Weekend Wrap-Up: ATL Meets NYC

Ever since my little brother stepped on the scene back in '86, it's been one big party. So why should this weekend be any different? Cale and his beautiful girlfriend Lane came to town to visit (well, and truth be told, to re-live the 90's at a Third Eye Blind concert), and I have to admit, we made excellent use of our limited time. We ate NY pizza like it was going out in style at Franny's AND Grimaldi's... took our Mexican obsession to a whole new level at Tacombi and Mole... shopped till we dropped in Soho... Citi-biked the Brooklyn Bridge Park (twice!)... enjoyed cocktails on the roof at Wythe Hotel with my besties Andrea, Cory, Katrina and Ty... and even found time to squeeze in a Mets Game and a late-show at the Comedy Cellar.

Needless to say, I am happily exhausted.

Here's to the best brother in the whole wide world!

One pedal and he was sold!

Perfect weather for Citi-biking down to the Brooklyn Bridge Park!

Gotta get a skyline photo!

Clearly, I'm the only one who took this picture seriously.

Cale, modeling over a lunch of tacos at Tacombi.

This is what re-living the 90's looks like!

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Magical Moments in NYC: Clap Your Hands, Y'all!

Apparently, I was in the right place at the right time yesterday afternoon. I was wandering through Union Square when sweet, sweet funk music hit my ears and led me to the performance stage for 'Summer in the Square', a program providing free dance entertainment, fitness classes and children's activities in the park.

Last night's performance was led by the infamous Kim Holmes. Although I've never heard of her, I'm sure she's a legend in her own right. That woman could dance! The DJ was spinning everything from funk to hip-hop while Ms. Holmes did her thing with a bevy of backup dancers. Her smile was contagious, so much so that the whole crowd in front of the stage was dancing too - the young, the old and the in-between. She even dragged some children up on stage to exhibit their dance moves (unfortunately for all, the child she chose first was picking her nose the whole time and seemed uninterested in the whole 'dance' thing). Minus this child, everyone else seemed to be having a fantastic time.


This is one thing that I love about NYC, these magical moments. I stumble across this kind of stuff all the time. NYC is also really proactive in offering community activities where you can have fun while you workout. If 'Dancing with the Stars' has taught us anything, it's that you burn calories when you dance and you're not thinking about it because you're having so much fun! 

For those of you in NYC or who will be visiting this summer, Union Square will be doing the free dance shows every Thursday at 6 pm through mid-August. They're also offering free fitness classes on Thursday mornings from 7-10 am. Check out the full schedule here: http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/sites/default/files/upload/ww/2012_sits_web.pdf

If you live in Brooklyn, you can also check out Brooklyn Bridge Park's free 'Waterfront Workouts' - everything from Zumba and belly dancing to pilates and hip-hop dance. Check out the full schedule here:
http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/calendar/search?eq=waterfront+workouts

Even if you don't live in the city, you might be surprised to find that your city offers something similar. But either way, the moral of the story today is... take a minute, put on your favorite jam, grab a buddy and in the words of Lady Gaga... JUST DANCE! Your body and your spirit will thank you.

Happy Friday!