Lifestyle Dynamic Journey

     Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton (and formerly as Midtown West) is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is traditionally considered to be bordered by 34th Street to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the east, and the Hudson River to the west. The area provides transport, medical, and warehouse infrastructure support to Midtown's business district.      Once a bastion of poor and working class Irish Americans, Hell's Kitchen's location in Midtown has changed its personality since the 1970s.  Since the early 1990s, the area has been  gentrifying , and rents have risen rapidly. Located close to both  Broadway theatres  and the  Actors Studio  training school, Hell's Kitchen has long been a home to learning and practicing actors. There are plenty of places to eat in Hell's Kitchen.  As the population changes and grows, more and more food establishments pop up.  I had the pleasure of dining

When you make the conscious decision to lead to fit and healthy lifestyle, the work is going to be hard and time consuming.  It will be difficult, but it will pay off.  Leading a healthy lifestyle isn't a destination.  There really isn't an end result.  It is a constant journey to remain healthy, even when you are tested the most.   Focus, Confidence, and Determination!  For more assistance with choosing foods or creating recipes and plans go here

Small towns can offer a lot.  Like hidden gems where you least expect them.  Sometimes they are just small towns with nothing to offer.  Franklin Square, NY isn't one of the latter.  I don't say this because I live here, I say it because it is a melting pot of culture and heritage.  So many mixed families have come to call this town their home.  A definite change from the decades ago I once knew.  The more this town changes, the more I like it.  When you bring in new families with new cultures, you bring in new businesses that offer things not seen before.  To some that can be threatening, but to the open minded (or those of mixed decent) it is welcoming and exciting actually.   What is now Franklin Square was near the center of the Hempstead Plains, and used as grazing land, and later farmland, by the first white settlers. The southern portion included oak and dogwood forests. In late 1643, Robert Fordham and John Carman made a treaty with members of the Massapequak, Meric

     You can see the name " The Smith " in many parts of NYC.  A group of restaurants of the same name are spread out through Manhattan.  Whether you are in the East Village, Midtown, Upper West Side, or NoMad area, there is a spot for you to dine in.      I recently was able to get a table at the NoMad location on 27th & Broadway.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name NoMad - it means No rth of Mad ison Square Park.  Now I went in on a Friday evening at 7pm without a reservation.  I figured it would be a long shot getting a table and perhaps just take a seat at the bar.  Unfortunately for me, there was zero room at the bar, in fact, I couldn't even see the bar from the front due to the sea of patrons dining and enjoying a few drinks.  It is a good idea to make reservations for a table as the bar and the high tops (tables higher than regular tables with barstool style seats) are a first come first serve basis and only seat about three (3) people comfo

     Before office jobs or tech jobs were the majority, most people held manual work or "blue collar" type jobs. Farming and construction used to be on top of the workforce list.  Families ran businesses together.  Getting up at 4am to milk cows, plow fields or build homes was an everyday occurrence not a once in a while, go in early to get out early thing.  You started early and you ended late.  That was it.  What about the health of these types of people? Grant it the life expectancy was a bit shorter, but most folks just did what they had to do to provide for their families.  There wasn't sick days or vacation days.  They lifted, pushed and pulled all day, everyday.  Their bodies were muscular and their hearts were strong. They didn't get sick, they couldn't afford to.  The only thing that stopped them was their diets. Smoking was acceptable and butter was in everything.  Cholesterol was high, but thats a different story.  The physical nature of the work compl

      New York City is truly a magnificent city.  There is so much to see and do, so many places to eat, or even places to just sit and people watch (not creepy at all).  Trying to avoid the Starbucks ridden street corners is more difficult than you think and seeking out original spots in the city is easier than you think.       I had the pleasure of finding an original spot in the heart of Greenwich Village on Macdougal Street.   Saigon Shack .  Authentic Vietnamese food at a fantastic price.                  One of the staples of Vietnamese food is Pho - a rice noodle soup with thinly sliced beef or chicken and herbs.  It is a very light soup, but filling at the same time.  The Pho at Saigon Shack was nothing short of fantastic.  The traditional Pho was  perfect! So much flavor, large pieces of beef, herbs, onions, noodles were easy to eat and the broth is superb - not boiling hot!      If soup isn't your thing, then go with the Banh Mi.  A beautiful sandwic