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December 19, 2014

How to do good this Christmas in NYC

I try to be generous throughout the year, but there’s no denying a particular urge to do good around Christmas time. And for you scrooges out there who don’t care about festive cheer, just think of the tax deductions… Christmas is creeping up on us, but there are still plenty of ways to do good in …

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August 12, 2014

…worked on the Red Hook Community Farm

Our new garden has proved to be a handy spot for grilling corn and drinking cold beers during these sticky summer evenings. But in terms of being used for actual gardening, it’s not quite up to scratch yet. Thankfully, we’re not far from the Red Hook Community Farm, a surprisingly large operation that lives on top of …

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July 14, 2014

…donated books to the Little Free Library

As I’ve been packing up my East Village apartment ahead of moving, I’ve been thinking about where I can donate the alarming collection of stuff I never use. I plan to take most of it to the Housing Works in SoHo, but I thought I’d share my books with the people of New York City. There was only one option: New York’s Little …

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June 2, 2014

…beautified Prospect Park

The fact that I don’t really do much good for humanity every week really bothers me. It’s so easy to fret over inconsequential things — but thankfully New York Cares makes it easy to start thinking about other people, too. I’ve done a few volunteer projects over the past year, but now I’ve decided to get really stuck in. …

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January 6, 2014

…review the best and worst of NYC

*** This post was first shared in January 2014 after I finished a year of doing a new activity in New York every day. This blog is largely defunct so this post is a great place to start if you’re visiting New York and looking for things to do! For more on this project, visit …

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December 18, 2013

…bought a Christmas gift for a child in need

I’ve been feeling the urge to do something nice for someone, seeing as it’s Christmas (because it’s banned all other times of the year, obviously). So I headed to the city’s most comprehensive guide for volunteering, New York Cares, and came across Winter Wishes. Every year, the program gathers thousands of presents from donors for …

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September 1, 2013

…played stoolball

These days, my friends from Sussex live all over the place. One of my best school friends, Will, has to be the farthest away in Hong Kong. But ridiculous luck would have it that we were both here this weekend and both had a couple of free hours this afternoon. So I joined him and his …

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August 10, 2013

…built sand dunes in the Rockaways

Right at the start of the year, I went to Red Hook to help with the clean-up in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Eight months on and some communities are still getting back on their feet. Today I headed back to another Sandy-ravaged area to help out again, but in a very different way. Ryan, Meghan …

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May 21, 2013

…saw the world’s biggest crochet

Well, it appears that I can’t tell the time, so I missed a poetry event I had planned tonight. Thankfully this is New York and there is always plenty of last-minute – and free – stuff going on. I jumped on the Q to Madison Square Park to see their latest outdoor art exhibit, Red, Yellow and …

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May 19, 2013

…walked through Central Park with 30,000 people

It’s about time I did something good, so today I battled the rain and took part in the city’s AIDS Walk – an annual event where thousands of participants power through Central Park to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness, services and treatment. I was supposed to take part with a friend (who shall remain nameless) but after …

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May 1, 2013

…went to the world’s largest bake sale (and broke a world record)

Being back at work for two days is just too much. It’s time for some treats. This evening I pegged it up to Grand Central Station (you know how I love my activities there) for the World’s Largest Bake Sale – a one-day event organised by celebrity chef Sandra Lee, and co-chaired by other famous foodies, …

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March 26, 2013

…bought dinner for a stranger

I’ve been spending like a maniac recently. Today I paid for rent, phone bills, airline tickets and vats of cheese crackers. It means I have about $23 in my U.S. account until payday. Which I will no doubt spend on beer tonight and then coffee tomorrow or something I convince myself I really need, like …

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January 5, 2013

…helped Hurricane Sandy victims

When Hurricane Sandy lumbered through New York two months ago, I was wrapped up in my 6th-floor-level flat, with my only worry that my windows could break. A week later and without a damaged window in sight, my power was back on and it was easy to forget that just a few miles down the …

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