Between traveling for work and traveling to see family, I love to spend any time off staying put in New York City. A night in at a downtown NYC hotel is my kryptonite - I even got engaged at The Standard in Chelsea. That’s why I jumped at the chance to try out one of New York’s latest luxury hotel: citizenM. The marketing copy on the hotel website set the bar high: a smart hotel with no tired old cliches.

I had walked by citizenM hotel many times and its edgy outdoor art pieces has always caught my eye. Once inside, it’s easy to see that the cool artful lobby gives the Ace Hotel a run for its money. The laidback livingroom vibe made me feel comfortable and settled no matter what I was wearing as I walked in. The lucky hotel guests access the rooftop bar with a lush green theme and busy midtown views. My friends and I took full advantage of the cloudbar - it’s rare to find a rooftop bar in New York where you don’t have to fight the crowd and noise. I can’t be the only one who loves to check out the fitness situation at my accommodation, and I was even pleased with the gym with its city-views.

The rooms may be on the small side, as one might expected in NYC, but the best part of this hotel is the digitally-outfitted rooms. I can turn on the TV (with HBO movies), adjust the temperature, turn off the lights, set a wake-up call, and read citizenM stories all from their in-room tablet. Punchy copy on just about every product keeps the mood light: the soap promises to turn even the longest-haul traveller into a sparklingly clean and nice-smelling human being again.

Free wi-fi and Instagrammable decor, that’s how you run a hotel in 2015.

Today's post is one I initially put off but after the questions kept coming after its continued guest appearance on my Instagram account, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite wearable tech: the Jawbone UP. I have had it for over a year and it is, by far, my most asked about accessory. I did a lot of research when deciding between the Jawbone Up, the Nike Fuel (before its sunset), and the Fitbit, before landing on the Jawbone. No, they did not sponsor this post. But hey, if somebody there wants to give me a shout, I'm all ears.

My most relied upon functionality of the Jawbone UP is its sleep tracker. I don’t sleep particularly well and although I strive for somewhere between 7.5-8.5 hours per night, I often have a very hard time falling asleep once I’m in bed. The sleep tracker helps me visualize my sleep cycle throughout the night and lets me know if I need to adjust my sleep habits. I always pay attention to the time I spend in deep sleep versus light sleep, how long it takes me to fall asleep, and if I had woken up throughout the night.

As for the step-counter, I initially set a goal of 14,000 steps per day and found that I never have trouble meeting it. So overtime, I began to pay less attention to this functionality of the device. I run 4-5 times a week and log about 20 miles, so I didn’t need the device to change my workout routine. But I did like having the step-counting functionality initially since I had ever worn a step-counter before, and didn’t have a good sense of how many steps I took on the average day. It turns out, on most days, I take close to 1000 steps before even leaving the house in the mornings. Who knew?


One of the reasons I chose Jawbone over over devices was its integration with other apps. I love my apps, and the Jawbone integration with Foursquare and Withings serve me particularly well. I’d be reminded to log my meal with every Foursquare checkin, and my Withings bluetooth scale would feed my weight data to the Jawbone so I could map any weight trends with both my sleep and step trends.

Last year, I spent about 2.5 months on the road. Anyone can tell you that keeping your routine is the hardest when you’re traveling. When I’m traveling, I usually abandon all workout routines and any attempt to get a full night’s sleep just goes out the window. Thankfully, Jawbone keeps track of my physical health when I need it the most.

Perhaps because we have a separate heartrate monitor for working out, I never got around to upgrading to the newer Jawbone UP models but they, and the Fitbit HR, are the latest models on the market. Not to mention the Apple Watch launch to heat up the wearable space. As for a potential upgrade, I currently have a wait-and-see approach about my next wearable purchase. In the mean time, I will continue to bask in the regular compliments (and questions) I get about my Jawbone UP 24.