Counterproductive? ... I think not

I did one very healthy thing today and one pretty unhealthy, but well worth it, thing.

Healthy for mind and body: Running along the Hudson.

This is quite possibly my favorite NY activity. If ever in a bad mood, or just craving nature and a brighter state of mind, I run straight for the river. The combination of adrenaline plus the view of the sunset on the water is truly magical, and I will never become tired of it. Never. I promise. Not the- I try to rediscover what I thought was so incredible about Times Square amidst the hoards of tourists and find myself jaded - trying, this love I know will last.

When I was living in San Fransisco (Mill Valley), there was a spot in the Headlands behind our house where I would go hiking, reach the summit, and want to linger for the rest of my life. At sunset, the mountains would reflect on the bay, the cars and all civilization seemed so far away and small, and it always made me feel like nothing could ever be that bad in life. It gave me hope and kept me peaceful amidst even the darkest times. I have struggled to find that kind of beauty in nature and sense of calm here, for it's so easy to get lost and consumed by the concrete world that is Manhattan, superficiality, and all of life's trivial concerns, that there are times when you feel that the city is cold and hard. There is beauty beyond the concrete, and I often linger.

Unhealthy for the body, but so delightful that it's always worth it: Transporting NY's best cheese fries home 116 blocks for a delightful late night snack.

If you are ever at the corner of 116th and Amsterdam and feeling indulgent, deserving, or drunk, walk into Hamilton Deli and do yourself a life-changing favor. Curly cheese fries. They're to any taste bud-wielding human being like what... curly cheese fries are to a drunk Columbia student. I happened to tutor a student a few blocks away today, so treated my roommate and myself to the nostalgic and delectable edible love affair. I am shocked that a single fry made it to Greenwich Village.