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Aaron Rodgers Is Finally Headed To The Jets In A Blockbuster Trade

The New York Jets were linked to just about every big name quarterback on the market this offseason, and the case can be made that they went out and acquired the biggest name of them all. After weeks of negotiations between the various sides, New York has reportedly landed Aaron Rodgers, whose time with the Green Bay Packers will officially come to an end.

It took a few times of negotiations stalling out and restarting, but the two teams have finally agreed to a trade that sees them swap first rounders this year, with Green Bay getting a second this year and a 2024 second that becomes a first of Rodgers plays 65 percent of the season for the Jets this year.

New York showed flashes of being one of the more promising young teams in the NFL last season, but often found itself handcuffed by subpar quarterback play. Four separate players — Joe Flacco, Chris Streveler, Mike White, and Zach Wilson — all started at least one game under center, with Wilson’s time, in particular, leading to plenty of scrutiny. The former No. 2 overall pick struggled with injuries, but also got benched and was not expected to return as the Jets’ starting signal caller in 2023.

With the need for a new QB, the Jets saw themselves linked to names like Derek Carr in the free agent market. But eventually, it became obvious that New York wanted to acquire Rodgers, the 39-year-old who has exclusively played his professional football in a Packers uniform. The 4-time NFL Most Valuable Player made clear that he was not sure if he’d return to Green Bay, seek greener pastures, or retire, although it was eventually reported that a 19th season with the Packers was unlikely.

Now that Rodgers is heading to New York, the expectation is that Green Bay will turn things over to Jordan Love, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who has backed up Rodgers in each of the last three seasons.

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Carrie Fisher Is Getting A Long Overdue Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame On ‘Star Wars’ Day

There are over 2,700 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Big Bird has one, Pentatonix have one, even freaking Shrek has one, but not Carrie Fisher. The iconic actress, author, and good-dog-haver has not been immortalized on Hollywood Boulevard, unlike her Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. This injustice will finally be corrected on May 4th, a.k.a. Star Wars Day.

“Fans will be over the moon to know that their favorite movie princess, Carrie Fisher will be honored with her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame! Carrie will join her Star Wars co-stars and fellow Walk of Famers Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford on this historic sidewalk” Ana Martinez, Hollywood Walk of Fame producer, said in a statement. “I am happy to add, that her star is just a few feet away from the star of Mark Hamill and across the street from the star of her legendary mother Debbie Reynolds!”

The ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 4, at 11:30 a.m. PST. Once Fisher joins Hamill and Ford, this should open the flood gates for more Star Wars characters on the Walk of Fame (the random weirdos dressed as Leia around Hollywood do not count). Your time is coming soon, Boss Nass. I know it.

(Via Walk of Fame)

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‘Big Mouth’ Is Coming To An End But Not Before It Makes Some Impressive Netflix History

Big Mouth, Netflix’s raunchy animated series about the trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler, is coming to an end after eight seasons of weirdo situations that make you feel like you shouldn’t really be watching.

The series features an all-star cast of comedians led by Nick Kroll, including John Mulaney, Ayo Edebiri, Jason Mantzoukas, Maya Rudolph, and Fred Armisen. The upcoming seventh season will air in 2023, and the final season is expected to premiere in 2024, so there are still a lot more masturbation jokes to come. According to Netflix, there have been 689 so far, but who’s counting? Like, actually, who counted those jokes and what was that experience like?

Of course, the series can’t end without making a little bit of history. With eight seasons, Big Mouth will become the longest-running series in Netflix history (aside from kids and family programming because nobody will ever beat the cult classic Cocomelon). The series also has its own spinoff show Human Resources, which is currently in its second season of shenanigans.

In a press release, Kroll poked fun at the long-running series, “If you would have told adolescent Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg that middle school would take 8 years to finish, they would have been like ‘yeah, that sounds about right. This seems like it will never end.’” It’s good when series creators are aware of when their shows need to end. Someone should bring that energy over to Riverdale.

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$725 million Facebook settlement means you could be entitled to some free cash

Let me tell you a brief but true story about Facebook settlements:

A couple of years ago, my husband and I saw an article about a Facebook lawsuit settlement in Illinois. We’d lived in the state and used Facebook during the dates the settlement covered, so we took two minutes to fill out a simple form.

Then we forgot about it.

Last year, we each got a $397 check from Facebook in the mail.

The End.

(Told you it would be brief.)

When people see headlines about lawsuit settlements, they often assume either that they aren’t eligible or that receiving part of the settlement will involve a whole bunch of red tape. It’s often just as simple as it sounds, though, and people who assume otherwise leave money on the table.


Right now, there’s a $725 million settlement that anyone who used Facebook between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022 is eligible to submit a claim for. The form takes just a couple of minutes to fill out, so if you’re like, “Yes, sign me up!” here’s the link to the website. (I promise it’s legit, despite sounding like a fake URL. I went through this with the Illinois settlement as well. This is just how these things are done in the internet age.)

You can either fill out your claim on the website or print it out and mail it to: Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

The form just took me 2 1/2 minutes to submit. I timed it, and that included getting a verification code sent to my email and having to re-find the claim form window because I have too many tabs open. (You have until August 25, 2023, so no big rush.)

If you’re not sure yet and you want to know what the heck this is all about before you fill out a form, here’s the background info:

If you click on “What’s this lawsuit about?” in the FAQ section, here’s the synopsis:

“Numerous lawsuits were brought on behalf of Facebook users who allege that Facebook (now Meta Platforms, Inc.) shared or otherwise made accessible to third parties (including but not limited to third-party app developers, “whitelisted” parties, business partners, advertisers, and data brokers) user data and data about users’ friends without permission of the users whose data was shared, and did not sufficiently monitor and enforce third-party access or use of that data.”

Basically, our data was shared without our permission. Neato. But that sounds a little vague, right? Surely there’s something specific that prompted this settlement, right?

Well, yes. Do you remember the 2016 election? Yes, that one. In the two years leading up to that election, a data analytics company called Cambridge Analytica allegedly paid Facebook developers for Facebook user data, which it used to target voters in the election. Cambridge Analytica is tied to deep-pocketed Republicans and Trump’s former campaign manager, Steve Bannon, so it’s not a big stretch to guess who benefited from this data privacy violation.

Of course, Cambridge Analytica is not the only third party to collect data from Facebook without user knowledge, it’s just the most well-known. At any rate, all of us who were Facebook users for the past 16 years are eligible for a payout from the company, whether our specific data was shared or not.

The big question is how much each person will get. Nobody knows, and the final amount will depend in part on how many people submit a claim. Lawyers will take their cut as well, so I’ll be surprised to get another $390+ payment. But for two minutes of form-filling, even a much smaller amount would be worth it.

Find the claim form website here.

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Why Was Don Lemon Fired From CNN?

On Monday morning, Don Lemon announced he’d been terminated by CNN after 17 years of serving as a news anchor for the network. Lemon claimed the news came as a shock, saying he was “stunned” by his employer’s decision and suspecting there were “larger issues at play” when it came to his firing. In a tweet, the on-air personality alleged, “At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.”

CNN’s own version of events, however, contradicts Lemon’s perspective, and a recent expose by Variety, which details allegations about off-camera behavior, must not have helped matters.

In February, Lemon went on temporary leave following remarks he made about presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, age 51, while suggesting that she’s too old for the job. When pressed by a female co-anchor on whether Lemon meant “prime for childbearing” or “prime for being president,” Lemon responded, “Don’t shoot the messenger. It’s like, prime. If you look it up. If you Google when is a woman in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.”

CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht announced Lemon would undergo some type of “training” following the incident while the anchor tweeted an apology for his comments.

One month later, Variety‘s report alleged that long-time anchor had a history of sexist and misogynistic behavior that went unchecked at CNN for far too long. According to the outlet, Lemon was accused of harassing former female co-workers and sending his assumed rivals threatening text messages when they received higher-profile reporting gigs. After his own late-night news program began to fall in the ratings, Lemon was slotted to co-anchor CNN This Morning alongside Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.

The Daily Mail further reported that some of Lemon’s co-workers issued ultimatums, demanding he be fired for his “diva-like” behavior. Whether or not that report is true, it’s clear that Lemon’s CNN days are done.

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Taylor Swift Broke Down How She Cut Her Hand During A Hectic Moment During ‘The Eras Tour’

Taylor Swift was in Houston this weekend for a trio of The Eras Tour concerts. At the second of those, on April 22, some fans observed that she seemed to have cut her hand. Billboard notes, “Fans watching the second of Swift’s three shows in Houston over the weekend quickly noticed that she was missing a chunk of skin from her left palm, which appeared to bleed on and off throughout the remainder of the performance. [
] As the concert progressed, Swift could be seen with bandages wrapped around her wrist and palm.”

Now, Swift herself has taken a moment to address what happened with her hand.

In a post shared today (April 24), she reflected on the weekend, saying, “Just got to play 3 insane shows in Houston and I’m waking up smiling reminiscing about how much fun we all had. Loving this tour so much because of the passion these crowds put into it all – seriously can’t wait for Atlanta [smiling emoji] PS for those asking how I cut my hand, I’m totally fine and it was my fault completely – tripped on my dress hem and fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change – braced my fall with my palm. It was all very Mercury in retrograde coded. Don’t worry about me I’m gooooood [kissy face emoji].”

This comes after Swift’s previous weekend in Tampa, where she was joined by Aaron Dessner.

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De’Aaron Fox May Miss Game 5 After Fracturing His Index Finger On His Shooting Hand

The Kings and Warriors are returning to Sacramento for Game 5 with the series tied 2-2, as both teams have taken care of business at home. While the home team has won each game, the series has been filled with late-game drama and has been the most entertaining of the first round tilts.

The first four games have, in particular, cemented Kings guard De’Aaron Fox as a star. Fox has averaged 31.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game in his first four postseason appearances, carrying the Sacramento offense at times and continuing to thrive in the fourth quarter as he did all regular season. Fox’s game translating to the playoff stage has been absolutely critical to the Kings’ success, which is why Monday’s news that the rising star had suffered a fracture of the tip of his index left finger (which is his shooting hand) in the fourth quarter of Game 4 provided a significant damper on the excitement for Game 5.

The Kings are heavily reliant on Fox’s creation skills, especially late in games where he’s their only real isolation threat as a scorer. If he’s unable to go in Game 5, which seems likely given the expected “doubtful” designation, this year’s Coach of the Year, Mike Brown, will have his hands full crafting a new rotation. On top of his huge offensive performances, Fox has also been vital to the Kings’ defensive gameplan against Stephen Curry, where he and Davion Mitchell take turns hounding the future Hall of Famer fullcourt to disrupt the Warriors’ rhythm.

Without Fox, executing that gameplan becomes much more difficult because no one can replace Fox’s recovery speed, which is part of why he can pressure full court. On top of that, Fox makes playing Mitchell much easier on the offensive end, where Davion is not an on-ball threat and is a below average shooter (but has made some timely baskets in this series). Malik Monk is the obvious answer for where Brown turns for on-ball creation in the backcourt, but he’s not been able to replicate quite the same success he had in Games 1 and 2 over the past two on the road. Domantas Sabonis also becomes more important as a hub, as the dribble-handoff game with the Kings’ various shooters would likely be an even bigger staple of the Kings offense without Fox.

Even if he can play, it’s hard to see the injury not inhibiting him at least some, and the rest of the Kings will have to be ready to step up, particularly as shooters, if the finger issue causes him to struggle with his feel on his shot.

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Lil Baby Was Spotted Dining With Khloe Kardashian And Fans Shared Their Fears He’d Be Cursed

For the last few years, Lil Baby has been considered one of the hottest names in rap. However, fans now fear his hot streak could be coming to an end after he was photographed dining out with Khloe Kardashian. Lil Baby fans wondered whether the photo meant that Lil Baby and Kardashian had begun dating — and worried that he would be the latest entertainer to fall victim to the so-called “Kardashian Curse,” which many insist has already claimed everyone from Kanye West to James Harden.

It’s no doubt misogynistic and gross, but a meme on the internet over the past decade has been the half-joking, half-serious belief that entertainers who become romantically entangled with the Kardashian family (including the Jenners) are doomed to fall into a slump in which their output suffers greatly, both creatively and commercially. This goes for the athletes that get involved with any of the five sisters, resulting in losing streaks and stretches of poor performance compared to their previous averages.

Ball players and rappers who have supposedly fallen victim to the curse include Blake Griffin, French Montana, James Harden, Jordan Clarkson, Kanye West, Kris Humphries, Lamar Odom, Tristan Thompson, and Tyga.

The legend of the curse likely originates in the sisters’ apparent shared preference for, well, Black NBA players and rappers, and the fact that nearly all of them did have slumps in performance while dating one of the Jenner-Kardashians. However, there is also a number of alternative explanations that don’t involve sexist assumptions about their dating histories. Also, some have had their greatest successes in that time, such as Travis Scott.

Still, that won’t stop fans from freaking out any time one of their faves is photoed hanging around the Kardashian crew — just see the responses to Bad Bunny being shot by paparazzi with Kendall Jenner and the reactions to Lil Baby’s apparent association with Khloe Kardashian.

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Where To Eat, Beach, Sleep, Play & Repeat In Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

I need to report that I recently found a slice of paradise. Seriously. So much so that it has brought me to the area twice in a two-year span. And while Jamaica is obviously the icon of Caribbean culture among travelers, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica is my favorite Caribbean spot. I decided to book myself a 10-day vacation in the small beach town when I flew to Costa Rica to cover Jungle Dreaming Festival, which was canceled last minute. After scraping together as many memories as I could with other would-be festival attendees, I headed off for 10 glorious days alone on the southernmost segment of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast for some amazing eats, sun-kissed beach days, and jungle bungalow stays.

The thing about Puerto Viejo is that it isn’t the easiest place to get to. After landing in the capital of San JosĂ©, it takes an average of five hours to drive there. Depending on traffic and road closures, it could take as long as seven. This discourages all the tourists who are looking for an easy tropical trip and opt for the more mainstream travel itineraries in San JosĂ©, La Fortuna, or Tamarindo.

Let me tell you: the long travel time is so worth it. Instead of a “Americanized” coastal town flooded with ex-pats, you’ll find a thriving Costa Rican community that celebrates Caribbean culture and the slow, easy “pura vida” lifestyle. Even the long road trip to get there feels like an adventure — you pass right through some of Costa Rica’s most diverse climates, including the winding mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park and the lush flora and fauna of the cloud forest.

Once I arrived, I found it tempting to stay indefinitely. With over 10 miles of different beaches, a community that walks and bikes everywhere, and a plethora of restaurants, bars, and day trip attractions, it was the perfect place to go full “pura vida.” Check out my guide below!

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PART 1 – Where To Eat & Drink

Puerto Viejo has literally tons of local food carts everywhere you look. (Remember, traveling internationally doesn’t have to be crazy expensive!) I found that snagging a homemade chicken or beef empanada hit just right as a mid-day lunch or snack on the beach. There’s also this amazing Trinidadian food cart located at Playa Cocles. Tara – the owner – is usually parked facing the road on the weekends when the beach gets packed (and for good reasons, more on the beaches later). She sells a delicious, vegan Trinidad street food staple called Doubles, which melt in your mouth and are perfect as a pick-me-up on the beach.

To satisfy your late-night food cravings, look out for any food cart selling enyucados. “Cheesy stuffed, fried goodness” is all I wrote in my little notebook. You’ll also be approached by friendly locals while sunbathing on the beach. This is where you can luck out and make your tastebuds happy without even needing to get up off your beach blanket –homemade ice cream cups, weed-based brownies and chocolates, cookies, empanadas, and more.

Costa rica
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For breakfast, Cafe Gustitos serves up delicious – yet extremely cheap – authentic Costa Rican desayunos. None of the staff speaks English, so you better make sure your Spanish is on point (or at least functional). It’s nestled right on the main strip of town and they open promptly at 7 am each morning, except Saturdays. For around $6, you can get a full plate of rice, beans, fried cheese, plantains, and fresh papaya juice to start your day.

If you’re missing your American-style pancakes and waffles, head over to Bread & Chocolate. This place gets packed early and for good reason. You’ll find a great (and very familiar) breakfast and lunch menu with comfort foods and a whole line of chocolate-based coffees and drinks.

costa rica
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After extensive testing, I’m quite sure that the town’s best gelato is located at Gelateria. In fact, this is the best damn gelato I’ve ever had (yes, I’ve been to Italy!). It’s located right in front of Playa Puerto Viejo, next door to Puerto Pirata. It closes by 6 pm every day and there’s almost always a line. Ask for the “special” chocolate flavor, you’ll thank me later.

costa rica, ice cream, gelato
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Sushi on the beach? Yes, please.

As far as I could tell, there were two sushi restaurants directly in Puerto Viejo’s town center. Chile Rojo is located right on the main road and serves up delicious Thai fusion dishes and a huge selection of large sushi rolls. I often don’t go for dessert at Asian restaurants, but the vegan chocolate mousse was incredible. The restaurant also serves up two-for-one drink specials all day, every day. Just around the corner, you’ll find Samurai Fusion. It’s easy to walk miss — as it only hosts four small tables and a little walk-up ordering window — but it’s quality sushi, made with care. I’d say grab your order to go so you can spend more time basking in the Costa Rica sun.

costa rica, sushi
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Located on the town’s main road, Koki Beach Restaurant Bar Lounge features excellent food and a brightly lit jungle vibe. This is a perfect place to go for dinner, but make sure you make reservations! Vine-wrapped trees swirl up through some of the infrastructure and because of this, the restaurant is known for the occasional sloth drop in.

In fact, I was sitting down eating dinner with a girlfriend when a sloth crossed right over our heads. It was quite the experience.

costa rica, sloth
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Of course, what would an international trip be without a fancy dinner? I happily made reservations at La Casita de Monli for my last night in the little town based solely on many people’s recommendations. It boasts a French Caribbean-style food menu with a selection of specials each night based on what the fishermen bring in fresh that day. This means you’ll never get the exact same special offered to you. You’ll definitely need to make reservations, as it hosts maybe only 10 tables or so for a more personalized dining experience.

I got the bouillabaisse and was happily surprised when I received a second bowl filled with warm water to wash my fingers in.

costa rica food
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My all-time favorite place in Puerto Viejo is CariBeans. I’ll admit, I shamelessly went there around six times during my 10-day stay. Located just before Playa Cocles on the right-hand side, it’s one of the area’s best coffee and chocolate cafes around. It’s a perfect wooden jungle bungalow digital nomad hub serving up delicious locally-sourced coffee, chocolate, and healthy and vegan food offerings.

The chocolate frio drink is literally to die for.

For yummy cocktails, the town is crawling with two-for-one specials nearly everywhere you look. For the best sunset views, you can’t go wrong with a coco-loco at Puerto Pirata. If you’re craving some whiskey, head to the Irish pub, The Green Dragon to help satisfy your cravings. Salsa Brava and Johnny’s Place also host great late-night beach parties for a perfect mix of locals and international travelers.

PART II – Where To Beach

The best part about visiting Puerto Viejo is basking under the sun on all of the beautiful beaches. Most locals and tourists end up renting a bike for as little as $5 per day to easily beach hop. If you’re brave enough, you can also rent electric scooters, ebikes, or flag down a tuk-tuk for more efficient beach hopping.

Playa Negra:

Translated to “black beach,” Playa Negra is of course known for its sparkling volcanic black sand. It stretches into the town of Puerto Viejo six miles north. I found a lot of solace here in the early morning as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Once the sun comes out, the sand gets hot quick — like “burn the bottoms of your feet” hot — so you need to bring a blanket as a buffer.

The conditions of the water always depend on the weather and wind, but you can usually find calmer water to swim farther from town, while the surfers tend to stay closer to town.

costa rica, playa negra
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Playa Cocles

This is where most of the action happens! Located two miles south of town, you can bike here (and pick up a chocolate frio on your way from CariBeans) and easily mingle with sometimes hundreds of locals and tourists. The weekends are when it really fills up and there are often live musicians jamming, plus plenty of food and drink options – including fresh coconut water for only 500 colones – sunbathing, joint smoking, and surfing.

The waves are known to be a little rough here, so be cautious when going in the water. There’s a huge surf community here and there’s always a surfing competition of some sort during the weekends.

costa rica, playa cocles
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Playa Chiquita & Punta Uva

Once you keep biking past Playa Cocles, it starts to get a little more remote and the beach stretches pretty far. You’ll pass Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva, both offering quiet and remote beach access. Here’s where I made use of the wide open space and tanned without worry of tan lines. Seriously though – it’s like having your own sliver of crystal-clear paradise.

costa rica, punta uva
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PART III – Where To Sleep

There’s something about staying in an actual house when abroad that really just resonates with me. The whole point of travel is to live among the locals and integrate yourself in the local culture. I’m also someone who likes to travel pretty cheaply, so having five-star amenities isn’t really important to me. Plus, I enjoy meeting fellow travelers. Puerto Viejo has a decent range of accommodations for all people, ranking from budget-friendly hostels to luxury jungle cabins and rental houses.

I love staying at Hidden Jungle Beach House every time I come to this town. This beautiful, rustic, rainbow-painted beach house is exactly what it sounds like. It’s right across the street from Playa Negra and a short six-minute walk or three-minute bike ride downtown. The owner, Amy, took over the piece of land back in 2017 and has really turned it into a special little spot. She lives in her own home on the property and tucked in the back is the “hidden” jungle beach house boasting six bedrooms all fitted with mosquito nets and a fan, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a welcoming community of like-minded traveling souls.

Both of the times that I’ve stayed here, I’ve met a wonderful and eclectic mix of people from around the world; some of whom I still stay in touch with. You’ll also encounter friendly free-range chickens, a couple of Amy’s dogs, a multi-named cat (I called her Sweets), and many, many spiders. While I’m someone who is terrified of spiders – especially ones the size of my fist – I recognized the purpose of them around the property and paid my respects as they caught all the annoying mosquitos that naturally live around the area.

costa rica, hostel
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For all my solo female travelers, La Tribu is a beautiful, boutique hostel for women only. Hosting anywhere between 10 to 25 female travelers at any given time, it’s a wonderful space that caters to the divine feminine, adorned with golden lighting, a huge modern kitchen and dining area, a comfortable sitting area lining the outside wall, an indoor hot tub, and shared hostel-style bedrooms. Even if you’re not staying there, it’s a safe space for women to come during the day and intermingle with other women.

When I went there, I got there just in time to participate in a volunteer-led cacao ceremony on the night of the new moon. We all gathered in a circle and summoned some magical divine feminine energy through chanting, dancing, and singing. Fun, witchy stuff.

costa rica, hostel
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There’s also Hotel Selina. As one of the world’s more reputable hotel and hostel accommodation groups, you can’t go wrong staying at its Puerto Viejo location. While being centrally located in Puerto Viejo, it boasts beautiful beach views with a bar, a gorgeous swimming pool, a yoga deck, and a co-working space. With all of its amenities, it can be easy to stay completely on-site and not leave, especially with your own private beach.

costa rica, hostel, hotel selina
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PART IV – Where To Play

It’s definitely easy to be a “pura vida” beach bum in Puerto Viejo, but there are actually a lot of amazing things to do while you’re in Puerto Viejo. Most activities are easily accessible by walking or biking, which makes it that much easier to fit into your long days under the sun.

Visit Tasty Waves:

I strategically placed Tasty Waves in the “where to play” category and not the “eat and drink” category solely because it really is more of an experience. Located right next to CariBeans before you get to Playa Cocles, Tasty Waves will become one of your favorite places to spend your evenings. This beachfront restaurant, bar, and entertainment area boasts an incredible atmosphere of locals and travelers through its various themed nights, including Thursday Night Free Trivia (where you can score free shots and joints) and Friday Open Jam.

It also has the best spicy Guaro shots you can get in the area.

costa rica, tasty waves
TASTY WAVES

Wander The Downtown Farmer & Artisan Market:

There’s nothing better than supporting local businesses, which is why you should make sure to hit up Puerto Viejo’s local farmer and artisan market. Locals will pop up tents along the main street and side streets every Saturday morning from 8 am-12 pm. Here’s where you can practice your Spanish as you buy local vegetables, fruits, and handmade jewelry.

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Jaguar Rescue Center:

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I was actually standing outside of Tasty Waves one night smoking a spliff when I heard a volunteer talking about her work experience at this place and she confidently said it is her favorite animal sanctuary and hospital she’s worked at all throughout the world. I can see why. Jaguar Rescue Center works as a temporary or permanent home for ill, injured, and orphaned animals, especially monkeys, sloths, small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

What’s astonishing about this place is that for the past 20 years that it has been operating, it receives no money or funding from the government and solely relies on the support of patrons. Each tour is an hour long and winds you through the grounds to learn about the current animals that are living there. Surprisingly, there are no jaguar here but the center averages around 170 total animals and 36 species in its care at any given time.

costa rica, jaguar rescue center
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Go On A Cacao Tour:

Did you know that Costa Rica is home to some of the world’s best and most fruitful cacao plants? If you want to see for yourself and learn all about the medicinal magic of these seeds, I highly recommend you take a cacao farm tour and chocolate-making class. While you can find classes and tours offered all over Puerto Viejo, Talamanca Chocolate knows how it’s done. Led by founder Amsel, the farm has over 30 years of experience farming organically on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica and takes its “chocolate is medicine” approach quite seriously. They offer hands-on workshops, where you can learn about the traditional cacao drink, make rustic truffles, and practice the art of tempering chocolate bars. It was so beautiful to walk among the grounds and see real and aging cacao trees and learn how many health benefits real cacao and chocolate can provide to the human body.

costa rica, cacao
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Visit Cahuita National Park:

This is a must-do when you’re in Puerto Viejo. Costa Rica has 28 national parks, and Cahuita National Park is definitely one of the best. The park is located 10.5 miles North of Puerto Viejo, so you actually pass right by it when you’re driving into the town from San JosĂ©. You can easily hop on a public bus from Puerto Viejo to the little town of Cahuita for only $2 and in 25 minutes you’ll end up at the front entrance. It’s honestly an amazing day trip here because it doesn’t cost any money to get in, although you should totally donate what you can manage. One, five-mile trail winds through the lush jungle flora and fauna and along the crystal-clear shores of Playa Blanca. I found myself face-to-face with monkeys, raccoons, and crabs. Sloths slept high in the tree canopies above me. It’s also home to some of the country’s best-protected coral reefs, so you can also book a snorkeling tour to out and explore the colorful underwater forest.

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‘Succession’ Fans All Over The World Are Clamoring For More Frank And Karl, As They Should

While everyone is mourning the death of a certain big-shot media mogul, Karl and Frank are out here thriving. Sure, it’s sad that Logan died all the way up in the sky and yeah, everything at Waystar Royco is off the rails, but now Frank and Karl are being given their time to shine and, as it turns out, we should have been getting a lot more of them over the years on Succession.

In episode five, the two hoisted up their compression socks before jet-setting to Norway, which is a sign of proper foot care that nobody ever talks about (seriously, you should all be taking care of your circulation). Not only that but they were treated to a nice outdoor excursion and donned cushy robes, implying that maybe Logan Roy was holding these men back from living the lives they truly wanted to live? Just look at them. That is a high-thread count plush robe. They are not messing around here.

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HBO

Even though their future at the company is a little uncertain, they always have the option to move to a Scandinavian oasis and live out the rest of their lives Bert and Ernie style. This obviously didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who have begun to compare the two to various old guy duos, all while the rest of the characters are fighting it out. These guys can just coast for now:

A potential spinoff idea: the two decide to get really into kite making. It would be great for both of them!