Fitness

Spin and Sip

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What’s better than a night of Spinning with your favs from the gym? A night of Spinning followed by a night of DRINKING! DUH. Last night we had the first in hopefully a series of #SpinAndSip nights at Brazenhead in Brooklyn. This night was in the making for almost two months. With all of our busy schedules, my constant weddings, etc., we finally settled on October 19th as the inaugural night. I must have said that date 100 times in my classes in the weeks leading up to it. I’m sure you all tired of my constant blacklight photos and boomerangs on Instagram to promote it. The night has come and gone, and it was as fun as I imagined. We started with a BOMB@$$ All 90’s #tbt playlist in spinning (you can find it here, FOLLOW ME ON SPOTIFY!), and then we headed across the street for some libations.

I visited two bars in the area to check what kind of drink specials I could finagle, and Brazenhead won out. I went to law school around the corner, and I had hosted multiple events at Brazenhead before so I knew they were game. Specifically, I hosted multiple nights of Sex Ed Trivia for Law Students for Reproductive Justice. Lingerie, pleather knee-high-boots, garters, etc. Anyway, as usual, I am getting off-track. The point is, Brazenhead is a great space, with a neighborhood feel, TVs, and a cute outdoor space in the back. PLUS, the manager, Sasha, said she would give us wristbands and extend their happy hour pricing for us from 8-10 pm. HELLO $6 gin and tonics!!

Unfortunately, they don’t serve food (besides free bar snacks, like pretzels), but the manager said she didn’t mind if we brought our own food. A couple of people picked up real food for dinner, but the real MVP of the night was Jeannine, who brought snacks for everyone. In true elementary-school-teacher fashion, she brought pita chips, carrot sticks, and hummus. What a champion.

We ended up having 16 people show up, including 3 instructors (myself included). #TeamDodgeYMCA! Brazenhead was so hospitable, I could not have asked for anything more. They gave us wristbands, the bartenders were awesome, and they even reserved a huge circular booth for us in the front of the place. We played a few rounds of “get to know you” games, learned each other’s names, learned how many years we had lived in New York, a learned a fun fact about each of us. I revealed that I once brought a snow cone machine to sleep-away camp #fatkidforever. Best of all, we got to hang out with each other off the bike.

It was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again. Next time, I expect an even larger turn-out! Now accepting all suggestions for the next hashtag: #SpinAndSipTake2 #SweatThenSwig #SpiritsAndSpinning #SwoleSippers

Not all of us got the “funny face” memo.
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Big City Living

Drinking in New York (while not breaking the bank)

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New York is the City that never sleeps. It’s also the city that never DRIVES. Which means we drink. A LOT. Going out with colleagues? Happy hour. Meeting some friends? Wine bar. First date? Lounge with drinks. College Football? Dive bar. Girls day Saturday? DRUNCH. REALLY have to pee and the closest Starbucks is 5 blocks away? Hop in a bar for a quick drink (and pit stop).

But how does one go out to drinks 4-5 nights a week when a single drink can cost $18? Especially someone who went to law school and does not use or think about her degree (except to calculate her debt on mint.com?) There are few ways to get cheap/free drinks, all of which I have taken advantage of over the years.

First, make friends with people who get work perks. My best friend happens to work in media, and I have taken her up on open bar invitations more times than I can count, and had more drinks than I can count (… literally, I could not count by the end of the night). If you are not in a field that has drink perks, find a friend that has them. I have seen the Knicks from box seats, the US Open with free-flowing sushi platters and champagne, attended a pre-party with a rented-out bar for the Sweet Sixteen… you absolutely MUST have friends with benefits. Alcoholic ones.

If this plan does not work, then you must always find the oldest man in the bar. This is a fool-proof plan for a girl, and probably does not work the same way for a guy, but feel free to try. Old men love to buy drinks for girls. I know this is very “Samantha” from Sex and the City, but I swear it’s true. They may ask for your number, but always just say, “How about I call YOU instead.” This past St. Patrick’s Day, I had a 70-year old man tell me I was his soul mate and add me on Instagram (privacy settings are key here). Meanwhile, my tab for the night was $10 and I barely remember the subway ride home. Although I am speaking about drinking in NYC, this plan works EVERYWHERE. When I lived in Florida, we used to have contests to see who could find the oldest man in the bar. (We also had contests for who could find the sweatiest man, but that was mostly for the photo opps. I digress).

Another fool-proof plan: drink specials. In Florida, “Ladies’ Night” meant girls drank for free. In New York, it’s rare to find a Ladies Night at all. There are so freaking many of us, why would they want us to come out in droves any more than we already do? But there are other specials to be had. I TRY not to go out during the week, but BOGO drinks on Tuesdays? Ok fine. You got me. Friday night $6 cosmos and pig in a blanket before 7? I’ll skip the apartment pregame for that.

Which brings me to my last, MOST important drinking necessity: THE PREGAME. Not just for college students anymore. What’s cheaper than having 10 drinks out? Having 6 drinks at home and 4 at the bar. It’s simple math. 5 glasses of wine while you do your hair and makeup is 5 less vodka sodas you need to ask Old McDonald for at the bar. So what’s the difference between a 21-year-old pregame and 31-year-old pregame? Nothing but the hangover.

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