My friend Danielle Strle invited me to join a First Aid and CPR workshop today in New York City.

It was five hours long and we each paid $105.

I’m glad that I went!

Find a class in your area here: Red Cross: CPR Classes in NYC

I learned many things such as:

• Yes, you can pump the chest to the song “Staying Alive.”
• You can also do it to the “Baby Shark” song.
• How to do CPR: 30 pumps, then 2 recovery breaths mouth-to-mouth (repeat)
• How to use an AED: that’s the defibrillator you see frequently now which can administer heart shocks to save someone from cardiac arrest!
• SAMPLE and FAST: acronyms in case of an emergency.
• How to use an EpiPen: stab it in someone’s leg if they go into anaphylactic shock.

Danielle Strle holding the AED with a test dummy

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Coffee is a drug. The best strategy for a coffee festival is: pace yourself.

Today I went to the New York Coffee Festival. I paid $30 for my ticket. It was hosted on 18th Street just a few blocks from my apartment. I’m glad I went!

• My Favorite Coffees
• Neat Hardware
• More Pictures
• Venue Pictures
• Conclusion

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The best place to have a picnic in New York City’s Central Park is Sheep Meadow.

Why you should listen to me: I’ve lived in New York City for over 11 years. During that time I have hosted dozens of picnics in the park.

I’ve even filmed videos about picnics.

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Today I went on a great food tour in Manhattan’s East Village.

• Airbnb Experiences: Discover Filipino Food in East Village
• Cost: $44 as of June 2019. This was a good value.
• Small group (maximum 6 people + 1 sharp tour guide).
• Generous portions of food over 2.5 hours.

Tour group, L-R: Me, Raf (tour guide), Nicole Ponseca (restaurant owner), Drew, Ryan, Andrea, Jaclyn, and Ciaee

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After frequently binge-eating dumplings during the last 10 years throughout lower Manhattan, I’ve found that the best cheap dumplings in New York City can be found at Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine at 118 Eldridge St.

Pork dumplings (10 for $3.50) at Shu Jiao

Most Important Visitor Information

• Order: Pork and Chive Dumplings, 6 for $2.50, 10 for $3.50
• Cash Only: No credit cards, but WeChat might be accepted
• Hours: 9:30am to 9:30pm, 7 days a week
• Location: 118 Eldridge Street, NY NY on the SE corner of Broome and Eldridge

The outside sign only says “Fu Zhou Cuisine” in English. “Fu Zhou” or “Fuzhou” is the name of the town in China where this restaurant originates. This picture was taken by me on 1 June 2019.

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Have you ever had a cup of $60 Japanese green tea?

I have, and it tasted super fresh.

Tea master serving a special gyokuro during our tea tasting.

My friend Ramit Sethi and I attended an exclusive green tea tasting in Manhattan’s East Village on Thursday night, 7 March 2019.

Here are some of my notes and photos from the Yame Gyokuro event at 29B Tea House.

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The Apollo Circle at the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted a night with curator Randall Griffey on 16 January 2019.

We learned about the museum’s new exhibit, Epic Abstraction. It has gotten a lot of attention which is best described as “bumpy.”

Me near the back entrance to the Epic Abstraction exhibit on the 2nd floor at the Met Museum

Pollock to Herrera: This title of the show represents in Pollock the collection strength, and in Herrera the aspirational collection growth.

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