I worked in NYC for many years, so I know the city pretty well.
I'm here on a business trip for the next few days. I do not have my camera so my phone pics will have to do. In advance my apologies for the crappy quality.
I've now lived in SW Florida for the past 8 years. The first thing that I really noticed when walking around the Big Apple yesterday, is that people just don't look all that happy.......with the exception being the people that sing while walking ;-)
Life is tough in the big city, and it shows on people faces and postures.
There are many wonderful options to eat REAL FOODS....possibly more than most places in the world. Yet....not many people here eat the good for you stuff. Eating is an integral part of city life and the options are endless.
Where else in the world can you order a pastrami or corned beef sandwich that is so large that Hulk Hogan couldn't even get his mouth around it. Above is part of the famous Carnegie Deli pastrami sandwich. I didn't eat any of the rye bread but ate most of the pound of pastrami with some half sour pickles and some coleslaw. Enough sodium to last you a month or so......but the taste was wonderful.
Do you all remember my friend best Steve I talked about? After almost 2 years, he is off all medications and his bone marrow transplant was successful. He's doing great and each day that goes on, puts him closer to the five year mark. At which point he is officially in the clear and will have a normal life expectancy. He's one of my real heroes in this life!!!! I'll be hanging with him and his two young kids today and spending a wonderful sunny day in Central Park playing, running and climbing.
Have a great Saturday.
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10 comments:
I am very glad for your friend, have a wonderful time with them this weekend.
Thanks for sharing, I have been many times to state , but never to NYC. I love to visit it.
Thoes pickles look so good.
What a shame you won't be in NY in two weeks, that's when the boyfriend and I will be there.
We could have met up and eating NY dry of pastrami :)
Too bad I don't live closer to NYC. I am 3.5 hours north of where you are. I would love to take you out to dinner and meet you in person. Enjoy your trip.
Hey enjoy NYC! I barely get in these days!
Hope your friend continues to heal.
Great news about Steve! My sister is a breast cancer survivor and I know how great she felt at that five year mark!!!
Thania.
Thank you. You've got to try and make it here. It's a one of a kind city.
Beastie,
Enjoy it when you're here. It's great when the weather is this nice. Lots of walking and Central park is in full swing. Have a great time and eat lots ;-)
Jeff,
I would very much enjoy that too.
I''m still toying with the idea of organising a big get together.
Would be insightful and fun for all.
Sarena,
Great hearing from you!!! Hope all is well with you. Thanks for the good wishes for my friend Steve.
Dave,
I'm really happy to hear your sister is in the clear. Steve will get there....just a matter of time.
Thanks Dave for the support....always :-)
Hey Marc, Oh, I love NYC (to visit anyway). But I wonder if maybe part of what you read in people's faces is despite it being June, they are still under the cloud of the long grey cold NY winter and lack of sunshine and Vit D. That part of the country has a really high rate of Vit D deficiency for much of the year and is a huge contrast to the abundant sunshine in Fla.
Unless taking enough supplements or taking care to use a UVB tanning bed or sunbathing, most NYers are just starting to build their Vit D stores back up. Most probably are constantly deficient, though (I know my family in upstate NY took Vit D tests in February and everyone from the teenagers to the grandmother were seriously deficient, except my dad, who takes the supplements I send him).
When I moved away from New York State after college (south to NC) I discovered February and March weren't just months "to get through". The winter blues is really strong up north and you sometimes don't realize it until you leave and have a contrasting experience. I think lack of Vit D is a huge factor in winter that brings people down, down, down.
Even out in coastal So Cal where I live now, I spent 8 years avoiding the sun after having a basal cell cancer removed from my nose. The lack of sun had negative effects on me over the years, especially in the winter months, I now realize. This past winter was the best I ever remember anywhere, and I'm sure it's the first winter that I had optimal vit D levels (measured with 25 (OH)D test). I can't rely on sun alone with my light skin, so I also take 5000 iUD3 daily.
Anna,
You got a great point there.
Interestingly enough even though i live in a sunny climate I STILL need to supplement with vit d, to reach optimal levels. If I was retired maybe I could get adequate sunshine.
The winter blues are a really serious thing....
Hope all is well at your end!!!
Marc
Hi Marc,
Yeah, we need to supplement in So Cal, too. Nearly everyone I know who tests their 25 (OH)D level has low or deficient results. My doctor says 80% of her patients are very low or deficient when she first tests them, even people with good tans (pigmentation filters UVB and reduces Vit D production). But the levels are just even more deficient in the northern locations.
Sunscreen use, indoor jobs and lifestyles, and a conditioning to fear the sunshine has really taken a toll on everyone. It isn't healthy to burn and over expose to the sun (I know, I had a skin cancer from my teen and young adult years trying to tan like my Italian-American friends). But moderate, frequent exposure is a good idea (get 15-20 minutes midday sun exposure, then cover up or go inside), or a hefty dose of Vit D3 supplements to get those Vit D levels up to where they really do some good.
Hope your getting some great Vit D production going while you enjoy Central Park with your friend and the kids. Adequate Vit D research is indicating that it is an important factor in the body's immune function and protection from cancer, btw.
www.grassrootshealth.net is conducting a study on Vit D and health, and is a great way to get Vit D tested at low cost with just a finger blood prick and a mail-in test. The test data and health questionaires will be analyzed to further Vit D research.
Anna,
The kids and I enjoyed the sunshine in Central park. ;-)
As well as all the chasing,running and climbing. It made me feel good watching and playing with them. Somehow, highrise living does not strike me as very kid friendly...
I left my friend and his wife with to them new info, and vit. d council as well as some blogs. I pointed them to Mark sisson to start their reading. But......I don't think they will listen....the kids eat bagels all day long and drink way way to much apple juice. Both their diets are atrocious.....
Marc
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