly across from the SI Ferry

Battery Park

Badass WWII Memorial. 

That omnipresent 'Cuse spirit has not forgotten Staten Island!

One of my favorite memorials in the City.
Don't miss the guy coming out of the water. 

Lady Liberty

This picture is a timestamp.
It's that week when the daffodils die. 

Thanks for coming on my run with me :)

Playing Tourist

View from the Top of the Rock

My second cousin, Candace, came to visit New York last week. She had not been to NYC before and wanted to see some iconic NYC sights. Usually I'd point people toward the train station and say "have fun," when visitors want to go to Times Square. This time though, I put together a NYC sights on a budget itinerary that we both enjoyed immensely. Candace and her room mate Grace arrived Friday evening and left on Sunday. Wvery minute in between was well spent. Including the Saturday afternoon power nap. We saw two proposals, a Cohen brothers movie being filmed, street performers, subway rats, tourists, bums, hipsters, ate dumplings and bagels, visited mid town, chinatown, the seaport, WTC memorial, Grand Central and the tippy Top of the Rock. And we made lasagna. In less than 48 hours.

Dim Sum at Nom Wah Tea Parlor was the highlight of Friday night.
Either that, or the serenade --> proposal that we say at
Times Square. 

Capturing the view from the (almost) Top of the Rock

Candace and Grace getting oriented at the
Top of the Rock

Grand Central Station.
Best ceiling in the city. 

The World Trade Center Memorial on Sunday morning was a somber and wonderful experience.

Candace's visit was the perfect excuse to play tourist for a weekend. I saw things that I had yet to see and showed of some of my old favorites. Twas lovely :)

The only things we missed? A New York slice of pizza and Central Park. Gotta save something for next time, though.

Emptying the Phone Vault

I present to you an assortment of iPhone pics that have I have accumulated over the past few months. That's funny. snap. That's cute. snap. I want to eat that. snap.

Netflix snafu. Check out the categories.

After studying John Muir, my class transformed our door and hallway
into a forest. 

New beer place, Top Hops, went in on Orchard Street. They fill
growlers, do flights, sell bottles, take requests and have awesome
pretzels for your snacking pleasure. 

This was my "holiday gift" from the United Federation of Teachers.
The bottle opener says "I Cope" on it.
I will treasure it forever.

Sunday morning bagels and book reading
at Atlas is my idea of perfection.

Googlie eyes are always a good idea

Posted in the hallway outside the yoga studio.
Peace, love and neighbors all up in your personal space. 

Ham nubbins are amazing.
Five bucks for a bag and they transformed
leek and potato soup into a meaty, fragrant ambrosia. 

Nobody calls either one of those items
by those names, grandpa

The Commute

A slice of blue
half my width
Peeks out between two bodies
inflated by 
Kennedy Fried 
or winter layers,
It doesn't really matter
I want that seat.

Scuse me. Thank you.
Manners lip synched
between the two worlds 
within our headphones.
The deal is sealed
with a nod and a shift.

Like books on a shelf with room for no more,
We are wedged.
Rocking gently along the length of manhattan
Oddly comfortable.
The stranger snuggle
Could never happen above ground.

Snippits from the Streets

I bring to you a seasonal round up of snippits from the streets, as captured by my trusty phone.

From the expected Little Italy holiday decor that puts you in the mood whether you like it or not

To the totally unexpected game of Strip Poker that I stumbled upon on Saturday afternoon

Walker St. between Center and Baxter

To the awesome street performers in the Union Square subway station

To just plain gross

To the impromptu shows that spilled out into the streets during CMJ

(outside of Arlene's Grocery)

Finally, my personal fave, a knitted shopping cart that defies gravity

Orchard St. between Rivington and Stanton

Neighbors

My original first sentence for this post is as follows:
In New York, it is easy to go days, weeks even, without seeing anyone you like.

Though, I think that might be a little cliche.

So here is my second go at it:
I have ten million neighbors in my neighborhood. When when I bump into someone who I actually know, while just doing my neighborhood business, it makes my day.

We all have our neighborhood people. Mine include Mr. AM New York "how y'all doin this mornin!" who passes papers into the hoards of people transferring at the City Hall subway station...the school crossing gaurd who keeps the children safe while wearing headphones and texting (who may or may not lift her head to acknowledge anyone crossing) ... the crusty landlady who resents you taking yoga classes in her building and always yells  for crowding the hallway... your neighborhood bums, corner store man, inescapable clusters of high school kids.. I find it way to easy to pop in the ear buds, or just space out as I cross paths with people, but often without so much as batting a lash, or flashing a smile.

I started writing this post because I have started to run into more of my friends in the street and it makes my day when I do. Even if it is for a split second and neither party can stop and chat, just getting that wave or shout out from someone you know makes this big city seem like a neighborhood.

But as I write, it is also becoming obvious that I should just be friendlier to my neighbors. It's not like it is hard to smile.

Slice o' Life

Running sucks. I especially hate running when it is hot and dirty out. 

However, I have found that if I run through interesting neighborhoods with my iPhone and keep my eyes peeled, it can be more like a photohunt adventure. The challenge then becomes snapping a picture while running in place. 

Star spangled ventricle!

Pretty palate coming down off the Williamsburg
Bridge aka Hipster Highway.

Awesome.

So they say.

So glad Parisians are tagging the bridge with nice things :)
Maybe I'll leave Paris a message next time I'm there. 

True dat.

I don't know... Is $150 a good deal for a
dirty, old fridge? 

Family of mannequins.
Creepy.

Does this include the rats?

When ran across this, I did a double take and had to stop and figure out what was going on. A new sport? Bikes + Polo + Street Hockey = Mystery sport. Check it out. Obviously, this was the end of my run. Well, the gelato I had after taking the video marked the official end of my run.