[SPONSORED] What You Should Know About the Hudson Valley

You love Brooklyn.  Hell, you love NYC.  But after awhile, you get tired of the grind.  Tired of cramming into a subway and standing so close to people that you can smell their natural musk.  Tired of paying thousands of dollars a month to live in a one bedroom apartment with literally no space for any of your shit.  Tired of your "view" being a brick wall.

Consider the Hudson Valley: 1-2 hours outside of the city, absolutely gorgeous views, fantastic food, and, perhaps most important, the general ability to RELAX.

We spoke to real estate agent Tim Hurley of Coldwell Banker about what he thinks are the best aspects of the Hudson Valley. 

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[SPONSORED] INTRODUCING: The BEAT Festival

We all know that Brooklyn is home to some of the best talent, culture, and performance, but even the biggest Brooklyn loyalists might find themselves thinking that they have to go to Manhattan to see great theater and dance performances.

THINK AGAIN, YOU GUYS.  

In its inaugural year, the BEAT Festival is the first of its kind to feature Brooklyn-based theater, dance and voice artists.  We all know that Brooklyn is home to a large and diverse community of performing artists, and BEAT exists to provide a viable, consistent platform for their work.

From September 12-23, the BEAT Festival will host 38 performances, given by 13 local acts in 8 unique Brooklyn venues (including the Flatbush Reformed Church, the Waterfront Museum, the Irondale Center, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and more).  

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[SPONSORED] WHY YOU NEED A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY

Did you fall and twist your ankle while walking over a messed-up sidewalk or down a broken stairwell? Get mauled by a run-away taxi-cab? Get attacked by a crazy cat lady? Your first instinct might be to brush it off and say, “I’ll get better in no time.” You might even feel a little embarrassed by the situation.

That’s a natural reaction but the truth of the matter is that you may need more medical treatment that you initially thought. Questions always surface after an accident, like, the BIG ONE: who is going to pay your medical bills? Who's going to pay for your missed time from work?  Most important?  Who's going to pay for injuries that you now have to live and deal with?

That’s where the The Law Offices of Lee A. Fine come in.  A local Brooklyn firm with roots in Park Slope, the Law Offices of Lee A. Fine have dealt with thousands of cases and have the experience to answer your questions and concerns right over the phone.

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[SPONSORED] PRETTY HANDSOME OPTOMETRY WILL DAZZLE YOUR EYEBALLS

Eye doctor extraordinaire -- and FiPS photog, also known as PARK SLOPE LENS -- Spencer Ritenour has spent the past year working with superstar optical stylist Jess Flores to bring New Yorkers and their peepers the highest quality in eye care and products. Their business, PRETTY HANDSOME OPTOMETRY, was born after the pair realized that there aren't a lot of places to go for top quality eye care that won't break the bank. Read more about their new business and exclusive deals for FiPS readers after the jump!

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SPONSORED: WORKOUT FOR FREE THIS WHOLE SUMMER AT SLOPE FITNESS

You know how it's about to get all Africa hot up in here in a week or two and you told your friend you'd go with them to Rockaway Beach but your fat jeans are feelin kind of snug after one too many double scoop cones at Ample Hills Creamery and orders of duck fat fries from Sweet Wolfs? And you havent exercised in months but sometimes you listen to the Pandora dance cardio station just to remind yourself that you once worked out so much you qualified for that Oxford health insurance credit they give to people are patient enough to get 100 signatures from Craig, or Mandy or Pippa behind the front desk of whatever gym you used to check-in at for your Zumba classes? Just me?

Well, let's get it together ppl: Slope Fitness is our answer.

That gym on the corner of Union and 7th that you thought was closed is now way open. They got themselves a quick nip-n-tuck facelift, an amazing new head honcho, Michael Carlin, and they're back and better than ever. They've got daycare, great group fitness classes and they even fixed the TV's on the treadmills so that now you get all the stations! It's like magic!

FIPS got the inside scoop that the club is offering this crazy deal, for only ONE DAY, at this Sunday's Seventh Heaven street fair. But lucky for you Slope Fitness is giving us the special chance to take advantage of it this week: anyone who joins and signs up for an annual membership can enjoy working out allllll summer long totally free! That's right: no initiation fee and no monthly fees until you start seeing Fall sweaters again in Old Navy. And even better: the first 500 people to join the club enjoy a monthly rate that will never go up. Like N-E-V-E-R.

Since Slope Fitness's new owner agreed to give FIPS readers the preview freebie rate, you can head on down to the club any time between now and Sunday, mention this post and BOOM: you've got a summer's worth of squat thrusts and sweating on the Elliptical totally gratis (with an annual membership, of course).

I've just rejoined the club myself and have been dragging my fat ass there as regularly as I can. I'm seriously digging it, and am psyched I have such a great spot to huff and puff on a treadmill again.

If you want some more scoop, call the club at 718.783.4343
or reach out to owner Michael Carlin via email for more details: mcarlin@slopefit.com