Federal Hill 15

Have you heard of the freshman 15?  Well let me introduce you to the Federal Hill 15.  I moved to Federal Hill (a bar district in Baltimore, MD for non-locals) about a year and a half ago.  Federal Hill is a wonderful area to live for young professionals like myself.  Everything is within walking distance, and there is always something to do.  With that being said, it makes it very easy to gain that Federal Hill 15.  Hungry?  There are 20 restaurants within a few blocks; and if you don't wan to walk, there is always Eat24.  Bored?  There is a happy hour every night, which great food and drink specials.  Federal Hill also blesses you with the ability to walk (or if you are lazy Uber) to one of our great city's sporting events.  The Ravens and the Orioles are only a hop, skip, and a jump away.  And if you don't have tickets to the game, and don't want to watch it alone, you can always go to one of the many local bars showcasing the game.  So let's recap...tons of great food, loads of alcohol, and city that young and doesn't like to sleep...this plays a toll on the waistline quickly.  I put on my Federal Hill 15 in my first year living here.  Now I know why everyone runs in this neighborhood.  It is a requirement to keep up with the lifestyle.

If you are planning to move to Federal Hill, or another bar district, make sure you have a workout plan in mind.  The city can take its toll on your body quickly.  For me, I joined the local gym and started running.  Maybe you will enjoy taking up rec league sports or home workouts.  Whatever it maybe make sure you stay active, or that Federal Hill 15 could turn into your Federal Hill 30 before you know it!

RTR

Rent the Runway has to be my newest obsession.  It is great for someone like me who has both limited closet space and a limited budget, but still wants to be fashion forward.  RTR gives their renters the option to rent designer dresses for a fraction of the cost of purchasing.  They make the renting process easy and hassle free.  RTR takes care of everything from return shipping to dry cleaning.  They even give you the option to rent accessories that will pair well with you dress.  And for the super fashion forward city dweller (because we all know your closets are tiny) they offer unlimited renting for $49 per month.  Unlimited renting allows the renter to rent 3 items at a time (items include dresses, coats, sunglasses, and other accessories).  After you are done with one item, you simply return it and they will ship out another item on your renting wish list.  Check out the awesome neoprene dress I rented from RTR for my fiance's holiday party this past weekend in DC.  

Like what you see and want to sign up for Rent the Runway?  Just click here!

RUN!

I have always been the person who dreaded the mile run in gym class.  I hated running before cheerleading in high school, and refused to do it as part of my conditioning in Tae Kwon Do.  Running and I just never got along.  After years of saying "no" to running I finally decided it's about time I "learned to run".  Yes, you heard me right, learned to run.  Every where you look in the city you see people running.  It's the go-to form of fitness for young city dwellers.  And with the recent increase in fun runs, 5K's, and mud runs, I figured now would be the best time to start.  So here is how I learned to run, and actually started to enjoy it!

Step-1:  Get yourself a good pair of running shoes to support your feet and running style.  And it doesn't hurt if they are cute too!  Charm City Run in McHenry Row is a great place to go to get custom fitted for a perfect pair of running shoes for your specific running style and foot.

Step-2:  Find a training routine.  I recently downloaded the app 5K Runner for my Iphone.  This app takes you from basically not being able to run at all, to being able to run a 5K in 8 weeks using interval training.  You start every work out with a 5 minute warm up walk, followed by intervals of running and walking.  The further you go in the program the longer the running sessions are and the shorter the walking sessions are.  You end with a 5 minute cool down walk.  Best of all, this app works with Itunes!  I am currently in week week 3 of the program and I have to say that the app does work.  I went from not being able to run a full two minutes to being able to run 20 minutes straight.

Step-3: Track your progress.  I use an app called Map My Run.  This is great if you run outdoors.  The app tracks how far you run, how long you run, your pace, the course you ran, and more.  It also has preset courses mapped out to choose from in your area.  You can share your progress and accomplishments on social media, and this app also works with Itunes!

Step-4:  Get Running!

Right now my goal is to complete my 5K Runner program and do my first 5K in October.  Wish me luck!

I'm Back!

Guess what... I'm back! Baxter is happy, how about you?

Sorry I've been gone for so long, but I have been busy doing great things to share with you all.  Get prepared!  If you follow my blog, you know it really has no structure on what I post, but that is all changing.  In the coming weeks look out for the following regular blog topics:

• This and That -  This will be my place to share fashion finds, products I enjoy, and other things I hope that you will enjoy reading about.
• Get It, Get Fit - Recently I have become very dedicate to my health and fitness.  Here I will give fitness tips, recipes, fitness finds, and personal progress reports on my journey.
• Charmcity Living - With a name such as Charm City Tif, how could I not talk about the great city that is Baltimore.  Here I will post about city life, living in Charm City on a budget, things to do, and great finds in Baltimore!

I will also have a blog series called "Camping the World".  Keep a look out in the upcoming week for the first post in this series.

I can't wait to get back into the swing of things and start sharing what I've been doing with you all!

#SingleLife

Man this week has been one crazy week.  Mostly because I have been living the single life.  No really...you don't believe me?  Well Josh left on Tuesday for a business trip and I have been living it up ever since.  Here is how my week went:

Tuesday

• Took off work to party like a rock star since my man was away (actually we went to Monday night RAW the night before and I took off because I'm old)
• Slept most the day because, well, I'm old and can't hang like I use to
• Watched Grey's Anatomy (for 20 minutes until my power went out)
• Realized it was only half the house that lost power, so I ran power cords all over my house to get the TVs, refirgerators, and internet working (you know, the important stuff)
• Electric finally came back on around 3 AM (the dogs barked the entire time while the men worked outside ... UNTIL 3 AM!!!)

Wednesday

• Worked hard ... partied harder
• Naaaahhhh just kidding
• Ate Ramen like a boss
• Cleaned the bath tub, got a glass of wine, a good book, and decided to relax in a nice bath (check out the I'm a little weird  post to see how that went)
• Went to bed around 9
• HAD THE WHOLE BED TO MYSELF WHOOP WHOOP!!!!

Thursday

• Planned on going to the gym
• Came home to a dog in his crate covered in poop ... gym? ... nope, WINE!
• CLEANING
• WINE
• CLEANING
• WINE
• Ramen
• Grey's
• Bed at 9 

I yea ... it was pretty much what I did when I was single. #SingeLife

Afters

Afters Cafe is this cute little place to sit with friends and enjoy a sweet treat in the Federal Hill area.  It's located on South Charles St. near Cross Street Market.

So yesterday, after my vegetarian dinner (home made Margarita Pizza -- nom nom nom) I was craving something sweet.  Josh and I decided to take a walk up to Federal Hill to get some pictures of the city after the (hopefully) last snow fall of the year.  After our walk we decided to stop by Afters.  I was craving something chocolaty, and didn't want you typical fro-yo.  Afters serves up everything from lattes, fro-yo, sorbet, macaroons, and cute little gourmet cakes.  I decided have their Passion - Chocolate Mouse Cake (one of their little gourmet cakes in their display case).

This was a BIG mistake.  I guess there was a reason everyone else who came to the cafe ordered coffee or  fro-yo.  While the cake looked like it would be amazing, it was anything but.  The cake itself was dry and hard.  The top layer was just gooey.  The fruit was squishy and old.  The only thing that was actually some what good was the chocolate moose inside the cake.

I really want to give this place another try, but I think next time I will try the fro-yo or the coffee.  After all, they do have these really cute spoons to choose from (kinda like you are picking your ball in mini-golf! -- What fun, right?!).