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It’s hard to believe that a week has passed since Taylor and I fled the New York winter.  We managed to escape prior to the winter storm – the precursor to the brutal cold front that’s gripped the region and my Facebook activity feed this week.  As I apply my sunscreen to combat the cruel winter sun here in California, I’ll pour some out for my homies on the East Coast who showed us such a great time while we were in town.  Here’s what we managed to fit in during our short visit to NYC.

As Taylor mentioned in her holiday recap, we caught up with friends from my hometown around a campfire and a sampling of craft beers.  A couple of craft beers turned into more than a couple craft beers, and the Saturday morning wakeup was not very pleasant.  With a beautiful 55 degree day to run in Central Park as our motivation, we embarked for NYC.
Friday night St. Bernardus Tasting Menu

Friday night St. Bernardus Tasting Menu

We parked on the Upper West Side close to my old apartment (W74th & Central Park West) and met two of my sisters, their boyfriends, and another friend for a loop around Central Park’s famous outer loop – a 10K route.  In true NYC fashion, we were met with a sea of walkers, joggers and cyclists eager to take advantage of a rare mild winter day, and it was very exciting to feel the energy in the park.  The Central Park loop is one of my favorites – it has a mixture of hills, rolling hills, and flats that add variety to runs of any distance.
Soaking in the scenery in Central Park, and more importantly - wearing shorts

Soaking in the scenery in Central Park, and more importantly – wearing shorts

The next stop in our tour was Fairway – a NYC institution, for some post run snacks before we headed down to the East Village apartment we rented on AirBnB.  For those of you who haven’t tried AirBnb – we highly recommend their service: they enable travelers to rent apartments in cities worldwide.  We’ve had excellent experiences in three major cities – NYC, Seattle and Portland, and we’re planning to book more stays this year.
Enjoying some drinks at Houston Hall

Enjoying some drinks at Houston Hall

Saturday night was quite eventful between dinner at Malatesta with a group of ten followed by a night of drinks at Houston Hall – a parking garage converted into a large beer hall in the West Village.  Taylor learned the joys of sleeping with earplugs firsthand prior to our farewell breakfast at one of our favorite spots – Cafe Mogador.  We finished our trip with a rejuvenating macrobiotic meal at Souen and a rare popcorn-less movie – The Wolf of Wall Street as we sought refuge from the cold, stinging rain.
Walking through the original Washington Square Park - San Francisco, take note

Walking through the original Washington Square Park – San Francisco, take note

Following a 4:45 wakeup on Monday and a mad dash to the airport, we were gone in a New York minute.  Although I had a great time in New York, I’m fine with 50 degrees meaning cold, and dogs without sweaters.  Happy New Year everyone!