By Jesse Zanger - It’s almost impossible to compile a list of the 10 best sandwiches in America. That said, the editors of Gear Patrol put me out to do just that. Honestly, it’s like asking for a definitive list of the 10 most beautiful women ever with 50 of them standing there in front of you. For one thing, it’s probably going to keep changing, and the fact that you’re never going to reach agreement in the ranks. So, for your drool-laden consideration, I present you the 10 Best Sandwiches in America (including burgers).

First things first, lets settle on the definition of a sandwich. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a sandwich is defined as:

Main Entry: (noun) Two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between.
Etymology: John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich died 1792 English diplomat.

With that out of the way, let’s proceed.

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[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio | Week 3: Strength Training | Week 4: ]

With my busy life circuit training is a must. It’s fast, efficient and combines cardio and resistance training into one 30 grueling minute workout. WebMD.com describes it as:

“Circuit training is short bursts of resistance exercise using moderate weights and frequent repetitions, followed quickly by another burst of exercise targeting a different muscle group. Because the exerciser switches between muscle groups, no rest is needed between exercises. This gets the heart rate up, which usually doesn’t happen during resistance exercise. Sometimes, to up heart rate further, aerobics are sprinkled between the resistance exercises.” – WebMD.com

My intepretation? A self-punishing, yet beneficial exercise. Read on for my regimen after the jump.

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My obsession with cars started about 20 years ago. I remember lying on the floor of my parent’s home making ramps for my favorite Matchbox car, a red Ferrari Testarossa. Fast forward to 2008… now my typical experience with exotic cars involves an occasional turn behind a PS3 controller and my HDTV. I have had time behind the wheel of an Audi R8 at the Manhattan showroom, but that was a short lived experience. Regardless, I imagine my only real chance of driving an exotic still remains several many paychecks off. Thanks to Vulcan Motor Club I’m wrong.

The Vulcan Motor Club is a member’s only club that lets you drive some of the most sought after cars in the world. Read on to find out how you too can partake. Oh, and more pictures.

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The 10 Day Master Cleanse - Part 1 | Part 2

The saga continues. Earlier this week I brought you days 1-5 of my 10 day Master Cleanse. You read the joys of purging (literal and figurative) and now read on to see how the remaning 5 days went. Note, as you read my lack of coherence. You can only imagine why and for that I ask a little leeway.

Day 6: Tuesday - This morning I slept in and took the saltwater again and had great results and felt really cleansed afterwards. I tired quicker and napped during the day. At night I had to work and my legs are still fatigued. It’s even tough to walk and I’m starting to get a little concerned for what this is. I noticed my tongue is getting back to normal slowly and my mouth is feeling less chalky.

I took my laxative again. (Ugh)

Wednesday through Saturday and final thoughts after the jump.

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[ Week 1: High Intensity Interval Training | Week 2: The Truth About Cardio ]

With summer around the corner it’s not too late to shed the last of your winter weight and hit the beach with confidence. Every Wednesday in June Gear Patrol will bring you our take on fitness. If you’re as busy as we are then you need maximum results in minimum time.

HIIT will not only cut down the amount of time you need to dedicate to cardio each week but it will also supercharge your metabolism for the rest of the day. There are also benefits that carry over into other facets of your fitness regimen. 30 minutes of HIIT training 2-3 times a week will boost your VO2 consumption, increase your anaerobic threshold and burn nearly as many calories as your normal 45 minute routine. Simple put HIIT will condition your body to be able to work harder longer in any physical discipline.

So, try this. Fitness GP Style. After the jump.

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Part 1 | The 10 Day Master Cleanse - Part 2

It’s not a diet. It’s a cleanse. Well, fellow GP’ers: I did it. I took the plunge and did a 10-day Master Cleanse. You might not be in the know as to this celebrity-styled body makeover secret but rest assured I deprived myself of food over the past 10 days so you don’t have to. That is, unless you want to lose 14 pounds, feel lean, more aware, alive and thankful for food—your call.

Lest you believe this challenge even approached easy or convenient you should know I love food. I love all the aspects: the taste, texture and smell as well as the social aspect and rhythm of the eating experience. I have worked in a number of different restaurants, started a boutique catering company and cook for friends all the time. Why then would someone who loves something this much walk away for 10 days? Why indeed!

I decided to try this cleanse for a number of reasons: 1. I felt like if I restart my computer, flush my car’s fuel system and get my teeth cleaned every 6 months then resetting my insides every 27 years is probably a good idea too 2. I was curious how it worked and 3. I wanted to see if I was up for the challenge.

The “Master Cleanse,” created in the 1940s by Stanley Burroughs, is a diet consisting of a “Lemonade” drink consumed 6-12 times daily. That’s all. No food. Nothing else. This Lemonade concoction of 2 tbs Grade B maple syrup, 2 tbs fresh lemon juice, 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper and 10 oz of water is all you get. Additionally to aid the flushing of toxins from the system, an herbal tea laxative is to be consumed each night followed by a quart (yep) of warm (uh huh) uniodized sea-saltwater in the morning. Yum.

The following is a brief summary of my past 10 days on the world-renowned and oft celebrity-hyped detoxifier known as the Master Cleanse.

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[ Part 1: A Logical Choice | Part 2: The Best Way Back | Part 3: Scraped Knuckles ]

May 3 - Dominican Republic:

Glancing down at my red, scraped knuckles as I type, I am reminded of the hard work Cielo’s crew has been putting in to gear her up for the 1200-mile passage that lies ahead.

Up until yesterday, my time on Cielo seemed more like a vacation on a floating hotel complete with first class drinks made by Kevin, the best bartender in the Northern hemisphere and snacks whipped up by Lizz, who’s evidently been an apprenticing Betty Crocker. Within the last 36 hours, this feeling of vacation has been replaced by cold hard reality of the serious work required when preparing for an extended off-shore passage.

We spent all day yesterday prepping for our journey: ferrying food and fuel from town to the boat, boat maintenance including changing the fuel filters, preparing provisions and tweaking our planned sailing route.

The most physically intense thing I’ve done since coming aboard is clearing Cielo’s hull of growth. The longer a boat sits in the water, the more slimy hairy growth and barnacles she accumulates. Surprisingly, just a small amount of growth can impede our speed through the water by a knot, which would cause us to lose 24 miles of distance every day. 24 miles is a lot of distance when you consider that a good 24-hour run for Cielo is 150 miles. So, with this in mind, we all donned snorkel gear, grabbed our scrapers and brushes and got to work. At first blush, scraping the hull may not seem like a big deal, but I can assure you… It’s an absolute bitch!

More of Part 3: Scraped Knuckles after the jump.

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[click on image to enlarge]

[ Part 1: A Logical Choice | Part 2: The Best Way Back ]

May 3 - Dominican Republic: Coming up for air and coughing up salt water that had made its way down my snorkel from the waves crashing on the reef, it was pitch black and we were disoriented. “Do you think is the best way back to the boat?”, Kevin asked…

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[click on image to enlarge]

Editor’s Note: Gear Patrol asked, Kyle Westaway - founding partner of Westaway Law in New York City and reader of GP, to share his 10 day sailing excursion across the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Island of Culebra to Norfolk, Virginia.

We hope you look forward to his stories log as much as we do. Kyle will also be sharing some of the gear he’s encountering on ‘Cielo’, the vessel he’s calling home. Kyle can be reached via e-mail for any questions, words of encouragement, or thoughts. You can also visit his blog ‘Sailing Cielo’ for updates. Enjoy.

April 26 - San Juan, Puerto Rico: It was an otherwise average day in NYC, when out of the blue, I received a text from an old friend Lizz who is sailing “Cielo”, an Island Packet 40 around the world with her fiancé Kevin. They were in the process of planning out a long sail to the east coast of the U.S. from the Caribbean. Their plan called for a three-day sail from Culebra to the Turks and Caicos and then an 800-mile sail north and through the Gulf Stream to Norfolk, Virginia. The idea, Lizz wrote was to have Cielo and her crew arrive in Norfolk around the 18th of May with everybody on board and the boat in one piece.

The trip that Lizz outlined will require about 8-10 days under way… this means sailing 24/7 in the open ocean, hundreds of miles from land. A trip of this length with two people is difficult due to the sleep deprivation that results when one person is always on watch… so, Lizz and Kevin were anxious to bring on a third crew member for the voyage. Given my total lack of experience in sailing… evidently, I seemed like the logical choice.

[Look for Part 2 later this week on Gear Patrol]

Gear Highlight: 1999 Island Packet 40 (pre-owned) | $208,900

We’ve got two free passes to The Johnson Club Room to giveaway to GP readers. Details on how to win them at the end of Marc’s review.

There are few places more enjoyable than a cigar lounge. The sweet aroma of tobacco, the soothing jazz carrying throughout, and your hand alternating between your cigar and scotch of choice (neat of course)… are bar none.

If you live in New York City or have visited any of NY’s many cigar lounges, you most likely envisioned all that the Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman embodies. The Johnson Club Room is the quintessential New York cigar lounge and here’s why…

Read Marc’s full review and additional images after the jump.

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