Back on Track

It has been a fabulous week! Why, you ask? I feel like I"m getting back on track with a few things.

Number 1: Run, Cat! Run! 

Ran to the Brooklyn Bridge 

I finally started running again. I have been a serious runner on and off since high school. I have a very bad habit of quitting for months at a time then starting again. Well, this week I started again and it felt great! A friend of Peter's has started a mileage challenge with me so I've got the motivation to keep it up!!

I have been bringing my running things to work and running around there (because the views are much better before going home on the train. My goal, as the weather starts to warm up, is to begin running in the mornings. I have to get ready for that 'Bama summer!




Number 2: Ridin' Dirty

My bike has been stuck inside my apartment through most of this winter.  For a while it was close to impossible to ride with all of the snow and ice. Then I was deterred by all of the salt and how quickly it would eat up my bike. In the past week we've had a few days of above freezing weather, enough to melt away the snow and ice and rinse the roads. Yesterday it was 50 degrees and first on my to-do list was to get my bike tuned up, road ready, and OUTSIDE.  I am so excited to start riding my bike to work again. Bring on the Roads!



Number 3: Organization

This school I work for just opened this September so we are still figuring out organization and storage. We have a room that will be a classroom for summer camp and school next year but currently does not have any children. It turned into a massive storage closet that was a complete eye sore. A co-worker and I decided to stay late and organize. We got so much done and actually ended up organizing all the classrooms as well. The only thing as satisfying as organizing your school, is organizing your apartment... which I did as well. I straight up love organizing. It was also great this happened because I'm having a very hard time curbing my desire to start packing for the move. I really, really like organizing but I LOVE packing... weird I know.



Number 4: Healthy Eating

In addition to getting my exercise routine back on track I finally went grocery shopping and stocked up on lots of healthy food options. I have a messed up metabolism so I try to steer clear of sugars and breads because they make me crash, and crash hard, sometimes into the floor. So I've got lots and lots of chicken and veggies, and some sweet treats like clementines and yogurt. I'm already feeling more energetic and healthy.

In summary, life is good. Preparations for the move as well as some trips we might take this summer are coming along. I've been spending more time with friends. I've got lots of NYC adventures planned now that the weather is a bit warmer and my bike is back in commission. So stay tuned!

Love my Girls! Love my City! 

50 Miles to Montauk And...

I didn't even see the Lighthouse

With the impending move and the (not-as-fun) Moving To-Do list building up, I decided to take a minute to reminisce about one of my favorite (and most difficult) trips from this fall.

Last summer/fall, much like now, I had a very extensive to do list. There were two items that I was incredibly excited for but also dreading... just a little bit. The first was a bike ride around Manhattan. It was a very long bike ride, and during the heat wave of all times.. but I was so glad I did it. The next item was biking from West Hampton to Montauk. It was going to be at least a 50 mile bike ride and I had read very mixed reviews about the bike "path" leading out there. Regardless, I really wanted to do it. It took quite a while to build up the courage but (as per usual) I impulsively woke up on Sunday, October 13th and decided to go! (See my route here)

The weather was absolutely perfect, and along the way I was greeted by an abundance of fall colors.

The ride was absolutely pristine... until I hit mile 35 and my legs gave out. I hadn't been riding as much in the weeks prior to this trip. I also must not have eaten correctly because I hit mile 35 and literally couldn't lift my legs to pedal. I pulled over to the side of the road and just sat there. I chugged water, ate a few cliff bars and waited... hoping that my muscles would recuperate. I had planned to bike all the way to the lighthouse and then back to the train station, which would have added 10 miles to the trip. Obviously... I didn't make it. The ride to the train station was absolutely agonizing despite the beautiful scenery. I also missed the train by about 10 minutes and had to sit and wait for 1 1/2 hours for the next train. Looking back, it's pretty humorous despite my discomfort in that moment.

If you've been keeping up with my NYC To-Do List. You'll see that "See the Montauk Lighthouse" is one of the items. I would absolutely love to do this ride again, but also decided it would be really nice to have a friend (maybe even a special guy) come with me out to Montauk. I have discovered that it is pretty difficult to convince my friends to go on a 50 mile bike ride, so I would be more than happy finding a friend who would take the train out there with me to explore.

I'm very, very ready for this snow to melt, and the salt to be rinsed away so I can get back out on my bike!

Until next time Montauk....

So close yet so far...

Roosevelt Island

I finally got out and crossed some items off the list!! This weekend I rode my bike up through Brooklyn and Queens and over to Roosevelt Island. You can see my route here. I really enjoyed the ride since I haven't seen much of the waterfront north of Dumbo. I also had never been over the Queensboro bridge!  After some deliberation (but actually just me getting sort of lost) I decided to head from Queens all the way over to Manhattan. Then, I took the Tram over to the island. I have to admit, riding the tram was my favorite part. I was standing next to another man with a bike and he leaned over to me and said,   I've lived here for 10 years and done this numerous times... but this ride never gets old." It was so fun!

The island itself was a very interesting place. I was able to do a loop of the entire island but actually... there wasn't much to see. We all know I love a good lighthouse so getting a closer view of the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse was fun. I also got a nice up close view of the "Octagon" as well as the abandoned Small Pox Infirmary . As much as a love a good abandoned over grown building, the coolest thing I saw was the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial on the south end of the island. The cement paving and triangular lined trees were breathtaking with the Manhattan skyline as the back drop. I'm so happy I went but... not really sure I'd go again.

On the ride home I also got to see the tops of some more abandoned buildings inside the Brooklyn Navy Yards ( I smell an adventure). Since I've accomplished so much on my list... I decided it was time to add some more items (in italics). Cheers Everyone!

Summer To-Do List
Astoria Beer Garden
Drink at McSorleys
Visit Watkins Glen
Visit Hart's Island
Try to obtain a permit to visit North Brother Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze
Explore Roosevelt Island

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

A Country/City Girl

Last week, while waiting for the train near West Point to head back to the city... I closed my eyes for a moment.  It was so.... quiet. The only sounds were the Hudson river lapping behind me, crickets, a few birds, and a breeze whistling through the trees. I sat there for an entire 15 minutes just taking it all in.

On the train ride home, I started to think about how much I had enjoyed that moment and I realized that each move I've made, I've develop new and sometimes random appreciations.  Just a few examples:

My first big move was when I was 18 from my home in the St. Paul, Minnesota to Charleston, SC.   Growing up in Minnesota I really had no appreciation for snow. It came every year, why fuss about it?  Snow in Charleston, on the other hand was enough to stop the press (literally, everything shut down). Now whenever it snows, I am a child... seriously ask my co workers, I went outside and danced the last time it snowed.

The second big move was to Charlotte, NC. While in Charleston... I hadn't fully appreciated how easy it was to access GORGEOUS beaches and rich, rich history.  Now, whenever I get a wiff of that salt water smell I instantly feel relaxed (and crave beer). I also try to take advantage of being somewhat near  the ocean here in NYC as much as possible.

My most recent move was to NYC and obviously (while I LOVE this city) I have come to appreciate nature, quiet, and a dark sky to see the stars (seriously.. the sky never gets dark here). Growing up in the Twin Cities, which is a large metropolitan area... I was always craving something more urban. Now that I've had it I'm craving something more, well... rural. Of course there are a million more things I've loved about each city, and a million things that I miss about each of them as well. For the most part though, I've always been ready to move on.

I am so grateful that I have the chance to experience such different places and have come to have an appreciation for the little things. It's funny how life works itself out isn't it? Peter and I are hoping to be headed to Alabama next. If I hadn't had the chance to live in NYC I wouldn't have developed an appreciation for the peace and tranquility that being outside (or nowhere near) a city can bring you... I would have been miserable in AL. Now, the idea of having space, cheap rent, and being in the middle of nowhere is actually pretty exciting!

In the meantime, I'm going to continue trying to take advantage of everything that NYC has to offer!!! I  will continue to chip away at my list and also add new things until life (or the Army) takes me somewhere new!

I love this city....

But, I love this too....

Around Manhattan

Roommate: Where did you bike today?

Me: Around Manhattan. 

Roomie: Oh whereabouts?

Me:... No, literally around Manhattan

I did it! To be honest this was the item on my list that I was most excited about but also dreaded the most. The Hudson Greenway is well paved and put together and if you veer off into any of the parks you can easily follow the signs back. I head heard that the East River trail was horribly labeled, paved, and put together..... and the rumors were true.

You can see my route here. It was 30 hot and sweaty miles around "the island" but it was well worth it! The East River ride was not very enjoyable, a very narrow walkway is shared with pedestrians and let me tell you, I had a few close calls. I did get to bike closely around the United Nations and got to see all the east side bridges (I love bridges!!). I also saw the Roosevelt Island Tram for the first time and decided to add that to my list. It looks like so much fun and I recently found out that you can use your Metrocard! Yippee!

I think my favorite part of the ride was through Harlem and Washington Heights on St. Nicholas Ave. It was beautiful and quiet. Good ol' Historic Harlem filled with large beautiful houses, gorgeous parks and churches, and a well paved bike lane. Everyone was very bike friendly as well. I actually had someone "wave me" in front of them! That's the first time that's happened to me in NYC. I had never been all the way up to Washington Heights before (although I was considering living there when apt hunting) It was gorgeous as well! I stumbled upon quite a few public gardens and parks that were some of the most beautiful I've seen in the city (Swindler Cove). They also had most of their fire hydrant spray caps on so I was able to get some cool mists as I rode past. It was quite a relief from the heat!

Tunnel in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights

Serious Rocks, Washington Heights

After I got onto the Hudson Greenway, I made 2 stops. The first was at The Jeffery's Hook Lighthouse, aka The Little Red Lighthouse. I actually didn't know it existed until a few weeks ago and was so excited to see it! It looks so cute and little underneath the GW Bridge. The next stop I made was to Grant's Tomb. There wasn't much to see but it was beautiful. They did have some old Civil War flags on display which I found fascinating. It was FREE and fun to look around, and a great place to cool off for a bit. After that, it was a straight shot down the Hudson Green way, down and around Battery Park, and under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Then I hopped back on the subway at stop where I started. I was totally the stinky person on the train but it was TOTALLY worth it.

The Little Red Lighthouse

Looking so tiny under the GW Bridge

"Grant's Tomb"

Art around the walls

Today was a fantastic adventure. I saw so much of New York and have even added a few items to the list for the future! I love this city!

Summer To-Do List

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Randall's Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Roosevelt Island

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

So happy to head back to Brooklyn

WATERFALLS

Finally got up to Kaaterskill Falls.... and it was GORGEOUS! It was a short hike from the road up to the falls (there are plenty of longer hikes but we opted for the short one to leave more time for biking trails afterwards). The trailhead is located right on Bastion Falls where there were lots of people sun bathing and playing in the water. Then it was an easy half mile climb up to Kaaterskill and boy, was it worth it!!!

Kaaterskill Falls

Bastion Falls 

Recommendations: Bring a swimming suit! Go early... it was PACKED when we got there around noon on Saturday.

I also tried Mountain Biking for the first time! After the falls we headed to the Stewart State Forest to bike some trails. It was terrifying at first but I think I liked it! I added it to the list just so I can cross it off, although I'm sure I'll be doing more biking throughout the summer.

Summer To-Do List
Mountain Biking
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

Pledging to be active and adventurous this week!!! Cheers! 

An Unexpected Adventure

Yesterday was a very, very rainy day! I have actually come to enjoy rainy days in the city. The fog and rain have a very strange way of changing the city. It's seems so much smaller and much more peaceful. The streets are less crowded, you can't see the top of the skyscrapers, everything is just a bit more calm.

After a weekend of staying in my apartment doing absolutely nothing, I was ready for an adventure. Rain or no rain I was getting out there, So I decided to ride my bike to meet a friend in Manhattan (See my route here). The only problem was that I got off work at 5:00 and my friend didn't get off until 7:30... so I had some time to kill. 

DISCLAIMER: I tried to take pictures but I didn't want to destroy my phone in the rain and the pictures weren't turning out that well anyway...

I started off and stopped by Barnes and Noble to buy Storm of Swords (I stayed up until 3:00am finishing the second GOT book on Sunday). I can't wait to start it! Then I headed off to the Brooklyn War Memorial. It was a gorgeous small park/memorial that I'm sure looks even more beautiful when the sun is shining.

After that, I hopped onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was my first time going over it on foot or on my bike so it was a fun experience. I did get stuck in a torrential downpour when I was in the center. The winds also made it a bit painful, but hey... pain just adds to the adventure right?

View of the Manhattan Bridge

Lots of construction on the Brooklyn Bridge

After making it into Manhattan and letting out a sigh of relief that I didn't run over any tourists (seriously, even in the storm they were out taking pictures in the middle of the bike lane), I crossed through Manhattan and after exploring the sculptures at Rockefeller Park I hopped on the Hudson Green way.

Memorial

Now, I've walked and run bits and pieces of the Green way before but I never paid much attention to what was around me. Since I had so much time to kill I made sure to stop and explore. There were so many things I would have typically just zoomed by! For example, a very moving memorial for a man who was struck while riding his bike. There were also moments when I had to pull over and just admire my surroundings. This is truly a spectacular city. It's so astonishing how one minute you can be surrounded by hundreds of people, skyscrapers and filth, then the next you're in a park surrounded by trees, flowers, and beautiful sculptures.

My plan had been to stay on the Greenway and then cut over on 56th st and hang out by my friend's work until she was ready. What I ended up doing was getting so caught up in my surroundings that I didn't realize how far I'd gone until I saw a "Riverside Park" sign. Oops. Seriously guys, you can forget you're even in the city. Riverside park is absolutely beautiful. After that I carried my bike up some stairs and got back onto the roads. I headed towards Central Park where I saw "The Reservoir" for the first time (it's much larger than I expected) then rode down to 7th Ave and waited in the Brooklyn Diner (ironic?) drinking hot tea and constantly apologizing for the puddles that my backpack, helmet, and clothing were leaving on their floors. My plan had been to ride home on a different route but, after sitting in a restaurant soaking wet for an hour or so I decided to hop the Subway home.

What a great night!!! You've got to love unexpected adventures. 

NYC's version of Cherry on a Spoon?

Random/sorta creepy sculptures

Seriously.. Am I still in the city?!

Riverside Park

Did I accidentally bike to Greece?!

In an Effort to Stay Distracted

West Point

So when I first started this blog, I was hoping to keep my personal life out of it. Well I'm breaking that rule today...

My boyfriend (of 3 years) is in the Army at West Point. I have been spoiled the past few summers in that I've had 3-5 whole consecutive weeks with him each year in-between his trainings. This summer, I'll be lucky to get a weekend, which is why I created a very extensive Summer To Do List.

I've spoken to many other girlfriends, fiancés, and wives that each have their own strategy in dealing with long distance, and those trainings/deployments where you have no communication at all. Everyone has their own strategy but the only one that has consistently worked for me is getting involved in activities where I can't use my phone/computer anyway! It keeps me busy and prevents me from constantly looking at my phone and/or staring at my computer screen wishing I could talk with the guy.

Peter is "in the field" for the next couple weeks, so I get very little (a few texts) to no communication with him. So yesterday and today I hopped on my bike to keep myself distracted! I also get to cross TWO things off my Summer To-Do list. Yesterday I rode to Coney Island and enjoyed a few hours of utter relaxation, other than constantly looking back and checking on my triple locked bike. Then today I biked to the Rockaways!

Summer To-Do List
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Gorgeous Greenway dead-ends into Coney Island

Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

Greenway covered in sand

The ride to the Rockaways was a total of 30.5 miles (check out the route here). Although I didn't make it all the way to Far Rockaway like I originally planned, I did go all the way to Breezy Point before being turned around by some security guards :( . It was quite the adventure especially since I forgot to tape my pre-printed directions to my bike...

I ran into quite a bit of lingering damage from Hurricane Sandy. It's so easy to forget what a horrible storm it truly was, especially for those of us who were barely affected. There were abandoned homes, large debris, damaged roadways, and there was sand EVERYWHERE. Once I got onto the island there was no grass at all, all the yards were made of sand. The road was also covered, and a section of the greenway had turned into dunes. My right shoulder is bruised from carrying my not-so-light mountain bike 1/4 mile over the sand (calf workout...check!). Today and Yesterdays adventures were a great distraction, a much needed reality check, a fantastic workout, Oh and they were FREE!! Now I'll keep myself distracted the rest of the day by cleaning up all the sand that my bike and I trekked into the apartment, oops!

As close as I could get to the water while still
having a clear view of my bike at Coney Island

Manhattan in the distance on the Marine Parkway Bridge

Sunburn Season

Every year around this time, no matter what state I'm living in... I enter into what I refer to as, "Sunburn Season". It's that odd time between Winter and Spring where it's still sort of chilly so you never think to wear sunscreen... and it takes a few burns before you get back into the habit of applying sunscreen. I've acquired some pretty impressive and awkward tan lines this 'season" including a 4 inch chunk of my leg that was exposed by my 3/4 length leggings on a hike. Oh, and better yet, the backs of my hands are a few shades darker than the rest of my arms. SUPER sexy!

This Saturday I headed up to West Point to see some special people (one in particular) and to watch some baseball (GO #13!!). It was nice out... I wore a dress (VERY unlike me). Well long story short, I have very randomly placed patches of sunburn, mostly on the right side of my body. My right shoulder, right side of my face, the inside of my left knee and calf, and the top of my left foot. Now first off, if anyone can pull off ridiculous looking sunburn, it's me (splotchy and fabulous!) That being said the burn on the top of my foot is really holding me back! I tried to slide into some running shoes today but that was a serious FAIL! I may be forced to ride my bike to work in flip flops...

This week will be an odd one at work. I have Wednesday off since I'm working Saturday and was really hoping to get some adventures in. Like finally attending this Wednesday pick-up soccer league I've had my eyes on. Since flip flops are a challenge to put on at this point, I'm assuming soccer cleats will be a no go.

Fingers crossed that the foot burn subsides by Wednesday, and Cheers to a happy and short "Sunburn Season". Maybe one of these years I'll learn my lesson BEFORE the first burn.

A Little About me and Breakneck Ridge

So I was out in the middle of the Hudson Valley Highlands... 

 this weekend and thought,  "I should write about this..."

First, a little about me, my name is Cat, and I'm a fairly recent (June 2012) transplant to Brooklyn, NY. When I first moved to the city, I was constantly out and about exploring/wandering aimlessly. After a few months at my apparently typical New York job where I work 10 hours a day (and am often on call when I'm not physically there), I began to over appreciate my time on the couch in front of the television. Over the past few months I've slowly been putting my adventure shoes back on.

So these will be my ramblings. IN AN EFFORT TO BE MORE EXCITING I will document my many exciting (and not so exciting) adventures in and around the city. So here we go:

First Up: Breakneck Ridge & Mt Taurus Hike

Cost: $26 round trip Metro North Ticket to Breakneck Ridge

This trail/loop is outstanding for many reasons, the first and most important for city dwellers without vehicles is the convenience to public transportation. A quick 1-hour train ride on the Metro North Hudson line train will literally drop you off at the trail head. From there you have a 1.5-mile "hike" literally straight up the mountain. I use parenthesis around hike for one reason... it's really more of a climb. "Rock scrambling" is how it is described in the hike books but that's an understatement. There were parts where I was wishing I had my climbing harness and a top rope attached. Now if you're someone like me who loves a good challenge, this hike is PERFECT! You get a serious workout, some serious views, and I guarantee you'll be headed to your local climbing gym afterwards.

Another perk about starting off with this climb is that once you summit you'll have tons of additional (and more bearable) trail options. So far I've completed two loops. The first is a 3-miler up Breakneck Ridge and looping North on the Breakneck Bypass and back around to the Breakneck Ridge train station. The second was a 7-miler, looping south onto the Notch trail (through the Cornish estate ruins), then the Washburn trail over the summit of Mt Taurus and back down into Cold Spring.

Overall, an absolutely fantastic day hike and a great way to get out of the city and into some fresh air.

"Scrambling"

The view of West Point from the top of Mt. Taurus