ADVENTURES WITH ANDRE
WELCOME TO ADVENTURES WITH ANDRE: EVERYTHING ADVENTURE
NEW YORK TRIP
This March I took a trip to New York for a few days. I had never been to the big city before, flights were cheap, so I booked a flight and hotel and checked another box on my bucket list. San Francisco to New York is about a 5 hour flight, so I made sure to stock up my laptop with downloadable movies from Amazon prime. Upon landing I grabbed my checked bag, and asked for directions to Manhattan. Once figuring out how to take the subway to Manhattan, I had arrived. The big apple. From the subway it was about a 15 min walk to my hotel at the Yotel hotel near 42nd and 10th. The hotel boasts being on the cutting edge side of technology, but the rooms are actually quite small.
The first day was spent unwinding and relaxing from my day of traveling. The next morning I would begin my day of exploration. Equipped with my recording gear, I was off to Times Square. The buildings were huge, even bigger than we have in San Francisco. I Visited some big brand retailers like GAP and Levis and caught some street performances that are a part of the NYC tourist attractions. I even took some pictures on the famous red steps. It was all a lovely day until I ran into the famous street hustlers along Times Square. Ashamed to say, I was hustled out of $1,500 playing this game with three bottle caps and a tiny red ball. I’m not even a gambler. One of my least proud moments to say the least.
After being hustled, I felt pretty crappy and spent the rest of the day in my hotel room sulking. The next day I woke up with the determination not to allow my New York trip to be ruined, and shook off negative thoughts the best I could. I decided to head to Central park to get some filming in. Central Park was beautiful and definitely helped to raise my spirits. Later that day I would return to visit The Metropolitan Museum. The Met was huge, and the exhibits ranged from Egyptian, to medieval, to the Harlem Renaissance. Although I love a good museum, the museum staff wasn’t too happy about me recording, so I didn’t get to see the entire museum.
The next couple of days were spent skating around Times Square and recording as much as I could. If you are thinking of visiting New York in late March or early April, I would say to bring a nice heavy jacket, and even an umbrella. Although there was plenty of sunshine, it rained a couple days and was pretty windy everyday in the afternoon. The winds were even stronger than those I felt in Chicago in September of 2023. Dedicate a day to Central Park. There is so much to see and so many activities to be had in the park. Since the Met is at the edge of the park, you can also plan to make a visit once you have finished touring the park. Although the Yotel was cheap and accommodating, I would definitely opt for a hotel with more space if you are traveling in a group larger than 1.
If you want to hear more or have any questions about your upcoming trip to NYC, feel free to send me a message, or add your email to our mailing list below. Thanks for reading.
summer body smoothie
The ever elusive summer body. We plan for it in January, realize how far we are from obtaining it in March, and entirely give up on it by May. I know that I sometimes fool myself into believing that I will reach my fitness goals without a tried and true nutritional plan. But it often feels like you have to plan your entire life around your diet in order to see any results. So I get it, no one has time for another job. Especially a job that is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Although I can’t help you stick to your diet, I do have one great solution for reducing your daily caloric intake, gaining all your daily vitamins and minerals, satiating hunger, and simplifying your diet. I call it the Summer Body Smoothie. That’s right folks, this smoothie will get you that much closer to sporting that speedo you haven't worn since college, or that two piece bikini you bought 3 years ago, but was never quite able to fit into. More important than the ingredients of the smoother, is the strategic placement of the smoothie in your meal plan.
As a certified foodie, I know all about late night binge eating, sugar cravings, and the tendency to turn a cheat day into a cheat week. However, by strategically implementing the Summer body Smoothie into my daily meal plan, I have already lost 10lbs in a matter of a month. Now, 10lbs may not sound like a whole lot of weight to lose in a month, but when taking into consideration that the weight has been lost from all of my trouble areas while maintaining muscle mass, I’d call the Summer Body Smoothie a diet cheat code!
Alright, so what’s the secret behind this strategic placement of the Summer Body Smoothie in your diet? Well, it's not much of a secret. One must simply start their day by drinking smoothies that are packed with all the good stuff they know they should consume everyday, but fall short of acquiring. Drink 3 - 4 of these smoothies in the morning ( I drink 3 - 4 20 oz servings and I am a 6’0 ft male currently weighing 210 lbs) and you will find that it is around 2 pm when you eat your first serving of solid food. I sometimes find myself not eating a solid meal until 5pm. The Summer Body Smoothie not only allows you to stave off hunger, but allows you to reduce the time window where it is possible for you to overeat. This not only reduces overeating, but allows you to consume all of your daily recommended servings of fruits and veggies without the guesswork of meal prepping and looking up a bunch of time consuming recipes. In addition to fruits and veggies, I like to supplement my Summer Body Smoothies with whey protein powder and my favorite superfood green powder.
After I am finished with my smoothies, I find that I only eat one or two additional meals before it is time to call it a day. I used to be someone who snacked all day and easily allowed my bad eating habits to land me in a caloric surplus without even knowing it. Now, with the satiating benefits I get from an array of fruits and vegetables all packed into a tasty smoothie, I find far less interest in snacking on processed finger foods. Although you can use whatever ingredients you like to come up with your own Summer Body Smoothie, I will post the recipe that I use most often. Feel free to copy and share with your friends and loved ones. I write this post in hopes that it will also help you to reach your summertime body.
SUMMER BODY SMOOTHIE RECIPE
-
1 CUP FROZEN MIXED FRUIT
-
½ CUP FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
-
2 TABLESPOONS GREEK YOGURT
-
3 HANDFULS FROZEN SPINACH
-
3 HANDFULS FROZEN KALE
-
2 SCOOPS WHEY PROTEIN POWDER
-
1 SCOOP SUPERFOOD GREEN POWDER
-
8 OZ APPLE JUICE
-
8 OZ ORANGE JUICE
(IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO SUGAR, SUBSTITUTE WHATEVER LIQUID YOU WOULD LIKE)
SKATE THE EMBARCADERO- SAN FRANCISCO
Of all the places to skate in San Francisco, the embarcadero is my absolute favorite. Partly because it is one of the flattest places in San Francisco - a city comprised of mostly steep hills - But the easability of the location is only an added benefit. Anyone who has ever visited the embarcadero will tell you, it is one of the most beautiful sites of the city.
The embarcadero is a long strip that lies along the eastern coast and travels all the way up to the northern coast of San Francisco. One of the hotspots of the city, the embarcadero allows one to start at Giants stadium, pass under the Bay Bridge, and happen upon one of the most beautiful angles to view the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. The strip is home to San Francisco port, which ferries dozens, if not hundreds, of people back and forth across San Francisco Bay to the east bay. Naturally, this is a prime location for merchants. On any day, vendor stands line the sidewalks of the Embarcadero, densely located around the ferry building.
Although the many vendors and tourists can cause a bit of social anxiety for a semi-introvert like myself, inline skating allows me to be a part of the crowd, without feeling stifled by it. As I make my way up the Embarcadero, two must see sights that amaze me everytime are the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. Although the Golden Gate is by far more popular, the Bay Bridge is my favorite bridge. This may be partly due to the fact that I am originally from the Central Valley and the Bay Bridge is the bridge I have traveled across exponentially more often, but also, it is more of a marvel of modern ingenuity. Not only does it span much further that the Gold Gate Bridge, but there are two sides of the Bay Bridge that meet and connect in a tunnel through Treasure Island. Though not my first choice, The Golden Gate Bridge is the number one attraction for most people who come to visit the beautiful city of San Francisco. In the summertime, the view of the sun setting directly down the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge is second to none.
All and all, if you are thinking of visiting San Francisco, the embarcadero is a must see. Although I was not able to film it since I was on inline skates and it sits atop a boardwalk, pier 39 is the capstone of the Embarcadero. Here many games and sweet delights await tourists of all ages. If you are coming to San Francisco soon, do yourself a favor and reserve a day to spend along the Embarcadero. I promise you will not regret it.
SKATE & PAINT:
GOLDEN GATE PARK SAN FRANCISCO
Everyday I am grateful that I get to live in such a beautiful city like San Fancisco. Golden Gate Park is a beautiful place to spend a sunny California afternoon, and being that I am an avid inline skater, I often come to enjoy the outdoor skating rink at the 6th street entrance. This skating rink has been a staple in Golden Gate Park for many years. Come out on a sunny Saturday or Sunday around 2 P.M. and you are sure to find a hustling and bustling group of roller skaters and inline skaters zipping up and down the rink. If you are not a skater, you can always join the large crowd of people lounging around in the near grass area, admiring the vibe and sounds of the rink while catching some well needed Bay Area sunlight.
To the south of the skating rink is the main path through Golden Gate Park, where you can find city goers and tourists walking, jogging, biking, and more. The diverse number of attractions in Golden Gate Park make it a culturally rich experience. Everytime I visit I find a new hidden pathway that leads me to something new and exciting. One of my favorite stops is the beautiful courtyard that is home to the De Young Museum and the Academy of Science. This beautiful courtyard is always busy. I just so happened to visit during a pop-up exhibition, tastefully placed around the water fountain that is the centerpiece of the courtyard. These seemingly impromptu mini events are a great staple of many San Francisco neighborhoods.
You can definitely spend an entire day in Golden Gate park and still not experience all that it has to offer. From the panhandle to the beautiful waterfall and botanical garden, Golden Gate park is a must visit destination in San Francisco. I will cover more on Golden Gate Park soon, but I hope you enjoy this short video I made of my day in the park.