Local Fitness Moment: #Namaste

Sheeshh I haven't blogged in over a week!  I apologize for my absence but the start to fall has kept me hopping!  Since I posted a lot of Foodie Moments recently I thought we could switch it up with a Fitness Moment and share with you what has added to my busy schedule lately.

With the rapid rate at which my commitments have basically bombarded my life I have found a great release and restorative practice to keep myself physically and mentally on top of things.  Yes my friends, I have found yoga, inching myself wildly closer into hipster territory.  I'm going to be honest here, I used to think yoga wasn't much of a workout and was more of an elitist fad.  But I've had a major change of heart!  I have found that it is a welcoming community that really focuses on love of self and making your practice serve you. 

After my first yogalates (yoga and pilates mix) class I was kind of obsessed with what a great workout it was and just how centered and focused I felt afterwards (woah Steph the hippie talk is getting pretty thick!).  I thought "Hmmm this could be the start of something good here, but let's give it a few weeks, the jury isn't out yet".  Well a few weeks later and I'm borderline a yoga junkie.

In addition to the yogalates class I've been taking at the Westerville Rec I've found great opportunities in the community for classes free of charge!  The coolest opportunity I got to take advantage of so far was a yoga session outside of Nationwide Arena in the plaza through a group called POGA (pop up yoga).  It was so awesome to be practicing in the heart of the Arena District, cars and people passing by, just feeling the energy of the city!

Outdoor POGA, the message in the Nationwide building (live united) couldn't be more fitting! 

Another favorite of mine is complimentary yoga at lululemon, each Sunday at 11 at the store they bring in an instructor from one of the local studios for an hour long session.  They switch up instructors each week and switch the studios each month.

lululemon recently posted this and I just love it!

On the path to wedding weight loss it has been nice to switch things up with a practice that isn't so tough on my joints and helps me to put things into perspective.  I don't think I'll be a full time yogi anytime soon but I've really been loving the change in pace it provides from my toning and cardio exercises!

In doing more research I found there are a lot of free fitness opportunities in the area that are helping to elevate the community, everything from outdoor Zumba to CrossFit!  What free fitness will you take advantage of this fall?

Cheers!

Steph

Local Bar Moment: 16-Bit Bar + Arcade

Sheesh I feel like I'm so behind sometimes!  This post is one of those times (get it TOGETHER Steph)!  Just before we left for minication Chris and I went to my first EVER local blogger party at 16-Bit Bar + Arcade.  This was SO fun and its definitely a new concept for the Columbus bar scene!  16-Bit is first and foremost a bar but it has the added bonus of an arcade.  To top it off the owner, Troy Allen, worked to create an atmosphere of nostalgia for all generations.  From the carefully crafted and named cocktails to the mint condition games, no stones were left unturned when catering to the 16-bit patron.

I totally showed my rookie blogger party status when all I had was my iPhone to take pictures and notes, but it did the job hence my very image heavy post today.

I think what I really appreciated about 16-Bit was their attention to details.  Little things like stands next to some of the games for your drink is just one of those details that stuck out to me.  I'm also easily entertained by new gadgets so something to hold my drink while I bob and weave through the obstacles of Frogger was a lifesaver.

Drink stands next to the games!

Upon walking in you don't get your typical arcade atmosphere feeling.  No goofy blacklights and neon printed carpet, just clean classic looking wood paneled walls, plenty of natural light streaming in from the front windows with a cluster of high top tables on each side.  Large TVs can be found on the walls adjacent the tables where they will play everything from cartoons, classic 80's movies for Wayback Wednesdays or current sporting events.  Video games line the walls on each side of the smaller U shaped bar. 

 

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a gamer but I definitely appreciate a good cocktail (insert "umm DUH!" here).  16-bit conjured up a fun and creative cocktail menu comprised of "Old School" and "New Wave" Cocktails.  Each drink is named after an iconic actress or actor.  So you can sip on a Ralph Macchio while kicking your opponents butt in Mortal Kombat, cool right?!

Snapshot of the cocktail list

To start off Chris tried the John Cusack, bourbon, sweet vermouth and champagne.  He claimed it was a "game changer" which I took to mean it changed his bourbon loving life!  

John Cusack 

I started with the Farah Fawcett, citron vodka, cointreau, lemon, lime and orange.  This was a little sweet for my tastes but it was nice and refreshing as it was a warm day outside.

Farah Fawcett

We wandered around to check out the games and the set up as we sipped our yummy drinks.  We played a mostly hilarious game of NFL Blitz and marveled at games that took us straight back to childhood. 

Pinball

Frogger!

For our second cocktails I tried the Dolph Lundgren, vodka, lime and ginger beer (aka a Moscow Mule) which was very delicious.  It was nice and light but packed a punch (haha get it?!  Sometimes I find myself far funnier than I really am).

Dolph Lundgren

Chris tried the Burt Reynolds, "Tastey enough to put some hair on your chest - and maybe your face!", bourbon, sugar, orange, cherry and angostura bitters.

Burt Reynolds

In addition to craft cocktails they will have a craft beer selection as well as a plethora of bourbons, some even from Troy's personal collection.

House Rules

This is definitely an up and coming place to try!  They navigated a lot of roadblocks but I think it's well worth the wait for this welcome addition to the Columbus bar scene.  Check it out!

Up next I've got some new additions to my blog as well as one last LFM from our recent date nights!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment: Little Palace

Back to the grind after a great long weekend!  We had a fun mincation in Virigina at Smith Mountain Lake.  Finished out the water ski season on a mostly high note (tried slalom and couldn't quite master the mechanics yet), had some yummy meals and lots of laughs with Chris' family!  I'm a total bum and didn't take ANY pictures, apparently I took the "unplugged" concept way too far.

Anyways, before we left for minication (yes I continue to call my extended weekend that) Chris and I attended a local blogger party at 16 Bit Bar + Arcade.  We weren't totally sure on what the food situation would be like so we scouted out a place we could grab an easy bite before hand.  We decided on Little Palace which happens to be just a couple storefronts away from 16-Bit.

As an appetizer Chris wanted to try the meatball mini, his philosophy is that if an Italian place doesn't have a good meatball they aren't worth returning to.  He also could eat meatballs just about every day and never get tired of them.  I got a house salad to start, it was your typical salad with house balsamic dressing, nothing too picture or noteworthy.  The mini was interesting in that it wasn't really covered in much sauce but was a meatball with melted shredded cheese and pickles on the side.  This was very tastey!  The meatball was nice and moist with just the right amount of seasoning, Chris approved!

Meatball Mini

We decided to just split the traditional stromboli (pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella and crushed tomato) since we didn't want to be overly stuffed for the party.  They split it for us which was a nice touch since so many places just put it all on one plate and you have to fend for yourselves.  The stromboli was SUPER yummy, probably one of my favorite strombolis to date!  The crust was crispy and buttery with just enough filling and ooey gooey melted cheese.  They bring a generous helping of marinara on the side which earns big points in my book as I love marinara for dipping.  Their sauce is more acidic than sweet and a little runny which I really liked for dipping!

Traditional Stromboli

This ended up being just enough food to start off the evening.  Turns out the blogger party had sliders, pizzas and other apps from Little Palace so we nibbled on a few other things like the crisp chicken sandwich (which tastes wildly similar to a Chick-Fil-A sandwich) and the pizza blanca.

The service was great, our waitress was very attentive and speedy.  The atmosphere is kind of hard to describe in that its laid back, good food, no gimmicks kind of place.  They have a small patio which would be nice for dining when it's not quite so warm out.  All in all we had a good meal, good service and definitely will return again when we are in the neighborhood!

 

This week I PROMISE to share all the pictures and fun we had at the 16-Bit party!  Hope everyone has a good short work week!

Cheers!
Steph