CAN’T LIVE WITH
The rent.
The rat race.
The dating scene.
51^st Street stop on the 6/E trains.
Starbucks and 7-Eleven on every corner.

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
The view.

The cute dogs of Chelsea & the West Village.

The Flatiron fitness scene.
Artichoke Pizza
Hudson River Park
Nail salons and bodegas open 24/7 on every corner.

Which leads me to the question that I always come back to in conversation with both myself and others: “Where else would I go??” My family is here, my friends are here, my blog is based here.

I’m exactly a month out from my birthday, a time when I typically come down with a mild to medium case of birthday blues. But, this year, I’m just saying no. Why?

Well, for one thing, I’m a fighter. I was born a preemie, so I pretty much had no choice, beginning with my actual birthday. I embrace the fact that if you look up, you’ll see better. And, if you look down, you’ll find worse. Plus, you never know what happens in other people’s lives behind closed doors. So, I take everything from elevator chit chat to social media posts with a grain of salt. In other words, I try my best to be content with the good things in life that are real, here and now.

So, with a new baby in our family, a hunky boyfriend by my side and having just seen Katy Perry’s amazingly inspirational show at Barclays, I’m riding that ever-elusive happiness wave all the way through to the end.

Go out there this weekend and sweat!

Photos by Lindsay M. Koffler Photography.

Shot in Hudson River Park.

I exercised every day: cycling at SoulCycle and Revolve, cross training at Equinox or running in Hudson River Park.

“Ringo” (Japanese for “apple”) is artist Reina Kubota’s personal love letter to the city of New York, on the Hudson River at 66th Street.  Couldn’t agree more.

Post-workout, I cooled off with Ralph’s watermelon/berry combo, from the popular walk-up window near Gramercy Park–one of my favorite spots in the city.

And, I blew out candles on the amazing Birthday Cake from Momofuku Milk Bar surrounded by good friends and family to celebrate mine.  (There was one slice left, it was THAT good!)

Best of all, I spent lots of time strolling around the city with my dog, in comfy tees paired with jean shorts and crazy colorful sundresses.

This is one of my all-time favorite dresses, the “Annette” by Trashy Diva, a keepsake from a special weekend in New Orleans.

Far from exotic, but, out-of-this-world fun.

Back to reality tomorrow!