CoffeeStudyTalk

Visiting NYC for a week in May and planning my itinerary.  I’m focusing on specific areas of Manhattan for each day to minimize travel times.  Giving me a chance to hit 12 neighborhoods in 7 days. Day 1 - Arrival/Times Square/Midtown South Day 2 - Midtown East/South - MoMa/Summit One Day 3 - Midtown West/Upper East Side - Central Park/Highline/Met Day 4 - Lower Manhattan/Brooklyn - 911/Staten Ferry/Dumbo Day 5 - SoHo/Greenwich/Upper East Side - Guggenheim Day 6 - Upper West/East Side - Central Park/ANM Day 7 - Times Square/Departure I. Planning & Checklist To prepare I did about 40 hours of research watching primarily YouTube videos, blogs, various online sites and maps.  I did it over a span of several months spending about 2-3 hours per week. Lesson learned from past trips is to bring enough cash and have methods for easy access to more as needed. Safety Common Scams Map Manhattan Subway System Videos Subway - LGA to Manhattan Subway - Times Square to Staten Island Ferry Top attr

I forgot what I ordered but wanted to record it here I had a decent Negroni and some Watermelon energy cocktail.  Was good.

Sometimes I just want a margarita and some chips.  Mi Cocina is most elegant choice.  It’s not the best margarita, but it’s decent and strong.

Ordered the steak and it was excellent.  Had a bunch of appetizers and amazing Old Fashioned.  This place has got it all.  Prices were not bad for the drinks.

I had some time again in Dallas for work and stopped at Nest Craft.  Love trying new coffee spots and the Cortado was delicious, but the Old Fashioned with Toki Whisky was meh.  They used simple syrup rather than muddling of fruit so it tasted more like sugar and scotch.  Strong yes, but wanted a proper drink. I plan to visit DFW quite a bit for work.  Love the per diem.

Embarking on a 3 night road trip to Waco, Austin and San Antonio.  Riding in the 2016 Toyota Highlander V6. Planned Itinerary: Day 1 - Monday - Waco, Austin 10:30 am - Dallas to Waco 1 pm - Waco (2.5 hrs drive) 1:15 pm - Magnolia Market 1:30 pm - Lunch - Club Sandwich Food Truck 2:30 pm - Waco to Austin (3 hrs drive) 5:40 pm - Austin 6 pm - Dinner - Ramen Tatsu-ya Day 2 - Tuesday - Austin, San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9 am - Umlauf & Downtown 11 am - Domain Shopping Center 12:30 pm - Lunch - Miyo Sushi 1:30 pm - Chi Cha Boba Tea 2:30 pm - Austin to San Antonio (2 hrs drive) 4:30 pm San Antonio 5 pm - Riverwalk Mall 5:30 pm - Dinner - Dave & Buster 6:30 pm - River Walk Day 3 - Wednesday - San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - Alamo 11 am - River Walk Boat Tour 12:30 pm - Lunch - El Castillo 1:30 pm - River Walk Mall 4:30 pm - Dinner - Ostra 6 pm - River Walk Day 4 - Thursday - Austin, Dallas 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - San Antonio to New Braunfels - Bu

Practicing with more white wines and champagnes and picked up for New Years a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. Tasting - Dec 2023 This was my first real champagne I’ve enjoyed outside of a wedding or major celebration and I’m liking it.  I can see now why people love it. For me it was dry like a sake or Pinot Grigio, yet had enough sweetness to make it pleasant.  It has to be served cold and a bit faster on consumption to enjoy the bubbly. Still much to learn but will add more champagne’s into rotation.

I was foolishly curious and decided to try 4 Loko for the first time.  Yuck.  It tasted like liquid jolly ranchers.  My teeth were hurting indicating a ton of sugar and wasn’t sure if my head was buzzing from the sugar or the alcohol. It did give a buzz though so I know this is potent, but the sugar rush masks the alcohol and makes this somewhat dangerous as it’s equivalent to 4 servings of beer in a single can. At least I tried it. One benefit of trying 4 Loko - Add to your taste portfolio There is one benefit in trying something like 4 Loko, it expands your taste profile experience so you can recall and compare it with future taste profiles.

Final leg of my 2 week vacation is a weekend in Vegas.  Arrived Thursday night and went to a couple casino bars and met up with friends.  I’ll hit up the buffet then Shin Lim magic show before heading back home. Day 1 - Arrival, Downtown - Golden Nugget - Decent Day 2 - Vegas Strip - Caesars Bacchanal Buffet - Crap Day 3 - Shin Lim @ Mirage - Meh Day 4 - Departure Overall - Vegas is Meh unless you spend big. Overall Vegas is no longer worth it unless you plan to spend at least $500-1,000 per day minimum for a good hotel, food and entertainment.   I spent $1200 for food, hotel, transportation and a show for a mediocre experience.  You would think I’d get something good out of that?   Only highlights was 1 amazing Old Fashioned at Alto Bar in Caesars.  A decent magic show and that's about it.  Only $100 of what I spent was worth it, the other $1100 was a waste. 1st Day - Flight into LAS from LAX, Stayed Downtown at Golden Nugget I first flew into LAX on ANA and got to ride on the Sta