New Jersey > Brooklyn > New York > New Jersey > London > Manchester

We're back from a whirlwind trip to New York City via Newark, NJ and let me tell you, I am exhausted! These trips bring sleep deprivation to a whole new level. You know that place where you are so tired that even sleep seems like a big task? Yeah, that's how it is. I don't know how my hubby has done his job for the last 20+ years.

We visited two Bikram schools while in Brooklyn. Bikram Yoga Brooklyn Heights, and Bikram Yoga Park Slope in the South Slope area. The Brooklyn Heights school was nestled among cafes and Brownstones on the 2nd floor of a funky building. The space was small and intimate, with the feeling that you were in someone's apartment. Half of the room had only enough space for a single row of praticioners, giving the space a very intimate and meditative vibe. Our instructor was very good - she's been teaching for four years now so she has honed her craft. Here we are in our post-class bliss doing some postures in front of the studio.

Next we treated ourselves to a beautiful lunch at Siggy's Good Food which totally lived up to it's name. We wandered around Brooklyn, checking out the Promenade, and picked up a new coat at the Buffalo Exchange in town. Moral dilemma: the coat is a fur. A totally bad ass fur. I have never owned a fur coat, and felt a bit conflicted by the whole thing, but also decided that seeing as how it was vintage, it wasn't as bad as buying one new. As the girl at the shop said "If you get splattered with paint, you know it's over. If you get hundreds of compliments, then you know you've made the most fabulous thrift-store purchase of your life." So far, all I've been showered with is compliments on the coat, so I'm sticking with it.

What a view! I actually welled up with tears at the sight of this.

Getting lost during a cab ride can have beautiful results.

We stayed at the Hotel BPM in Brooklyn South Slope which seemed to have a cool vibe and good reviews on Hotels.com, and the price was right. But it seemed totally shady. It was in a weird part of town near the Costco, in the middle of a block full of abandoned buildings. The hotel had a hip-hop theme which is rad, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was a front for something else going on. What are the chances? Ha! We went out for an evening stroll in hopes of getting a bite to eat, but mostly found abandoned buildings, laundromats, and funeral homes. We headed north and wound up walking in to the lovely Piccoli Trattoria which had a beautiful, intimate setting paired with wine and homemade pasta. It was just what we needed after a long day of walking, trains and yoga.

We practiced at Bikram Yoga Park Slope the next morning which many yogis claim to be their favorite of all the spaces in NYC, and I can see why. What a beautiful space! Located on the 2nd floor of an old bank, the layout and feel of the space were very unique, reminded me a bit of the Funky Door on Polk Street in San Francisco in that you  had views out to the street in the hot room which makes for a nice vibe.