#walk-ups

If you've never lived in a city like New York, you should know that it's a workout.

I'm not being figurative here (I mean if you put it in that context it totally holds value figuratively, but not my point). Since it's basically too expensive to live here if you don't have something to do (unless you have Oprah money or you're a wifed-up princess) everyone is up and at 'em before the sun rises, usually with a start of the day at the gym (if not at the beginning, than the end), work all day, and since its New York and everything is at your finger tips, you find something to do with friends and basically continue this prancing around past dinner time; I'd bet you end up walking at least 5 miles a day (excluding that treadmill time at Equinox).

That, plus these 6 floor walk-up things. Think about how many times you go home every day. My quads may know the answer for sure, but for me its like 4 times or so? (I'm in college, I take naps). So that's four times running up the stairs and down the stairs, 86 steps (I know that figure because me and my roommate when stumbling home drunk one night counted) (that being said maybe I should go recount). Oh, and then there are all your friends who live in walk-ups, too. Or if you for whatever reason need to be on the second floor of an elevator building you sure as hell better take those stairs because the obnoxious eye rolls and huffs and puffs you'll get from the surrounding impatient morons who would now tragically encounter a pitstop on the second floor will make you feel way too guilty about riding that elevator.

It's just a lot of walking and climbing that you don't really consider "exercise" until you stop and think about it. 

I used to live on a 3rd floor walk up and now for about five months I've been in an apartment on the top floor. At first me and my roommate were turned off by this idea (as most people you'll encounter initially are regarding the no elevator, top floor bullshit) but the rent was cheaper than all the other places and the location is great so we're here and haven't left (albeit our insane meth dealing neighbors and their drug dogs, but that's definitely another story). On a personal note, I had just gotten knee surgery before we were to sign the lease and thought walking those stairs everyday would be insanely miserable. As it turns out, living on the top floor probably was the best choice I could have made. My knee got so much stronger, so much faster, by being careful with the steps. I didn't go to physical therapy because I had stairs instead.