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The Fekkai Blow Out Bar

While indulging in a blow out is something I can’t justify very often, there is something to be said for the way it makes you feel. A fresh new look comes easily when someone else is in charge of styling your hair whether that means giving you unfathomable straight hair or romantic curls.

Just in time for New York City’s hot and humid summer, the Frédéric Fekkai/Fifth Avenue salon, which is also the flagship salon for Fekkai, is offering a pop-up blowout bar Memorial day through Labor Day.

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The bright space greets guests immediately with beach inspired décor, beach blanket music, a full juice and coffee bar, along with friendly staff excited to help you fight off the summer humidity in style. Open from 7:30am-11:30am the hours allowed me to squeeze in a blow out after my favorite Wednesday morning Soul Cycle class but before my first meeting of the day.

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As soon as I arrived I was asked to “choose my style” from their menu of five choices, inspired by the salon’s locations around the globe. All styles are $50, which includes shampoo, condition, blowout, and style.

The New Yorker: straight and sleek, Fekkai’s signature blowout
Dallas Chic: volume, volume, and more volume
Hollywood Glam: a cascade of loose waves
Palm Beach Polish: sleek and supple
St. Barth’s: sexy ocean-beach hair

Not one to make a decision easily, especially when it comes to my hair, I took the advice of my stylist and went with a mix of Hollywood and St. Barth’s. I wanted something that would look remarkably different than my normal style and would hold, at least until my evening workout date at Uplift Studios.

While I loved the signature Fekkai shampoo which included a wonderful scalp massage, what stood out the most to me during the blow out was his patience and the lack of product. Due to his artistry and ability with the round brush, barely any product went into my hair until the final spray of Coiff Sheer Hold Hairspray. Don’t believe me? Well, below is what my hair looked like at 8:15 when I left the salon.

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The second picture, albeit a little silly, is my hair at 5:30 right before I headed downtown for a workout. Proof that quality product and a quality blowout work in any type hair! This style even held through a sweaty workout session! I threw it up in a tight bun for the workout and then took a blow dryer to it for a few minutes post workout and voilà, I had beautiful curls in time for my dinner date at Pure Food and Wine!

The Frédéric Fekkai/Fifth Avenue salon (212-753-9500) is located at 712 Fifth Avenue (at 56th Street), fourth floor (atrium balcony), New York City.

While this experience was complimentary for me in exchange for a review, the thoughts are all my own.

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A New York City Bridge Run

Good morning! I think a little rest was all I needed because one day later I’m feeling better. I worked from home yesterday which meant I was able to drink plenty of tea, take an afternoon nap, and fill my body with plenty of leafy greens.

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This morning when I woke up, I still had a little scratch in my throat but otherwise felt pretty good. It’s a good thing I was feeling better because I had a fun date this morning: a double bridge run with Meghann. Meghann and Derek are once again joining us for our annual ski weekend in Vermont and decided to fly up a day early so they could enjoy New York City.

This week’s training schedule for the National Half Marathon called for a 9 mile long run this week. Since I missed my speed workout yesterday due to my cold, I wanted to make sure this run made up for it. Therefore, I spent a few minutes mapping out a route on Map My Run last night which would include the East River Park, at least one bridge, and some of the neighborhoods in between. Originally I wanted to cram the West Side Highway and High Line into the route but decided that was better left for another time.

image The weather was unseasonably warm this morning, allowing us to wear long sleeve technical shirts instead of multiple layers.

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The East River path was filled with runners and walkers, many of whom waved or nodded hello. I think the warmer weather made everyone smile considering the weather we dealt with last February.

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Adding the two bridges to our route was perfect since we’re both training for hilly races. I have the National Half Marathon on March 17th and Meghann is running the Flying Pig Marathon in May.

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The Manhattan Bridge is 1.3 miles from start to finish and has a more gradual incline grade. There was only one other person crossing the bridge as we ran which was a refreshing change from it’s tourist and commuter filled next door neighbor, the Brooklyn Bridge.

When you come off the Manhattan Bridge you can easily follow the signs down to the waterfront parks before following them over to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance.

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The Brooklyn Bridge is a very different animal in terms of running. It is 1.13 miles long but has a steeper grade, especially coming from Brooklyn, than the Manhattan Bridge.

I found this information online, regarding the two bridges’ elevation grades:

BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Manhattan side to tower: 86′ rise over .47 mile -> 3.5% average grade
Manhattan side to crest: 100′ rise over .63 mile -> 3.0% grade
Brooklyn side to tower: 92′ rise over .46 mile -> 3.8% grade
Brooklyn side to crest: 100′ rise over .60 mile -> 3.2% grade
MANHATTAN BRIDGE
Brooklyn side to tower: 79′ rise over .45 mile -> 3.5%
Brooklyn side to crest: 98′ rise over .56 mile -> 3.3%
Manhattan side to tower: 84′ rise over .48 mile -> 3.3%
Manhattan side to crest: 106′ rise over .66 mile -> 3.0%

In addition, even this morning, a weekday around 9am, there were multiple tourists posing for pictures, commuters biking to work, and other runners. In addition, they are currently doing construction on the bridge which means the path is more narrow than normal.

We had such a great time talking about she and Derek’s wedding plans during our run that it wasn’t until we finished the Brooklyn Bridge, around mile 7.5, that I really started to feel our 9:47 min per mile pace and the inclines in my legs and chest.  Luckily, she took my mind off the pain by asking me if I would be part of their wedding! What a perfect way to end a great run! We dashed between the traffic and lights heading back towards Union Square, where we turned up the speed and sprinted towards Gramercy.

After any great run there are two things necessary, a shower and food. I knew I needed some protein and fat in my breakfast so I made a yogurt bowl with 0% Chobani Plain, a sliced banana, handful of walnuts, 1/4 cup of Whole Foods granola, and a dollop of Trader Joe’s Sea Salt Almond Butter. Delicious!

003  I should probably pack for the ski trip since we’re leaving in 3 hours!

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Travel Guide #1: Two Days in NYC

Many people have asked for me to share a more detailed outline of suggestions for a New York City weekend. I am going to do this over a few posts, with tonight’s being the first. Each will address a different type of guest, the first being parents who are experienced New York City travelers. This agenda can work with anyone who has been to the city over the past couple of years and wants to see some fresh sites.

006 012 015Day 1

  • Morning walk through your favorite part of the city
  • A New York City breakfast at Murray’s Bagels
  • Check out the new American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Walk a few blocks over to Luke’s Lobsters for a delicious and inexpensive lunch, where each roll is filled with a full 1/4 pound of lobster meat.
  • Walk north Two Little Red Hens for a delicious, off the radar, bakery visit
  • Head south a few blocks and burn some calories shopping in the neighborhood, heading down to your choice of Saks, Bloomingdales, or one of the Park Avenue boutiques.
  • If shopping isn’t your thing, reserve tickets in advance for the World Trade Center memorial which has now opened down at Ground Zero. It takes each family and person a different amount of time,  but an hour should be plenty.
  • Hydrate with an evening cocktail at Tipsy Parsons before enjoying one of their Southern blue plate specials for dinner

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  • Venture outside of Manhattan to Williamsburg where you can explore the quaint streets before a delicious brunch at Egg
  • Hail a cab over to downtown Brooklyn’s TKTS booth where the lines are always shorter than either Manhattan locations even though they offer the same tickets.
  • Head back over the bridge to the Lower East Side for 1-2 hours of history at the Tennement Museum
  • Subdue your hunger at either the Essex Market’s taco stand or deli sandwich stand
  • With full bellies, walk North to SoHo and explore some of their recent additions including a 3 store REI and multiple shops and boutiques. If shopping isn’t your thing, head up to the Highline and check out the newest extension.
  • If you were able to plan your trip in advance, hopefully you booked pre-theatre table at either ABC Kitchen or Gramercy Tavern, two amazing restaurants in the city which serve seasonal, farm to table meals with wonderful service.
  • Finish your evening with your Broadway show for which you bought tickets earlier in Brooklyn. Our favorites right now are Anything Goes, Wicked, Jersey Boys, or Phantom.

I’ll be doing more installments over the next few weeks and adding them to the travel section of this blog. As always, feel free to email with any New York City questions if you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple!

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