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Will Sweat for Big Gay Ice Cream

The fun isn’t over and it has already been a pretty incredible NYC Saturday.

Bo spent the day scuba diving with his friend Scott which meant I was able to plan a fun day with girlfriends! Luckily, we were blessed with amazing weather!

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I ran four miles up Fifth Avenue and over to Pure Yoga East to meet Gia for a Level 2/3 Vinyasa class taught by Kay Kay Clivi. Gia raved about her ahead of our class saying that her classes were fun yet instructive and challenging. I can’t say enough wonderful things about her style. The class pushed me in ways I haven’t pushed lately in yoga and I loved every minute of it! I was able to get into an unassisted head stand and held crow for longer than usual. The class paired with Gia’s company was a perfect way to continue the day.

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After departing Pure I headed home for a quick refresh before heading out to meet Laura for an afternoon adventure. All week we talked about what we’d do with our afternoon, depending on weather. We were both in the mood for an active Saturday and the weather just inspired us further. After reading Michelle’s review of Big Gay Ice Cream earlier this week our day’s activity was decided. Spending the afternoon biking around Manhattan until we ended at Big Gay Ice Cream in the West Village for a bucket list treat. While Bo and I don’t’ have many things on our list before we leave, using Citibikes and finally trying BGIC was definitely on mine!

I am not an expert on Citi Bikes but absolutely LOVED my experience today. Instead of giving you all the details, I’ll have you go to the Citi Bike website for more detail. However, I will share with you a few takeaways from our adventure.

  • Definitely download the app in advance to help you find the most convenient stations for your adventure.
  • The machines don’t accept American Express.
  • Yes, you do have to “check the bike back in” every 30 minutes even with a 24 hour pass. The program is intended primarily for commuters but is great for tourists and weekend jaunts as well. Just make plans to stay near a station. The app shows you where the over 200 stations are and it was pretty easy for us to find them today.
  • The bikes DO have gears though only 3. They are a bit hidden on the left hand side and operate from below not the top.
  • The busiest station (aka longest line for rental code) in the city on a daily basis is Central Park and 6th Avenue. Avoid this one at all costs as the other dudes trying to rent bikes will harass you while you wait in line – for 20 minutes.
  • Please rent or buy a helmet. While I felt very safe 95% of the time today, even riding down busy avenues, why be risky and stupid? Most bike shops in the city rent them for $5-$15 per day if you don’t want to pay the $25-$50 to buy one ahead of time.
  • In order to have the green light go on saying that your bike has been properly returned you will have to slam it into the slot.(TWSS) No you will not break the bike or the slot.
  • If you’re going to leave your bike somewhere while you’re enjoying ice cream or running an errand, bring a bike lock.

So now back to the fun and picture sharing from our 17.5 mile adventure around Central Park and the West Side Highway.

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I really enjoyed biking with Laura as we were able to catch up while riding in the quieter, less traffic filled areas of Central Park and the West Side Highway and were both on the adventure for leisure not fitness. The whole time we kept saying how fun it was and how great the bikes will be this summer. I guess since I don’t get to enjoy them all summer I can just look forward to renting one in Paris this summer.

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After about 2 hours of biking and chatting we ended our excursion at Big Gay Ice Cream in the West Village at Seventh and Grove Street. What began as a summer ice cream truck experiment back in the Summer of 2009 has now turned into a popular spot in the city for decadent ice cream treats featuring witty names and unique combinations. Their toppings include wasabi dust, sea salt, olive oil, dark chocolate, pretzels, Nilla Wafers, and more! The soft serve comes in 2 flavors (chocolate and vanilla) daily but the also have 2 weekly specials.

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While everything sounded delicious including the ever popular Bea Arthur (vanilla soft serve, dulce de leche, crushed Nilla Wafers) I went with the American Globs. How could I resist vanilla soft serve, pretzels, sea salt, and chocolate dip? This is like the Dairy Queen of my childhood on steroids after a year of culinary school!

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Laura went all the way with the Monday Sundae which was incredible! Hers included a Nutella lined waffle cone, whipped cream, dulce de leche, sea salt, and soft serve ice cream! Holy goodness! Needless to say this was an incredible end to an active morning and afternoon. (source)

What’s your favorite ice cream topping?

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Pure Yoga’s Figure 4 Class

Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to enjoy Pure Yoga West’s newest class addition, Figure 4. The class is an exclusive new program designed by Kate Albarelli, an alum of both Physique 57 and Exhale. I was excited to try the class based on Dori’s review she posted a few weeks ago and all the wonderful things I’ve heard about the instructor.

IMG_2242 (640x478) Well+Good NYC has offered some amazing class opportunities in their year of existence and therefore I new this would be a wonderful experience. In addition, the Pure Yoga experience is beautiful and a spa event just based on the atmosphere and space. Every corner, even the locker rooms, have a warm glow greeting the clients. Even the rain boots and wet umbrellas couldn’t take away from the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere!

IMG_2225 (640x478)The event was even more fun as I met some of my friendliest readers before the class started. Ellen, who also happened to be my guest post on Wednesday, was taking the class as well and it was great meeting and chatting with she and Melissa before the class started.

IMG_2240 (478x640)Since I was expecting this class to be an exact clone of other bar classes, I was surprised to see in the welcome email that we didn’t need socks. In addition, as soon as we walked in the classroom, we were greeted by different tools than normal.

Each of the 30 mat setups included a mat, pilates ring, square foam cushion, and three weights, two heavier weights of either 3 or 4 pounds, and one lighter weight. IMG_2226 (640x478)IMG_2228 (640x478)

I was excited to see we were going to use new tools and my interest was immediately piqued as I now knew that this class would be unique and different.

As soon as our gorgeous and vivacious red headed host entered the room, the energy rose! Her energy was contagious as was her huge smile. She welcomed us whole-heartedly and reinforced the primary reason we were there; to sweat and work our muscles in a new way. She then explained that unlike most bar classes we’d start at the bar, working our leg muscles, since they are the largest muscle group. Starting the workout with the legs gets the metabolism revved up and ready to go.

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The leg work included lots of squats, plies, and calf raises each of which left me panting and legs burning. The biggest change was that they started slowly and then were rapid fire towards the end of each set.

IMG_2236 (640x478) My legs were killing me by the end especially due to the race the night before and my morning personal training session.

The next part was arms, back at the mat. This is where I saw the biggest improvement based on my personal training. I used 4 pound weights the entire arm section and never felt too much pain. We did lots of lateral raises, hammer curls, and tricep work combined with squats and lunges which worked both body parts.

The best part was that Kate wouldn’t let any of us slack off by not going low enough or staying in the comfortable position where “we could stay all day.”

The next section was the biggest variation from Exhale or Physique 57. We spent a few painful minutes down on the mat with the pilates ring. HOLY HELL! Clearly my inner thighs are a weak area because this exercise brought tears to my eyes.

IMG_2235 (640x478) IMG_2234 (640x478) After fun with the ring we finished with some tricep dip pushups before heading back to the bar for more seat work followed by a final ab sequence on the mat.

I really can’t describe my love for this class! Her energy and music choices truly made the class, which led me to actually request her class playlist after the workout.

It is a great addition to New York City’s bar classes, incorporating great thigh and leg work with a more challenging arm and ab routine than other classes. In addition, the Pure Yoga space is the nicest yoga and workout space I’ve experienced in New York. The warm walls, helpful and considerate staff, and gorgeous class rooms make for a wonderful, sweaty experience!

Thank you Well+Good and Pure Yoga for a wonderful experience! I will definitely be back soon Kate for more of your torture treatment served with a smile and great music!

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Pure Yoga Bliss

What a wonderful day it was! Any day that includes FREE PURE YOGA, girlfriends, new restaurants, and shopping is a great day filled with smiles and laughter!

Almost a month ago, I received an email from Self Magazine advertising their special partnership event at Pure Yoga in NYC. This is what the invite stated:
East Meets West at Pure Yoga

Join SELF and Pure Yoga, New York City’s preeminent studio, for an ah-inspiring return to the authentic styles of yoga. Pure Yoga celebrates its latest location opening with exclusive afternoon access for SELF readers at this luminous, Upper West Side yoga playground.

Enjoy a complimentary signature class*. Choose from Hot Power Yoga, Mat Pilates, Pure Core, Vinyasa or Yoga Basics. Take time to further unwind with a relaxing hand massage, compliments of AVEENO®. Leave fresh and renewed with a sample of the spirited floral fragrance, Pretty Elizabeth Arden.

Saturday, February 6th
Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
Pure Yoga
204 West 77th Street
New York City
Space is Limited. Register for your class today at SELFConnected.com.

I immediately knew that I wanted to give it a try as i’ve heard wonderful things about Pure and had yet to try either of their studios. I quickly forwarded the invite to my girlfriends Lauren and Elizabeth hoping they’d join. We all decided that we’d take advantage of Pure’s space and resources by enjoying the 1pm hot power vinyasa.

After heading into the city early to pick up our bibs for tomorrow’s NYRR 4 miler, I walked a little over a mile through the cold streets crossing through the park towards the Upper West Side. I forgot how much I love walking through the city and taking in all the museums, shops, and people. I saw plenty of runners braving the elements as I crossed through the park and grew excited for tomorrow’s race with Dori, Meghann, Heather, and others!
As soon as I turned the corner at 77th and Amsterdam I knew I was in for a treat. Even the doors of Pure are absolutely gorgeous. Self had a table set up as soon as I entered where I was able to sign in, verify my class schedule, and receive a great swag bag. Today’s bag included a full size Aveeno Calming Moisturizer, a small Aveeno body wash, a 3 day pass to Pure, this month’s Self, a fragrance, and a can of Solixir. I LOVE free goodies especially when they’re related to health and beauty! The first thing I realized was that Pure is a HUGE space especially for a yoga studio. They feature over 100 classes a week in yoga and pilates. There are 8 studios each of which are absolutely beautiful! The whole area is filled with gorgeous bamboo floors, wood carvings, greenery, and calming music. This was definitely a change from last week’s yoga location. You can see a tour of the amazing space by clicking here. The locker room was plenty spacious and featured all the same great amenities as Equinox. After meeting Lauren and Elizabeth in the locker room we headed towards our studio and claimed a place. The studio was warm and inviting with faux candles along the back wall and a raised arch ceiling similar to this picture. (Our studio was half this size though) As soon as we entered we noticed a few things:

-The room was already very hot- probably close to 100 degrees!
-There were no mirrors in the room which was unusual but refreshing.
-The mats were very high quality and a heavier padded mat than one normally receives at a studio.

We explored the lobby area after setting up our mats and found the complimentary hand massages we’d heard about when we signed in. The hand massage, provided by Essential Therapy Massage and Spawas a heavenly 10 minute massage that released the daily stress in our hands, wrists, and forearms through gentle neading and use of pressure points. After the massage we were each presented a $30 gift card towards another treatment at their spa.
At 1pm we entered the class and found that it had filled since we last left. Luckily, they placed a cap on the class so there was plenty of room to practice. Our instructor, Kristi Clark, grew up as a world renowned rythmic gymanst which was immediately clear based on her build and her graceful movement. She asked each of us to focus on the breath, relaxing our muscles, and having fun. This was the only thing I found to be quite odd. During the whole class she kept telling us to laugh and smile. That made me a bit uncomfortable as I can’t always guarantee that i’ll smile through a 100 degree hot yoga class when I’m working my muslces as hard as possible. The class moved very quickly even though there were five novices who admitted this was one of their first classes. She did a wonderful job explaining the positions but also ensuring we were challenged by giving us adjustments and ways to make it more difficult. She also never stopped moving around the studio adjusting each of us. She helped open my hips during the pose and also helped me reach a proper crow pose which i’m proud to say I was able to hold for almost 10 seconds today!
After our class we enjoyed the steam room before changing and stopping to purchase Clean Plates NYC in the Pure store. They were giving out information about this great healthy eating version of Zagat when we entered and Elizabeth and I immediately knew we needed to add it to our collection. It is the only nutritiouns and food critic approved manhattan restaurant guide! It even features information for vegetarians and carnivores. I can’t wait to use this new tool to find a Friday night restaurant next weekend!
We can’t thank Self and Pure Yoga enough for the great day and opportunity! We felt like we’d spent a day at the spa when we left thoroughly relaxed and detoxified from the wonderful yoga class. If the price wasn’t a limiting factor considering I already have an Equinox membership, i’d definitely practice here at least two times a week. Elizabeth and I both wish they featured a class card so you could buy a class package to use over a certain time period. Our studios in Atlanta and Philadelphia each had this option which was great for people who don’t want to live on yoga alone but use it to supplement their other workouts.
We will definitely be back next weekend to use our 3 day class pass during the long President’s Day weekend.
Tommorrow i’ll reveal the winner of the giveaway, review our wonderful lunch spot, and share recap/photos from the NYRR 4 miler and blogger brunch! Now it’s time for sleep 🙂

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