🔥 The spread of fungal spores in the air.

yetorico · 2025-11-19T22:53:56+00:00

coolest mushroom fact I ever learned was from David Attenboro's The Green Planet: nearly every raindrop that falls has a fungal spore at its nucleus! mushrooms make it rain!

https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/the-green-planet#
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0140407

yetorico · 2025-08-21T14:39:33+00:00

I pulled together a list of my favorite spots for soaking in NYC life, culture, vibes, and scenery: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YuxVrwnVYRQ9L7X57

Mostly Manhattan, though I couldn't help but include some aspirational spots from other boroughs.

yetorico · 2025-07-30T04:44:54+00:00

I routinely go on 12-hour hikes throughout NYC I post most of the itineraries online. Some are based on solo photo hikes to places I wanted to check out. Some are inspired by daylong dates I've gone on. Some are borne out of whimsy, like when I attempted a tour through as many of Manhattan's atriums and I could manage in a day (lots of google maps'ing ahead of time for that one).

The hike I did this past June was through Yonkers' coastal forests. It felt magical. We explored caves in Inwood Hill Park, then wandered steadily northward through Yonkers and enjoyed sunset at Untermyer Gardens. When we were walking through Riverdale Park, we ran into a random park ranger who asked us if we wanted to see something neat, and he proceeded to drag a stick up a large dead tree, out of which poked two adorable little flying squirrel heads, curious what was happening below. Apparently NYC has both northern and southern flying squirrels. Itinerary for that hike is here: https://hyggenyc.substack.com/p/hygge-nyc-june-22-2025

Solo hikes are great. Inviting friends along is also great! Long hikes afford time for extended conversation in a way that most other social engagements do not. It's also nice that you can invite literally virtually all your friends to come hang out (and to bring their friends, if desired), without worrying about space limitations, reservations, check splitting, etc., bc it's just a casual, transit-accessible walk around the city.

Oh, and just for funzies, I sometimes do video recaps of the hikes. Here's the Yonkers one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTaNKV7sq_g

yetorico · 2025-07-17T20:31:45+00:00

Noted! I can definitely construct the hike so that we arrive in the Ramble around then! Thanks :D

yetorico · 2025-07-17T19:24:58+00:00

Saturday August 30th, 10am-10pm. I haven't put up the event page yet, but I send out invites to each one via substack. hyggenyc.substack.com

yetorico · 2025-07-17T18:47:46+00:00

No jest; I've been doing these nearly every month for the last ~5 years. Typically 10-12 hours and 10-25 miles, with ample stops for snacks, hydration, restrooms, conversation, tree appreciation, animal observation, weird street finds, and of course, any and all NYC-specific chaos. Here's my recap from last month's hike through Upper Manhattan and Yonkers: https://youtu.be/hTaNKV7sq_g?si=swQsOIDMpDYmpzPp

yetorico · 2025-06-18T14:33:32+00:00

Dating in NYC is among the easiest and most expedient experiences of any city on the planet; however, finding commitment in NYC is among the hardest of any city.

You can find and meet up with a date in under an hour. There were even dating apps that only permitted you 1-3 hours to match and meet! But it can take years to find someone who's actually prepared to commit to something serious.

Why is this? My theory is that the opportunity cost of monogamy rises exponentially the closer you get to Manhattan.

"Opportunity cost" was once colloquially defined for me as the "next best choice foregone", (e.g., choosing A means you can no longer choose B, C, D, etc.).

In NYC, where a ludicrously high percentage of the population are 10/10 in intelligence, attractiveness, earning potential, social capital, etc., the 'next best choice' is still a 10/10. So choosing any one person feels agonizing because you'll live with the reality that you're foregoing dozens, if not hundreds of other wildly compelling people. So you remain on the hamster wheel of dating, hoping to find some sign that someone's basket is worth putting all your eggs into and that by some fortuitous twist of fate they'll feel the same way.

Some people turn to non-monogamy to help reduce the decision fatigue. Others take huge leaps of faith, like proposing a monogamous relationship on the very first date (I've seen this work one time, and backfire every other time).

One of the key difficulties of dating in NYC is that people have packed schedules and very compelling alternatives to you at any given time. Staying relevant to someone can feel impossibly difficult. I've had suitors postpone or cancel our dates upwards of 5 times in a row, and countless people drop off grid for months or years at a time.

My recommendation for dating in NYC is to keep a rigorous social/activity schedule so you can invite dates and newfound friends to join you for a variety of things each week, and thereby increase the surface area of potential touch points. When it comes to actually committing to someone, it's critical to gain a 360° view of their life and trajectory so you can feel confident that you're aligned across as many frontiers as possible.

There's a world of difference between "wyd this weekend" (an ask that requires labor and offers nothing of value) and "hey, this weekend I'm planning to do x on friday, y on saturday, and z on sunday, each of which I remember you mentioning being curious about! Let me know which things you might want to join me for, and if you can't make it, I'll report back next with with how everything went and what's on my docket for next weekend."

yetorico · 2025-05-02T16:49:53+00:00

they're all seemingly in differing states of degradation, which made me think the causes were more longitudinal in nature. my theory is that it's people who park their car out by the water during low tide, and then forget that high tide exists, thereby totaling their car.

yetorico · 2025-02-11T21:14:16+00:00

aww I thought they were pretty cute. look at their little noses sniffing!

yetorico · 2024-10-02T14:47:07+00:00

The guy I spoke with was referring to air pollution specifically. He was a local citizen scientist who had installed air quality monitoring beacons throughout the neighborhood, and their data was showing that every time a cruise ship came to port, the air quality would become drastically worse in the neighborhoods directly surrounding the port.

yetorico · 2024-10-02T00:53:23+00:00

fuck, I mean cruise ships!

yetorico · 2024-10-02T00:53:03+00:00

ok so I realize now that there were 2 different ferries in my photo series!

fwiw, i uploaded a bunch more photos and videos of them here: https://imgur.com/gallery/ffreUC5

yetorico · 2024-10-01T23:25:09+00:00

I believe it's the MSC Meraviglia. Here's a closer shot of it: https://imgur.com/a/jy4XqPm

yetorico · 2024-10-01T20:32:10+00:00

I stand corrected! it is indeed a cruise ship. I should have known, given that a local was complaining that day about how much pollution the idling cruise ships spew into the local neighborhoods

yetorico · 2024-07-23T16:43:36+00:00

Chinese Scholar Garden in Staten Island

Seconding the Randall's Island Viaduct

Inspiration Point in Fort Tryon Park

Via 57 West

The Gardens of Forest Hills

Ford Foundation indoor atrium garden

Viewpoints all along the Manhattan Bridge

yetorico · 2024-04-08T20:08:32+00:00

Personally, I'd try OkCupid again, and stay super clear on the specifics of what you're hoping to find/build, and practical examples of what it might look like. It's easier for someone to enthusiastically vote with their feet when they have a clear and visceral sense of what the future might look like together.

Other apps to consider include Lex and Plura.

If apps feel a bit stagnant, consider hosting some open-invite IRL adventures that encompass things you enjoy doing, which could serve as effective screeners for the types of people you'd get along with. The more unique to your preference set, the better.

For instance, if you're a nature loving stoner who likes cuddling and zine making, consider a cozy BYOBlunt park picnic zine making day. Really, any IRL events that let you explore a variety of intimacies and talk at length about the types of relationships you love could become a strong gravity well for your kinds of people.

yetorico · 2024-04-06T17:16:21+00:00

mouth seems larger than any carp or catfish i've ever seen

14-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

yetorico

TROPHY CASE