Page 358 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

356  TR A VELERS ’ NEEDS

Fitness and Wellbeing Chelsea Golf Club at Chelsea
Piers. The city owns several
New York City may be (in)famous for its concrete, crowds, courses in the boroughs,
and cacophony, but the urban jungle is a boon for sports such as Pelham Bay Park
and fitness aficionados. A host of possibilities beckon, from in the Bronx and Silver Lake
pedaling on the sun-washed riverfront and jogging under Golf Course on Staten Island.
the shadow of Manhattan’s signature skyline at the Central
Park Reservoir to scaling a soaring climbing wall at one of Jogging
the city’s many upscale gyms, indulging in a massage at a Some parks are safe for
gorgeous spa strewn with rose petals, and finding your joggers, others are not, so be
inner peace in the lotus position at a yoga class. guided by your concierge or
advice from trusted locals.
It is not encouraged to run
Cycling or pump iron. Most major after dark, at dusk or before
There’s nothing like being stuck hotels have fitness centers. dawn. The most popular and
in midtown traffic to make you Many commercial gyms and beautiful route is around the
long for pedaling the open health clubs are open only to reservoir in Central Park. The
road. While Manhattan may members, but an increasing NY Road Runners on Columbus
be one of the most crowded number of gyms now offer day Avenue have weekly running
islands on the planet, it offers a passes. Check out the Chelsea clinics and races, as does
surprising number of bike trails. Piers Sports & Enter tainment Chelsea Piers Sports &
At the last count, Manhattan Complex on Piers 59–62 near Entertainment Complex.
boasted more than 110,000 the Hudson River; there’s
everyday cyclists. One of the something for everyone at this
most pleasant places to cycle enormous facility. It’s one-stop Pilates
is in Central Park during the shopping at the multilevel The philosophy behind Pilates is
weekend, when it’s closed to May Center for Health, Fitness, based on the premise that the
cars. Bikes may be rented from and Sport at the 92nd Street Y, body’s core is the “powerhouse”
Bike Rental Central Park on with exercise studios, weight- for the peripheral parts of the
9th Avenue. training, racquetball courts, a body. Challenge your muscles
If you would like to feel the boxing room, and an indoor at a Grasshopper Pilates
river breeze in your hair, pedal track. Day passes start at around class, which is taught by a
the well-maintained bike path $35. With its well-maintained professionally trained dancer
along the West Side Highway gym along with an array of in SoHo. Power Pilates also
that runs parallel to the Hud son personal diet and exercise hold strengthening classes
River, or hit the bike trails in programs, the Julien Farel throughout the city.
Riverside Park. On summer Restore Spa at the Regency
weekends, the paths can get Hotel on Park Avenue lives
exasperatingly congested, but up to its promise to be “your Yoga
if you go early or late in the day, health and fitness oasis when It’s easy to get in touch with
or in the winter months, you you’re away from home.” your spiritual center when
can often coast solo. You can enjoy a wide range of you can do it in a place like
With thousands of bikes at activities at the YMCA (one the airy Exhale Mind Body
stations across the city, Citi Bike on the West Side and the other Spa on Madison Avenue,
offers a rental system that allows on 47th Street) fitness centers. with its high ceilings and
visitors to bike around using 24- The state-of-the-art training hard-wood floors. “Journey
hour or seven-day access passes. equipment, a number of into the Core,” “Ride the
gymnasiams, swimming pools, Vinyasa Wave,” and “Dance
aerobics studios, running/ into Trance”, held at a variety
Fitness Centers, Gyms, walking tracks, and various of yoga sessions, are the ideal
and Health Clubs
courts for different games, antidote to the city’s madness.
In New York, a weekly workout should add to your enthusiasm And, just in case you think
has become almost de rigueur of working out. The center yoga isn’t enough of a
for even the most extreme also has special programs for work out, try the core fusion
workaholics. Gyms and health elderly people designed to power pack abs session.
clubs have sprouted across suit their physical stature Fluid Fitness on Sixth
the city to accommodate the for a healthy life. Avenue offers an introduction
demand, and serious sweating to Gyrotonic training, a
goes on at all hours, day and Golf workout that follows the
night. The options are endless: principles of yoga while
get your aggression out with Practice your swing at using fluid exercises and
a punch bag, increase your Rand all’s Island Golf Center non-linear circular motion
heart rate on the stairmaster, on Randall’s Island, or the to strengthen the core.

356-357_EW_New_York_City.indd 356 4/3/17 11:42 AM