u/cjstephens10028

I was skeptical of the bone conduction technology behind these, but when I'm running or walking around the house, I hear everything loud and clear. I was also impressed that when I'm in the pool, they really do stay on my head (not all tech magic involves software, I guess). But when I'm using the headphones while I swim, even after I have switched to MP3 mode and the swimming settings, what I hear more than the music is the noise from the bubbles as I exhale. Am I doing this wrong? I can hear the music, but even with the volume on high, I'm straining to hear what's going on. Do I need to wear the earplugs that were included in order to hear the music being directed at my skull?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I usually swim at Asphalt Green in the evenings, and they close every year at the end of August for annual maintenance. I'm looking for a pool where I can swim laps between now and Labor Day. I've come across some unexpected suggestions (CUNY pools, who knew? https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/cunyverse/life-at-cuny/make-a-splash-at-a-cuny-pool/) but so far nothing that works with my 9-5 commitments. Is something with a lower (or zero) drop in fee more appealing? Yes, yes it is. Is trying to swim laps while dodging children who are having fun cooling off my idea of good exercise? No, it's not, even if that would be easier to find. And I'd rather not pretend to sign up for a gym I have no intention of joining to "sample" for a free trial, because that strikes me as cheating.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

ETA: I'm UES, but I work near City Hall. And since posting this I think the pool at Roosevelt Island might work, open MWF for laps until 7:30, $25 drop in fee. So that's the one to beat right now.

I saw that someone had dropped an OMNY card on the ground at my station. I picked it up thinking "maybe there's money on this card!" before remembering that what I should have been thinking was "maybe I can reunite this card with its owner!" Sorry, I'm human. Anyway, I tapped the card on the OMNY machine to check the balance and... it's -$1. This makes me think that even if I keep it as a backup card, I'm no better off than if I just bought a brand new one from the machine, which would cost $1. Am I correct? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I will be visiting Chicago from NYC for two weekends over the next two months. I love baked goods (Gluten and carbs! Joy!). What would locals recommend? I'll be staying in the Loop on one weekend, and Near North Side on the other weekend. And the first weekend is for a triathlon and the second weekend is for the Big Shoulders Swim, so yes, I get to eat what I want. I've sampled a lot of doughnuts in Chicago, and you guys have a great fried dough scene, so maybe suggestions beyond that? Unless there's something new I should sample? I will have my unlimited ride pass on the CTA, so distance isn't a barrier either.

And, yes, I could have just Googled "Best Bakeries Chicago", but I'm trying to move away from listicles and clickbait ("10 Bakeries You MUST TRY in Chicago - you'll never believe #7!", etc.).

Thanks in advance!

New Yorker here, and one who worked for NYC2012 back in the day. There is talk now about a joint NYC/Lake Placid bid for 2042, which gets me very excited. But is this a good model to follow? I went to events in Cortina this year, and while it was a great venue, it was completely isolated from the other sports, and getting to Milano was basically a day's journey (unless you had a car and liked driving through the mountains in the winter).

Lake Placid and NYC are even farther apart, even with improved rail service (and no, nothing like high speed rail is getting built along this corridor, as much as I would love that). Does this model work for the athletes? For spectators? I get that it makes the event sustainable (wouldn't need to build any new venues), and the visuals would be spectacular. The Vancouver/Whistler model feels like it was closer than Milano/Cortina. Are we stretching things too far?

I remember that a few years ago they had to dig up many blocks of 85th Street to replace, I think, gas pipes. But that project is over, and there are still plates and barriers up on the west side of 85th and 2nd. I walk past there every day, but never when any work is getting done, so I can't ask the crew. Anyone have any ideas?

For many years, the building that is now a Blue Mercury at 68th and Third was a movie theater that showed what I guess we would now call indie movies. For what in my memory is many, many years it played a movie with a title like "Journeys of Famous Men", and the poster had a man walking along a suspension bridge? A mountain canyon? Maybe in Tibet? This is a 40+ year old memory, and I'm having trouble tracking down any clues. Before I resort to microfiche of newspaper movie listings, can any kind internet stranger with a better memory than mine come up with the name? Thanks in advance.

Now that it looks like the building(s) on the northwest corner has(ve) topped out, time to ask again about the lots across the street. From what I recall the holdout in the middle of the block was owned by a separate entity from the rest of the development, and the building on the corner had a tenant who refused to be bought out. Now I see that there is scaffolding going up on the corner building. Progress? Any intel would be appreciated.

I finished the first season of the new Forsyte drama on PBS, and I have questions, mostly about the wardrobe choices for the men. Clearly a lot of time, effort and money has been put into making the period look perfect, and then... Jolyon Forsyte wanders around London with no collar and no necktie? What's going on? Almost as baffling, when he walks into his office, most of the men are, for some reason, in their shirtsleeves. This seems really out of place. Would Jolyon also have been shirtless while boxing at his club? Maybe, but at least that tradeoff would have been clearly made in order to provide eye candy. But why can't he wear a tie? I'm baffled. Any insight? Am I missing something?