Strolling with Stobbe will follow the movements of The Feather students on their trip to New York. Every blog I will share the steps, stairs, miles and calories recorded on my fitbit charge for that day, as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of New York food from a healthy perspective. Finally, I will provide insight into the most significant moments of the day straight from the mouths of Feather staffers.

 Today I woke up with the best rest I have gotten on this trip so far. Last night we returned from Little Italy early and received some extra time to finish our work and go to sleep.

The sky this morning shown a clear blue but by mid afternoon dark storm clouds began to roll in. Fortunately, except for some high winds the sky held it’s peace.

 We left the lobby of the Hotel Edison at 7:50 a.m. for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2016 Spring Convention at  Columbia University . Today was especially enjoyable because we got the chance to watch some of our editors  and advisers teach. In my opinion they all did a phenomenal job.

After eating lunch in the area we attended one more session before departing for the hotel once again. At this point we received some free time to write our articles, rest and explore Times Square. Emily Ladd,’16, and I visited the Disney Store and Hershey Chocolate World during this time. Both stores were very unique from the giant rotating kiss candy at the center of Hersey Chocolate World to the glowing Tangled lanterns above the escalator in the Disney Store.

Students concluded the night with the 1988 production, “Phantom of the Opera.” Afterwards, we visited a few stores, grabbed some frozen yogurt and made our way back to the hotel to finish up any undone work.

The vital statistics as of 11:59 p.m. are as follows.

Vital Statistics

Steps: 14,245

Miles: 5.97

Stairs: 27

Calories: 2,152

Foods I don’t regret

• Falafel Sandwich from local food truck- Food trucks are iconic symbols of New York City. To refuse to eat it because of a little grease would almost be a sin. My choice in a falafel sandwich definitely met the unique criteria. It was absolutely delicious and cost effective. A falafel in case you didn’t know (I didn’t) is a Middle Eastern dish made of mash up chic peas rolled into balls and deep fried.
• Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookie from Meredith’s Bread– Yes I know that this product wasn’t necessarily unique but it was very well made and delicious. It was also extremely rich and not over saturated in sugar.

Foods I do regret

Pollo Tacos at Dos Caminos– This item makes it on the list not because it was especially unhealthy and common but because it was to put it lightly awful. I ordered the pollo taco impulsively after the restaurant gave us only a few minutes to order. In their defense it was Saint Patrick’s Day and therefore crazy busy plus it was about rush hour.

No where on the description of this meal did it mention the taco being remotely spicy. It only mentioned “sauce”.  Yet the moment I bit into it, I found myself reeling for water (which only served to make it worst). To clarify I’m a person who loves spicy food but this was beyond spicy. It hurt to swallow and created a uncomfortable sensation in my chest similar to heartburn. Others who ordered the same meal agreed with me that it was not worth the $18 we paid for it.
Other meals at the restaurant received good ratings from most of the people who accompanied me to dinner, but my advice is to steer clear of the pollo taco if you ever find yourself at Dos Caminos in New York.

Most Serene Moment

Sometimes strolling with Stobbe through New York city can be stressful. Emily Ladd found a bit of peace in a quiet moment at Columbia University.  She says this piece of time was the most serene of the whole day.

“They have a piano in the lounge at Columbia and people are aloud to play it,” Ladd said. ” A lady got up and played it during lunch and it was very beautiful and relaxing to listen to. Then Jenny King got up and started playing and it was very peaceful and serene to just sit there and watch her play.”

Craziest Moment

Though there may be some tiring moments thrown into the mix, there is never a dull one. Kevin Garcha,’16 says the crazies moment of the day was watching Stobbe sing in the streets.

“Stobbe really liked all of the singing in Phantom of the Opera,” Garcha said. “The minute we got out of the building he began to start singing in the street. We all took a picture in front of the theater and Stobbe made us sing in our best opera voices. It was a really crazy and hilarious experience.”

Check back on March 19 for the fourth and final installment of Strolling with Stobbe. Don’t forget to read more about health and fitness at my blog Health Nut.

For the previous Strolling with Stobbe read Strolling with Stobbe Day 2.

Also check back for The Feather’s review of “Phantom of the Opera.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee and via Email: Skyler Lee.

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