Tag Archive for: New York

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A Wonderful Week in New York City

March 26, 2023/0 Comments/in New York /by Caroline

I was in New York City in October and had the best time! Technically, I spent my time in Manhattan. I was there for a work conference but naturally packed in as much as humanly possible outside of work hours. That’s how I typically roll anytime I go somewhere but the three hour time change killed me. The first couple days were fine but by the end of the week I was dying. And since I overpacked my schedule and paid for things in advance, and let’s be honest I don’t see myself back in the Big Apple anytime soon, I kept going sans sleep.

When I heard I was going to NYC I knew I wanted to see a Broadway show and take an in person Peloton class. I couldn’t decide which show to see so I saw four. And I did get in a Peloton class! It was an epic trip and quite possibly the highlight of my year. Life has so many beautiful moments and it’s important to make the best of them.

We flew into La Guardia on Sunday and landed late afternoon. La Guardia is the nicest airport I’ve been to. Apparently there are no trains directly from this airport so you have to take a bus to the train station. I was with several coworkers and since this was our first time in NYC we opted for a taxi. The pickup area is in a parking garage full of taxis honking. It was hilarious and the perfect welcome to New York.

We got checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, and hit the town for dinner. We were all excited to be in the city and decided to walk around for a bit after dinner. We stopped to get ice cream at Van Leeuwen and made our way over to Times Square. It was rather disappointing as it’s just an outdoor mall with neon advertisements all around. Not sure what I was expecting but not that.

Monday was our only totally free day and we started the day by hopping on the subway to Lower Manhattan to see the 9/11 Memorial. My Google Maps app made the subway seem really easy and I had grand plans for going all over Manhattan via the subway. My co-workers and I got into the train car and were having a great time, taking pictures, and living up our first subway experience. Next thing you know, we look out the window and are going over water and Manhattan is becoming smaller by the second. We ended up in Brooklyn and had no idea what to do next. Most of our phones were not working (because we were underground) and none of us knew what we were doing. It was hilarious for the most part. Starting our trip to the Big Apple by getting lost on the subway. The timing was perfect because we didn’t have anywhere we had to be. We got off the train at the first stop we could and eventually figured out we had to leave that train platform to get to the other side of the tracks to go back. We eventually got back to Manhattan and made it to the 9/11 Memorial. It was a humbling experience nonetheless.

After walking around the pools and taking in the magnitude of the situation, we decided we needed lunch and a drink. We ate at Eataly and the food was fantastic! I’m not sure I ever really have a bad meal in big cities. I had an arugula salad with grilled chicken and a lemon vinaigrette dressing and I would like another right now.

Our next stop was the pier to hop on a Circle Line sightseeing cruise. We took the 1.5 hour landmarks cruise and had the best time! I’d highly recommend this cruise. The guide was knowledgable and fun and we learned so much about New York. It was the perfect start to our trip.

On the cruise we went by something called Little Island and one of my coworkers wanted to check it out so we walked back to it. Had I know how far away it was I would have opted for a mode of transportation other than my feet but it was an enjoyable walk. The island is so cute and was a fun stop. I am impressed with how many nature retreats are on Manhattan.

By this point in the day it was late afternoon and our feet were tired. We took a cab back to our hotel and headed off to dinner. I wanted to try Thyme and Tonic and it did not disappoint! It’s an adorable restaurant and the ambiance is on point. It was a perfect end to a fun day.

Our conference started on Tuesday and we had a little downtime for lunch so we went to Rockefeller Center to try a restaurant I had read about online. If you ever travel with me know that I will have researched all the restaurants in the area and will likely go to random places to try things I read about on the internet. I had quite a list for NYC but that list was squashed when I realized the subway was not as easy to use as I assumed when I was route planning on Google maps from my couch in Arizona. We got lost inside Rockefeller Center multiple times (seems to be a theme for this trip). There is a mall or something underneath the building and that’s where the restaurant we were going to was. Colleen Hoover was launching a book that day and we stumbled upon the book launch party. That was fun to see even though we didn’t get a book or coffee from the coffee truck.

Tuesday evening was the first of my four Broadway shows and I started off with the Music Man. I picked this show because I wanted to see Hugh Jackman. I loved him in the Greatest Showman and was so excited to see him on stage! I knew nothing about the Music Man and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

Wednesday was mostly a work day but it ended with Hamilton! A couple of my coworkers opted to come with me and we had the best dinner before our show. We were a little pressed for time and the hotel concierge recommended Trattoria Dell’Arte. I don’t travel via hotel much but the concierge recommendations are almost always on point. We sat outside and it was super cute. We didn’t think we were going to have enough time to get our food but we let our waiter know of our time crunch and our food came out super fast. Not only was it fast (for us in our rushed state) but it was phenomenal! It might, quite possibly, be the best chick and potatoes I have ever eaten. After dinner we made our way to the theater for Hamilton! I saw Hamilton when the tour came through Tucson earlier in the year but seeing it on Broadway was so wonderful!

We had a little down time Thursday morning so we opted to walk through Central Park on our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Central Park was gorgeous and the Met was out of this world!

We had to do some work in the middle of the day but we had another show to catch that evening! We didn’t really have time to get dinner at a restaurant so we decided to try a street vendor near our hotel who always had a line. The Halal Guys was good and apparently a very New York thing to do. Rather than walking to the theater we decided to take a bike taxi. If you think taking a normal taxi is crazy, don’t get into a bike taxi. They are just as crazy weaving in and out of traffic but you’re in a cart on the back of a bike. It was an experience and I’m glad to have checked the box but I’m not sure I’d take one again. Our performance of the evening was A Strange Loop. I had heard good things about the show and was glad to have been able to see it. It is such a powerful and important story.

Friday was my last full day in the city. Once again I barely slept the night before. The only good thing about not sleeping is that Taylor Swift dropped her new album at midnight so I was able to listen to it at midnight. As such, I earned a Spotify badge for being in the first 1% of streams of Midnights. Thanks, jet lag. I started the day with an in person Peloton class! Honestly, I was exhausted by this point and would have skipped the class if I hadn’t been telling people about it for weeks and everyone I know with a Peloton was planning to ride live with me. In the end I’m glad I went but there was a moment, or 10, where I was questioning my life choices.

After my Peloton class I headed back to the hotel because I had my final conference sessions of the trip. I may or may not have skipped a conference session to attend the Peloton class. 😬Once the conference wrapped up I tried to take a nap but that didn’t work. My coworkers and I had our last dinner on the town. It was good but not as good as the one earlier in the week. I was also exhausted and was feeling like I was going to fall asleep in my food. 😂 My last Broadway show was Friday evening and I had saved my favorite for last – Hadestown! I was contemplating skipping it but my wonderful coworkers convinced me to go. They told me I could leave at intermission if I still wasn’t feeling it. In the end I went, didn’t leave, and am so glad to have seen it on Broadway.

I had the best time in NYC and am so grateful for all the memories. This trip was epic and one I will cherish for a very long time.

How To Get In A Peloton Studio In-Person Class

February 11, 2023/6 Comments/in New York, States /by Caroline

If you follow me on social media or we’ve spoken in person in the last year you are probably aware of how much I love my Peloton bike. I was in New York in October and was lucky enough to get in an in-person studio class! It was so much fun and a bucket list item for any Peloton fan. My friends with Pelotons took the class live at home and were sending me pictures of their screens when I showed up. I’m in the pink tank top in the picture below.

Classes are hard to get into so if you’re wanting to take an in-person class at the Peloton Studio, here’s what I learned:

The class schedule opens six weeks in advance and fills up almost immediately. The most popular instructors and class types, like cycling, filled almost instantly. Be ready to book as soon as classes open. To view the schedule or book a class visit the Peloton website.
You can see a general schedule ahead of opening but the actual schedule isn’t posted until the booking page is live. Know your availability or have it written out so that when classes are live you can quickly figure out what works for you. I was in NYC for a conference and had limited availability. I knew which classes I could attend based on the general schedule, which I didn’t realize was general, and was caught off guard when what went live was different from what I had planned to. I didn’t have my availability handy and ended up having to grab whatever I could. The class I got in was during a conference session but after all that there was no way I missing the opportunity to ride in person.
Per my above story, I wasn’t sure of my availability, and didn’t have time to figure it out, so I was trying to be greedy and grab a couple classes so that I could later figure out what worked with my schedule. Turns out Peloton is smarter than that. You can’t add multiple classes to your cart and check out. You have to register and pay for each class before you can book something else. If you’re trying to grab multiple classes, register for the one you want most first and then go back and try to grab others. I registered for my first class, it took me no more than 30 – 60 seconds, and when I tried to grab a second everything was full. I honestly do not know how people get in back-to-back studio classes. They either have connections or know something I don’t, because classes filled up almost instantly when I registered. Granted, I visited in October which is a popular time in NYC so maybe that made it harder to take a class.

Once you’re in the studio:

Read the entire confirmation email they send you prior to heading to the studio. I know that sounds like a no brainer, and I probably read mine when I initially received it, but didn’t refer back to it. When I visited in October 2022 they were requiring proof of a negative COVID test or your vaccine card. I haven’t had to show those items in a long time and wasn’t prepared to need them. I was standing in line outside of the studio and someone next to me mentioned their card and I was like what?! I frantically called my husband (it was 5am his time) and had him send me a copy of my vaccine card. Don’t be like me – review the confirmation email a few days before your class so you know what is needed to get in the door.
From the moment you walk in the door they will be giving you instructions. I was so excited to be there, probably a little nervous too, and kept zoning out on their instructions. I was just looking around the studio in awe and was like crap, what did they just tell me? Try to pay attention to what they are telling you. I’m sure I missed some good stuff.
The most important thing to remember, in my opinion, is your locker number. I threw my things in a locker, set the combination, and headed off to class. About halfway through my class I realized I had no idea which locker my items were in. Fortunately I remembered the area but I had to try a lot of lockers before I found mine. Don’t be like me. Take a picture of your locker number.
Once you’re in the class, they tell you no pictures/videos although they don’t seem to enforce this. People had their phones out when the instructor walked in but I didn’t see any during the actual class. It is a live TV production so just keep that in mind.

And if you’ve made it this far, here are a few memorable moments from the day:

I love 90’s music and it just so happens I was in Emma Lovewell’s 30 minute 90s ride which means I knew all of the songs. This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan came on and by that point in the ride I was jamming and having a blast. The music is really loud so it feels like a concert. Emma was encouraging singing if you know the songs, which I was obviously doing. There’s a part of the song where Montell says to throw your hands in the air. I was singing along and threw my hands up only to look up and realize I was the ONLY one who had done so. Shortly after that Emma threw her hands up and the class followed. This means one of two things, either no one in the class knows that song and was not prepared to throw their hands up or I was a little too ambitious. I’m not sure if Emma followed me or if I jumped the gun but there was definitely an awkward moment where I had my hands in the air and it felt like everyone was looking at me. 😂 In that moment I had to remind myself that it’s is a live TV production and I needed to settle down and follow the instructor’s lead.

When you check in for the class you are given a card with your group number for entry into the class. I somehow ended up with group A which means I was one of the first into the room. I’m a back of the class type of girl so I immediately went to a bike in the back of the class. One of the security guards seemed confused by this and made a reference to sitting in the front of the class. I guess most people want to be in the front. I gave in to the peer pressure and selected a seat right in front. This also meant that I would be in the camera view for the production so I had to make it through the entire ride. This isn’t normally a problem for me but knowing that I would be in the camera view added a little pressure. The class doors opened 30 minutes before the live class started and there’s really nothing to do except pedal. So we were pedaling for almost 30 minutes prior to the 30 minute class. It was easy pedaling but pedaling nonetheless. Long story short, during the actual class I kept my resistance lower than what Emma was suggesting so that I would look like I was keeping up with the class. That’s dumb, I’m sure, but I didn’t want to be on camera dying or having to take a break. Lol.

Some other fun facts from the class, Emma came in 10 minutes before the class started. She is so sweet and was telling stories and talking to us. She went through all the milestones and birthdays in the room, so everyone got a classroom shoutout, she talked about her cats, told us that the instructors really are all BFFs, and we took a few pictures for the class image that is displayed in the app. There are cameras all over the room and the light on them turns red when that camera is on. That’s how the instructor knows where to focus. Overall, it was really neat to see how the production works. After class we were able to take a picture with Emma in the lobby. The studio takes the pictures and later in the day emailed our photos. Again they told us no phones but some people were still using theirs.

My picture with Emma is below. I’ve always wondered why everyone is in their socks in their pictures and I finally have an answer. It seems less weird once you’re there. The bikes require cycling shoes and you can borrower shoes from the studio if you do not want to travel with your own. They take your shoes once you leave the class and the picture line is immediately after you exit the class. So you go from class, to dropping off your shoes, to the picture line. Once you get your picture taken you can head to the locker room where your shoes are.

If you’re a Peloton fan, I definitely recommend trying to get into a live class in the Peloton studio. It’s fun to meet the instructors and see how the productions are made. Feel free to drop any questions in the comments or share tip or stories if you’ve been. Happy riding (or whatever your preferred activity is)!

Tag Archive for: New York

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