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July 2017

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The Best Running Route In Brooklyn

by Nellie

Living in NYC there are plenty of amazing places to run. From Central Park to Prospect Park to everywhere in between, the city is just a simply gorgeous running oasis. What really helps is that 99% of the city is reachable by foot so you can find little fun corners to run and explore. While marathon training over the past two years, I have seen more bridges and beautiful views via training runs. I have run over all of the bridges in NYC and the views never get tired.

With all of these amazing options, I still have one favorite route that gets me every single time. Brooklyn Bridge Park is hands down my favorite place to run. The park is massive so you can absolutely get a LOT of miles in without ever seeing the same thing twice. It is set along the edge of Brooklyn overlooking the NYC Skyline.

The park is right on the water therefore the temperatures are always a little bit cooler than everywhere else. The park is generally PACKED especially in the Spring/Summer time but there is enough room for everyone, as the runners are always out and about.

If you start at the end of the park you end up running up two different bridges, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. If you REALLY want variety you can run across both bridges (about 1 mile and a quarter each way) and run back to where you started.

Be careful of special events though! Even though the park is massive, and you can always find alternate routes–the park is always better without an extra couple thousand people hanging around. 🙂

I am teaming up with amazing runner blogger to share our favorite Rave Runs! Check them out and you may find a new route to love!

Carly @ Fine Fit Day

Laura @ This Runner’s Recipes

Angela @ Happy Fit Mama

4 Runners Share their FAVORITE place to RUN! @HappyFitMama @ThisRunRecipes @CarlyPizanni #running Click to Tweet

Where is your absolute favorite place to run? Have you ever been to Brooklyn Bridge Park?

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NYC Fitness Classes

On Top Of The World: A Rooftop Spin Class With CrankNYC

by Nellie

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

Imagine a beautiful rooftop in NYC overlooking the stunning water and the picturesque skyscrapers–now imagine combining that with an amazing, powerful workout.

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

This is exactly what happened last week when I attended a special spin class held by CrankNYC! The event was held at the very posh Arlo Hotel SoHo.

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

I managed to get to the 8am spin class on time which was a miracle considering that the morning commute was pretty brutal. (I don’t miss that AT ALL)

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

When I arrived I was greeted by a CrankNYC swag bag with my name on it filled with my spin shoes for the day, a CrankNYC shirt and so much more. I quickly put on my shoes as the class would be starting shortly but to be honest all I wanted to do was take pictures because the views were just breathtaking.

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

The energy was so good right off the bat! The music was amazing, I knew pretty much every song and the ones I didn’t know I wish I did. We warmed up pretty quickly with some 30 second sprints. The class was full of fun choreography and moves I’ve never done on a spin bike before. We even used a hand towel as weights–what?! Crazy! Somehow it totally worked–my arms were burning afterwards!!

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

Class ended beautifully with reflection and pause to appreciate what we did for ourselves in that moment. The class was so dope and I can’t wait to go back. The family vibe was a good one and I love that they make that a core part of their brand.

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

Yummy Post Workout Treats from Julie’s Real

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

Afterwards we were treated to yummy granola and amazing almond butter from Julie’s Real. Gluten Free and Paleo, all of it was so delish. I love a good granola, and this one was SO good! I might have taken a bag (or three) home!

CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class CrankNYC Rooftop Spin Class

A rooftop spin class overlooking #NYC with @CrankNYC! #fitness #healthyliving #exercise Click to Tweet

Check out this fun recap video from the CrankNYC event! For more information and to take a class check out their website!

When was the last time you took a really awesome spin class?

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BAM Travels

Why Busch Gardens VA Is The Perfect Family Trip

by Nellie

 

Busch Gardens VA is a really fun theme park located near colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. This was my first time to the theme park and I was SO impressed with the rides, the culture and of course the animals! It’s a world class theme park with tons of things to do! Here is a quick guide to Busch Gardens Virginia!

When I was younger I was very well traveled. I spend summers in Jamaica, visited every island, and went to Florida crazy often. I had always heard of my friends going to Busch Gardens but somehow my family never made it there.

 

A Simple & Quick Guide To Busch Gardens Virginia

 

Since we have never been here before we immediately grabbed a map to get a lay of the land. We quickly learned that there were different countries to visit. We started in England where there was a height checker which was great to see which rides our boys could ride on.

One thing you couldn’t deny was how gorgeous the park was. Beautiful greenery and water was everywhere, masterfully weaved into a gorgeous (and spotless!) theme park. We knew that there were a few places that we absolutely wanted to visit and that was the Sesame Street Forest of Fun and Land of The Dragons. My 5-year-old was mostly excited about the Sesame Street fun, my 8-year-old ended up liking it more than he wanted to admit!

 

  

Both Sesame Street Forest of Fun and Land of the Dragons were perfect for elementary-sized kids. There were several low-key rides in both areas. If your kids are not hardcore thrill seekers, then these are the areas for you.

They both also have really fun water areas, so if you need a place to cool off, bring a swimsuit along for the fun! Family friendly dryers are also available for purchase if your family just likes to get wet regardless of what clothes they are in (like mine). The Kidsiderate program is perfect for those under 9, and it is set up across all areas of the park.

Next, we walked over to Germany and went on Curse of DarKastle. It’s a simulation ride, not a roller coaster so there are no big dips or drops. The ride is in 4D and could possibly be a little scary for the younger ones. I personally loved it, the 4D effect was SO cool—I was dodging all of the things coming my way–it was so realistic! 🙂

Food & Wine Festival

I love a good food and wine festival – who doesn’t? From May 26th to July 2nd on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the park is celebrating food from all over the globe.

There were tasty treats from India, Canada (Did you know that Canada’s most popular food is Mac and Cheese?! I had no idea), The Caribbean (I HAD to stop for a pineapple upside-down rum cake and a Lime Ginger Drink), Germany, England, Scotland, and SO much more!

The treats were authentic from each country and so fun to try out!

 

 

Quick Queue & Refills

A couple of really cool features in Busch Gardens VA that saved me time and stress were the use of the souvenir cups and quick queue. The cups have free refills all day, so they pay for themselves over and over again especially if you have a thirsty family (like mine).

The Quick Queue puts you on a shorter line for the most popular rides and attractions. A life saver when you have kids who don’t really like to stand around for long!

The Food!

I know I talked about the Food and Wine Festival but the food that is there every day is pretty awesome too. We chose to eat at Marco Polo’s Marketplace that had TONS of options from yummy paninis to Chinese food to delicious artisan flatbread pizzas.

To my husband’s delight there was a Make Your Own Cannoli station. He was over the moon to say the least. (I had the strawberry shortcake which was scrumptious!)

 

The International Culture

Going around to all of the countries teaches the kids all about different countries. From the flags, to the trinkets, to the food—the kids and adults all get an awesome geography lesson.

The Busch Gardens Animals!

If you are visiting Busch Gardens VA, be sure to check out the animals and all of the awesome shows! We got to visit the Wolf Haven performance as well as the More Pet Shenanigans show! Both were super adorable and provided for fun photo opportunities afterwards.

Busch Gardens VA is (Relatively) Close to home

 

Busch Gardens VA is about a 3-4 hour drive from NYC or an hour via plane. It’s really great to have such a huge, diverse and fun theme park so close to home!

Florida is great, but sometimes you want to stay a little bit closer to home and still have a fun family trip. Busch Gardens VA is definitely the choice to make for an easy NYC getaway!

 

 

What are your summer travel plans? Have you ever been to Busch Gardens VA?

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BAM Travelsdisney

5 Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

by Nellie

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

I have spent a lot of time in Disney World.

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

It is one of my favorite places in the world…I visited several times a year as an adult BEFORE kids and have visited many times since. I like to consider myself a bit of an expert because I spent hours upon hours planning out each detail of every trip down to the minute. Then there is the minor fact that in front of the castle, amidst the fireworks is where my husband proposed. Needless to say it’s a special place for me. Every time I’m in Orlando, I try to make a visit because Disney World is ground zero for me in a lot of ways.

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

Solo Trip To Disney World

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

Since I was in Orlando for my 4th BlogHer Conference, I took the time to schedule an extra day in Orlando so I could spend some solo time in Disney. I knew that I would be traveling solo, so I was so excited to get a media pass from Disney to check out the parks. There are many reasons why I LOVE going to Disney by myself and why I think everyone should try it:

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

  1. Go With the Flow: Often times when planning a Disney World trip with kids you often plan around the rides and experiences that they might like the most. For example: My eldest child loves Beauty & The Beast in ALL formats, so we always make sure to get a FastPass for the live show in Hollywood Studios. When you are solo however, you can go wherever your heart leads you. Want to do the Hall of Presidents ride? Go crazy! It’s a Small World is your jam? Go nuts! The best part is that you don’t have anyone asking you do anything, you can go with your heart and let your spirit guide you. 🙂5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World
  2. Easier access to rides: You can finally take advantage of the single rider lines, and trust me they move fast! The thing about getting on the rides is that it really doesn’t matter who you are sitting next to because you are too busy enjoying the attraction to chat with your neighbor!5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World
  3. Eat Whatever You Want: No really. We all know that Disney has some of the best theme park restaurants in the world, so when you are alone, you can decide what you love to eat. For me my favorite over the counter restaurant is Cosmic Rays in Magic Kingdom, so I headed straight there for lunch! There are a ton of places to choose from throughout the parks so whatever type of cuisine you wanted you can easily get to. Plus it is way easier to get a last minute reservation at a popular restaurant as a solo guest. 5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World
  4. Park Hop Easily: I always start at Magic Kingdom because that place means the world to me, but I let my mood guide me when I’m ready to move on to another park. This time I went over to Hollywood Studios because my favorite ride (on the planet) is the Rock N Roller Coaster. I managed to grab a same day fast pass, and waited maybe 7 minutes to get on the ride. It was just as awesome as I remembered it! I spent a few more hours in Hollywood studios browsing the shops and just relaxing. 5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World
  5. Rest when you are ready: I never know how the day is going to treat me, I could get exhausted really quickly or the summer sun can yank the energy out of me–the best thing about traveling solo is that you can simply take a rest on a bench, or even go back to your room for a nap before returning. You don’t have the feeling of trying to fit it all in to accommodate everyone you came with.5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

Related Disney Posts:

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Take A Solo Trip To Disney World

5 reasons why you should take a #solotrip to @DisneyParks! #disneyworld @WaltDisneyWorld Click to Tweet

Would you ever travel to Disney World on a Solo trip?

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