Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – Kuroshio Sea

One of the coolest videos I’ve seen lately. Enjoy.

Running

Aside from skateboarding and walking around the city, I engage in very little physically demanding activity. I don’t belong to a gym because frankly, they creep me out, and I could never afford to join one anyways. I ran quite a bit last summer, but then inertia and laziness zapped any desire to continue. Yet for some reason, perhaps prompted by near cardiac arrest during a skate up to Central Park last weekend, or a few recent late night Big Mac runs, I decided tonight to put one leg in front of the other in rapid succession.

Pretty glad I did. I suppose I’m lucky that we live so close to Battery Park, because it’s a beautiful run at night and there aren’t two million people competing for the same square inch. Looking out over the water really helps put you at ease, and for a moment you almost forget where you are. It’s almost like a mini-vacation, aside from the cramps and soreness. This is a trend I’m going to try to keep alive. For the hell of it, here are a couple sweet music videos that involve running. Flock of Seagulls are scary.

“Runnin” (original version was blocked)

“I Ran”

Nike Pro City

I recently read an article by ESPN.com’s Scoop Jackson about the deified New York City point guard. Scoop’s piece noted the decline of worshiped guards coming out of the Big Apple, citing the meteoric rise and subsequent fizzle of Sebastian Telfair as a turning point. NYC guards never changed the game, but gone are the days when players like Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, Rod Strickland and Stephon Marbury dominated the playground then went on to have notable NBA careers. Scoop’s point was that…who cares? NYC point guards are adapting their game to the pro level less and less frequently because–so what if the world doesn’t know their name…NYC basketball heads do, and that’s all that matters to them.

All summer I’ve been meaning to catch a few Nike summer league games at the city’s hallowed grounds for summer ball: Hunter College, West 4th, Dyckman and Conrad McRae, among others. These courts host games featuring rising college stars, current and former NBA players and playground dudes. Pro City at Hunter College (68th and Lex) has runs each Tuesday and Thursday nights, Dyckman (204th and Nagle) each weekend for the most part, West 4th every damn day and Conrad McRae (Park Slope) on Saturdays and Sundays. For comprehensive info on each court and full schedules, check out Nike Basketball’s NYC page HERE. If you go on the right day, you might just witness the next God Shammgod. While we’re on the topic of Shamm, check out a highlight reel from the ’95 McDonald’s game…

Nelson A. Rockefeller Park

Nestled along the Hudson River on Manhattan’s west side roughly between Chambers Street to the north and Vesey Street to the south lies Nelson A. Rockefeller Park. In my opinion, one of the mellowest spots in the city, Rockefeller Park boasts views of the uptown Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty and Jersey City across the water. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, there are few places I’d rather be. Whether you’re armed with a wiffle ball and bat, a football or just a book, Rockefeller Park is the type of place that almost makes you forget that you live in the busiest city on the planet. Occasionally you have to dodge erratically thrown Frisbees whizzing past your skull, but it’s a small price to pay. After you’ve soaked up all the sun you can handle, roll over to PJ Clarke’s by the World Financial Center for a bomb cheeseburger. If you sit outside, you can even admire the yachts you’ll never own docked at the harbor.

If you find yourself fed up with chaos and cacophony, hop on the ACE/123 down to Chambers and put your mind at ease.