The Last Few Drops of Summer

While Labor Day traditionally marks the end to summer, it usually does not mean the end of warm weather. I'm grateful that Manhattan temperatures have dropped from the mid 90s to the low 80s over the past few weeks. Subway platforms are a little more bearable, and I can finally enjoy some time outside without melting. At the beginning of the summer, I made a list (surprise, surprise) of places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do around the city before fall. Well, I ended up working a lot, traveling a bit, and trying to make time for friends--basically, life happened this summer. Now, as the days slowly grow shorter and cooler, I'm scrambling to fit in a few more items from my list. There are only so many weekends before fall, my favorite season, is officially here, and I'll likely be making a new list of to-do's. Until then, four activities I've never done before, and a favorite I'd like to repeat.

Enjoy a picnic in Sheep Meadow: We'll begin with the activity I've done many times before. I visited Sheep Meadow more than once a week this summer before moving downtown from the Upper East Side. In fact, Central Park is probably what I miss most about living uptown. There are few things better on a weekend afternoon in Manhattan than stretching out on the lawn with a view of the Midtown skyline above the trees. This is a popular spot for young people and families to enjoy picnics, play sports, read books, and sunbathe. I may have to invite Carly to join my picnic, so I can share one of my favorite weekend traditions with a new city girl.

Visit foodie heaven at Smorgasborg: Over the last 15 months that I've lived in New York City, I have spent very little time in Brooklyn. I didn't plan it that way, but it's too easy to simply live within Manhattan. One way to change that, suggested by a friend, is to visit Smorgasborg, which the website describes as follows: "Every Saturday on the Williamsburg waterfront...Smorgasburg brings together food entrepreneurs and established purveyors from New York City and across the region selling both packaged and prepared foods, fresh produce, and other food-related stands..." The wanna-be foodie in me is already hungry.

Watch a movie on a rooftop or in a park: New York offers many opportunities to watch a movie outdoors when the sun goes down, especially on rooftops and in parks. Rooftop Films, a New York-based nonprofit whose mission is to engage diverse audiences by showing films in outdoor locations, offered a rooftop Summer Series that is almost wrapping up. City of New York Parks & Recreation organizes free screenings at parks across the city. In both cases, many showings are on weekday nights, so I'll be sure to leave the office on time and grab a box of gummie bears on my way to the show.

Attend a game at Yankee Stadium: Having grown up in Pittsburgh, I've always been a Steelers and Penguins fan. However, until recently, the Pirates weren't very good, so I was never much of a baseball fan. Now that I live in a city where (one of) the home teams is such an iconic franchise, I'm looking forward to attending my first Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. This time, I hope to care as much about the game as I do about the food and fireworks. Okay, maybe it's only fair that I add a Mets game to the list, too.

Drink at the Frying Pan or Boat Basin: In the upcoming issue of Sweet Lemon Magazine, I list the Frying Pan as my personal recommendation for drinks in Manhattan, while a friend suggests the Boat Basin. So, I have actually been to one of these two drinking spots. The Frying Pan, which is an old lightship, is docked on the Hudson and offers great views of the Financial District in the distance. It's great for enjoying a bucket of beers or pitcher of sangria for the afternoon. The Boat Basin is also on the Hudson but in the Upper West Side, with an open air patio and plenty of room for mingling.