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Plan the perfect Plano day

August 2008 - Britney Porter

On February 6, Bill got down on one knee and proposed. When we met in graduate school, he was a Liberal; I was a Republican. He was an agnostic; I was a believer. He was a nightclub DJ; I was in bed by 10 p.m. We know we’re not the average couple; shoot, we love this 100-degree weather! But we also love Plano, and we know that its 260,900 residents love this city, too. So now, we have a proposal for you.

8ish
Wake up & Work out!
Rolling into a sit-up to get out of bed doesn’t count. Bill and I suggest a Saturday morning Gravity class at D’Pilates. Gravity incorporates the GTS (Gravity Training System), the “Cadillac” version of the Total Gym that Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley promote. A sliding board attached to a cable-and-pulley system requires your body weight to be used as resistance. For example, I work my arms at level 3, which is about 19 percent of my body weight, or 20 pounds.

Deanna Lesmeister is the owner of D’Pilates with six years’ experience in pilates instruction and 16 years as a physical therapist. Deanna focuses on “knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart, and strength in the body,” or what she calls “tri-fusion coaching.”

She said the difference between pilates and yoga is that yoga, with the exception of Vinyasa yoga, is more static; pilates is a continuous progression of exercises; it’s more dynamic. “Pilates is a form of controlled exercises where you draw strength from the core,” she said.

Whereas yoga is more of a full-body workout where, at times, you’re balancing on one leg, in pilates, you are on your back, knees, or stomach, drawing strength from your core. What is all this fuss about your core? “Your core is behind your belly button. It’s L2 L3,” said Deanna, referring to the lower part of the spine.

Pilates is for any age and all fitness levels, and unlike LA Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness, classes at D’Pilates are small; gravity holds up to five people; mat classes hold up to eight. Some exercises require a rubber pilates ring. In one, your calf lays on top of the ring and you extend the other leg toward the ceiling: “Keep that circle steady,” says Monique Rocha, who teaches mat. “Take that left leg and cross it over, down, around, and center. Cross it over, down, around, and center ... .”

D’Pilates
7008 Bishop Rd., Ste.1101
The Shops at Legacy
214-563-0307,
www.dpilates.com

Or... Bill and I enjoy a jog at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in north- west Plano. There’s 4 miles of trails for joggers and dog-walkers, and there’s even a ground-level water fountain for ol’ Sparky!

Or... Being a former drillteamer, I’ve been known to roll the hips and work the jazz hands. To get your heart rate up, Plano Jazzercise Center offers a $43 unlimited monthly pass. Have kids? Babysitting is available for $2 per child, or a discount booklet of 10 babysitting tickets is $15.

10ish
What’s Cookin’?
Central Market offers cooking classes for the first-time foodie to the Darren McGrady wannabe. We took Seafood 101: Smoking & Grilling taught by Dean Liesenfelt and Kaycee Hale. Mom would be so impressed if she knew what we cooked up: Grilled Salmon with Fire-Roasted Onion Relish, Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Shrimp, Panzanella Salad, Smoked Oysters with Chipotle Sauce, and Smoked Crab and Onion Dip with Thyme Pita Chips.

Donned in white aprons, we gathered around the kitchen counter, and Chef Liesenfelt asked us to echo the mantra: “I will never serve my guests food without ever tasting it.”

We all laughed and were assigned various jobs. I’ve never cored a tomato before; I’ve always just cut around the core, but Chef walked me through it.

Five minutes later. “Where’d your core go Britney?” Chef asked.

Again, what is all this fuss about your core? I looked down at my L2 L3.

“Oh no!”

Yep, my tomato core slid down the cutting board and into a salad bowl the size of a kitchen sink. Mom would be so disappointed.

Central Market
320 Coit Rd.
469-241-8300
www.centralmarket.com

Or... While Central Market offers classes for children 5 - 15 years old, they fill up fast! Parents may also want to check out the Young Chef’s Academy at Lakeside Market.

1:30ish
After cooking up a storm, it’s time to relax at Pranaa, an Ayurveda spa. Ayurveda is made up of the words “Ayus,” iwhich means life, and “Veda,” which means science, so the term “ayurveda” means “the science of life.”

Before slipping into our robes, we sit in the dim-lit Nirvana room, relax, and sip hot herbal tea. Ritu Bhalla and Simran Sehgal escort us to our rooms.

While Simran treated Bill to the Swedish Abhyanga, Ritu wowed me with the Hot Stone Abhyanga. Both massages use warm herbal oils throughout to enhance circulation and soften the skin. Like an anchor, I sank into the massage bed as Ritu placed hot volcanic stones on my body and pressed into my shoulders as if she were kneading dough. I was in paradise.

Pranaa
4017 Preston Rd., Ste. 532
972-608-0402
www.pranaa.com

3ish
Hole in One!

As you know, Bill is a DJ so he has a fascination for spinning objects. Therefore, I suggest we head to Shawnee Park for a game of disc golf!

As with golf clubs, you select the weight of the disc you need based on whether you are putting or setting up for a long drive. On Hole 1, Bill takes a Tee-Bird Long Range Driver and sinks a long one, about 70 feet. He wishes he was Ken Climo, the 12-time PGA Professional Disc Golf Association World Champion.

Or... For an indoor alternative, the Plano Super Bowl is a happenin’ spot in east Plano, especially on Sundays when it’s $1.25 a game between 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. It’s also $1.25 on Monday nights between 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

 3:45ish
Refresh!
After a few pointers on how to play disc golf, Bill points me to TC Shaved Ice. The small shack on the southeast corner of Parker Road and Avenue K is bouncing with bold flavors. TC also offers ice cream, and its Mexican-style slushies, like the Tamarindo, Mangonadas, and Chamoyadas, are pennies more but are the perfect prelude to a siesta.

TC Shaved Ice
1126 E Parker Rd.
972-422-0449

4ish
Relax! (yes, again)
Jump at the chance to get wet this summer by jumping into one of Plano’s public pools. Annual memberships provide access to all recreation centers and swimming pools in the Plano Parks and Recreation system.

Jack Carter Pool
2800 Maumelle Dr.,
972-208-8081

Liberty Recreation Center Pool
2601 Glencliff Dr.,
972-769-4234

Oak Point Center Pool
6000 Jupiter Rd.,
972-941-7540

Plano Aquatic Center
2301 Westside Dr.,
972-769-4232

Harry Rowlinson Community Natatorium
1712 Ave. P,
972-941-7171

Tom Muehlenbeck Center Pool
5801 W Parker Rd.,
972-769-4404

8ish
Aloha!
Since Bill and I are saying “I Do” in Maui, we chose to toast our “Perfect Plano Day” at Roy’s Restaurant, which serves Hawaiian fusion cuisine.

“Hawaiian fusion cuisine means we have a very strong emphasis on seafood with fresh local ingredients, bold Asian spices, and European cooking techniques and sauces,” said our server, Sera Chesshir.

Dishes denoted with a “Y” were created by restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi himself. “Because those are our staples, everything else is basically a special,” said Sera. “Our menu changes weekly depending on what fresh seafood and seasonal items we have in.”

Bill orders Roy’s Classic Trio: Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Roy’s Original Blackened Island Ahi, and Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish ($29). I order Garlic & Herb Grilled Hawaiian Ono with Golden Yucca, Chicama Cilantro Slaw, Chimichurri Fingerling Potatoes, and Roasted Garlic Red Wine Sauce ($28).

We go back and forth between the Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($8) and the White Chocolate Grand Marnier Crème Brulée, ($7). I assign one option to my right hand and the other to my left and ask Bill, “Right or left?”

“Left.”

“Crème Brulée,” I said. “Why left?”

He laughs. “Given the choice between right and left, which one do you think I’m gonna pick?”

Of course, he’s a Liberal.

Roy’s Restaurant
2840 Dallas Pkwy.
972-473-6263
www.roysrestaurant.com

We hope you enjoy a “Perfect Plano Day” this summer!

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