Walking, eating and drinking my way through CityPlace

Even the fire truck was pink!

When a Taste of CityPlace happened on Thursday evening, the West Palm Beach restaurant and entertainment venue was awash in pink.

Female patrons wore pink blouses, belts, purses or shoes. Some even wore pink dresses to call attention to breast cancer awareness. The men were more subdued in their clothing, but a few donned pink shirts. And Palm Beach County sent its pink fire-rescue engine that allowed people to write messages on it.

Defying gravity with aerial yoga in Delray Beach

Yoga inversions are made easier with the help of a fabric swing. (Photo provided)

Defy Gravity Yoga held a chic grand opening last week in Delray Beach, complete with organic juices and small, healthy bites.

But for me, the real draw was the studio's name. I wanted me to find out what type of yoga was practiced there.

Practitioners sit in silk fabric hammocks to get into the more difficult inversions. That's what led owner Lisa Midlarsky to try aerial yoga. "I was able to do inversions that I couldn't do on my own," she said.

Heart Walking in West Palm Beach

Crystal Herrera, wearing the tutu she made in University of Florida colors,
created the Heart Walk team in memory of her husband, Jorge, a proud UF grad. 

When my friend, Crystal Herrera, said she wanted to field another Heart Walk team, I had to be there.

Her husband died nearly 2.5 years ago, cradling their 13-month-old daughter Isabella in his arms. Jorge was just 29. He never met the son Crystal was carrying.

He didn't have a heart condition, nor any risk factors for heart disease. Even so, he died from sudden cardiac death, the largest cause of natural deaths in the U.S. It's not the same as a heart attack, which is more of a plumbing problem, clots clog arteries. In sudden cardiac death, the heart's electrical system malfunctions, making the heart beat so fast that the person loses consciousness. Death usually follows unless treatment is given quickly.

Watching Masters swim at Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center

Sarah Andrews, relatively new coach of the Lake Lytal Masters, wore this
T-shirt to swim practice last week.

The Masters swimmers come to the Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center for a variety of reasons. Some simply want to swim laps, others train for competitions such as an Ironman triathlon. 

One swimmer is a world record holder in the 200 free short course meters, in the 65-69 year-old category, which he won in 2009, brags his coach, Sarah Andrews. Dave Quiggun, 68, also holds several world records in relays. In addition, he was the first 60-year-old male to break 1 minute in the 100-yard freestyle, she says. 

Doing Bus Loop in West Palm Beach

The West Palm Beach Bus Loop sounded like a fun way to spend a Saturday night. Pay $20 and get a free drink or item at 10 different bars and restaurants in the downtown, CityPlace and Northwood Village sections of West Palm Beach.

The money was going to a good cause: the West Palm Beach Downtown Neighborhood Association. I later found out that the Palm Beach County Gator Club Scholarships was the other beneficiary.

Tropical Triathlon shows off Lake Worth's beach

Lake Worth's beach renovations were finished earlier this year.

The Tropical Triathlon gave Lake Worth the perfect weekend to showcase its beachfront.

Saturday afternoon, the event organizers held a packet pick-up with a Health and Fitness Expo on the second floor of the casino building. The expo, sponsored by The Zoo Health Club, was free.

Salsa dancers at West Palm Beach library

If you happen to take the elevator this Thursday evening at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach and stop on the third floor, you'll see adults lined up in rows as they learn how to salsa dance.

Instructor Ruben Sanchez will be there, too, guiding students through the paces of the pulsating rhythms of L.A. style salsa.

"It's one of the most common styles to learn, and that style is danced a lot in this area," he said.