Happy Days

Exhausted after a run outside

You know what's the best feeling?  That first warmish day after a snowy/cold/polar-vortex winter to end all winters.    As suddenly you got to go OUTSIDE!  And what does that mean for someone who likes to run?  Time to ditch the treadmill and head out to the park. 

Look, I love the gym.  But there are only so many times you can workout in doors without going stir crazy.  So as soon as the first Spring-Like day rolls around, you know that I'll be out there hitting the pavement.  And trust me, I wasn't the only New Yorker with that idea. 

The crazy thing was, I thought I was being adventurous with my clothes choice.  Capri-tights and a light long sleeve shirt in February in New York?  Nope, not that crazy.  As when its 50 degrees, well it might as well be 80 as far as NYC runners are concerned.  As I saw a lot of shorts and tank tops in my run through central park.  And hey, with how hot I felt in my outfit by the end of my 4 miles, I found my self just a bit jealous of my less-clothed fellow runners.

Checking Off Stadiums

Another stadium was checked off my list with my visit to Barclay's Center Sunday night to see the Nets.  And I have to say, I was super impressed with the building.  It might look like an odd alien spaceship from the outside, but the inside is clearly designed for the modern consumer. 

It's always nice when a visit to the stadium doesn't eat up your entire paycheck.  NYC just isn't the place to see live events if you aren't willing to shell out a decent amount of money.  But the Nets are for sure one of the best deals in town in terms of ticket prices.  Sure you'll end up spending money inside the stadium, but since the starting point is lower than other options it doesn't seem as crazy a night out as other venues end up being.

Once you get in, the stadium has a really slick look to it.  The all-black color makes it seem a bit like a NYC club, but to me that gave it a really unique feel.  And the food options? AMAZING!  Usually I find basketball to have pretty standard food, but Barclay's had a crazy array of great food.  We went with Fatty 'Cue BBQ, where the pulled chicken sandwich was to die for.  It was hard not to get the Brisket Mac and Cheese, but personally I'm glad I went with the sandwich.

Oh yeah, there was also a game going on.  But to be honest, that was probably the least interesting part of the trek to Brooklyn.  Regular season NBA games just don't have any edge to them.  The crowd is only kind of into it at the best of times, but in a game where the Nets led from the very beginning the stadium was even more lethargic than usual. But hey, it was for sure better than my usual Sunday afternoon of lounging around on the couch.

Will I be going again?  For sure!  I have to go to Calexico next time!

I Love Technology

Winter Olympics.  Hmm.  Not sure how you feel about it, but for me its a chance to cheer on USA (which I always love), but there's not the same excitement as when its the Summer Olympics.  I think people are either winter or summer people, and I am for sure a summer person, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching the events.  

Technology for sure helps with my enjoyment.  As not only can I have the Olympics on in the background (as I mean realistically I am watching 90% of these events to see if the American wins, so I don't really need to concentrate on it at all), but I can use my computer to pull up whatever sporting event I also want to watch.  God I love technology. This morning, it was 6 nations Rugby and the Olympics that were tickling my fancy.  So I turned to my trusty VIPBOX link on my computer, and boom instant rugby (without the $20 cover, so I was being fiscally responsible as well...productive morning if I do say so myself).  So not only did I get to cheer on Ireland while they dominated Wales, I also got to watch Bode Miller pull out the fastest qualifying time.  And I didn't have to go to a bar to watch both.  How sweet is that? 

 

Rugby Fun

This is a HUGE sporting weekend! No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl...well not only about the Super Bowl.  I'm also talking about the start of the Six Nations Rugby Cup!  And yesterday, it got off to a roaring start.

We decided that we had to find somewhere to watch the France vs. England game.  So we ended up heading to our trusty bar the Australian. Sadly, I don't think we are going to be doing this throughout the tourney like we were planning on, as the people who run the 6nations Cable require that all bars who show the games charge a $20 cover.  We walked into the bar to be met by someone clearly not associated with the Australian demanding we pay up.  Paying $20 plus whatever bar tab your run up is just a bit too steep to pay on a regular basis, but it was worth it on opening day.

France vs. England ended up being a classic.  France went out to an early lead, but the England came storming back, only to have France score a try in the last minutes to put them ahead for good.  The game, combined with a large/vocal crowd, made for a great day out.  I mean, anytime you have old-school country rivals going at it, it's going to be an interesting time.  But when you combine the already festive atmosphere with an actual quality game, it becomes even more fun.

I've already circled England vs. Ireland and Ireland vs. France as the two other games I'm willing to part with a $20 cover to get the rowdy crowd.  Let's go Ireland!!!