Ozone

Ozone Fitness located in the HG Andersen complex in the Upper East Side , the angled windows in the center, second story. One of the first things I did once I got settled was find the nearest fitness center. It turns out that Ozone Fitness is a world class gym run by Peter Gonzales, an American who has gone out of his way to make it a super environment for ex-pats in the area. Through him, I was able to arrange a corporate membership for the teachers at Beanstalk. We joined Friday, September 26, the day we got paid. Saturday Peter had arranged Mexican Night, and several of us enjoyed the special food and music. I learned that I can get authentic locally made corn tortillas at Garibaldi's in the Mexican Embassy http://www.garibaldibj.com/. Apparently this fiesta was just a preview of what is to come October 18th which should be even bigger and better.

Ozone is only a few minutes walk from the school and our apartment and has been a life saver for me; it keeps me sane as well as helps me get fit. Before I got internet and MPR, Ozone was my source for news, primarily CNN which broadcasts from London.I usually hop on the treadmill, put on my ear nubs, find CNN and go for 30-40 minutes.

As it turns out, Ozone provides not only hot showers after work outs and swimming, but also a sense of normalcy and dependability. Taking a shower at the apartment means a lot of extra work because the shower area is also the bathroom; there is no enclosure so the water runs all over the floor. This makes cleaning the bathroom after the shower a time-consuming process and a fair amount of work, and since the water situation at my apartment is basically a disaster, I take most of my showers at Ozone where I can really relax and appreciate both the physical and psychlogocical benefit of a good hot shower.