I am goal oriented. I love lists. I LOVE summer. And so, in the spirit of it already being August howthehelldidthathappen, here is my partially-completed Summer 2016 To-Do List.
- Check out the local farmer’s markets in our new neighborhood.
- Make frosé. DONE: made for a backyard party, smashing success.
- Jump in the ocean.
- Grill outside. DONE: made ribs at my parents’ house, and more grilling to come when we’re there all next week.
- Go kayaking. DONE: did some eagle-spotting on the Delaware!
- Eat a whole lobster.
- Check out a site outside the city like Storm King or Dia:Beacon.
- Buy ice cream from an ice cream truck. DONE: thank you, Mister Softee.
- Make fruit juice from scratch. DONE: made a massive amount of watermelon juice for cocktails – so good.
- Go to a new brewery.
- Go to a baseball game. DONE: sweated our nards off at a Yankees game.
- Go berry picking. DONE: my parents’ raspberry bushes count, right?
- Bake a galette or a crumble. DONE: rhubarb galettes <3 <3 <3
- Watch an entire sunset. DONE: Manhattenhendge!
- See an outdoor concert. DONE: the hokiest brass band, playing all the Sousa marches for the old folks. Added bonus: brought booze.
- Go for an extended bike ride (bonus if it’s along a beachside bike path). DONE: my Red Hook birthday party bike ride!
- Read a summer beach read. DONE: read The Girls by Emma Cline, and loved it.
- Play hooky mid-week to enjoy a beautiful day outside.
- Drink a glass of rosé at an outdoor wine bar. DONE: this is basically my social life.
- See an outdoor movie. DONE: Taxi Driver at the Yotel in midtown.
- Hang out in our community garden. DONE: had a few lovely lazy afternoons.
- Eat a meal completely made from seasonal vegetables. DONE: we have all the vegetables we can handle, from my parents’ garden.
- Build a bonfire. DONE: and gonna do it again.
- Go wine tasting. DONE: hit up Red Hook Winery as part of my birthday party.
- Go on a group hike with friends. DONE: scaled the heights of the ‘Gunks, evidence here.
- Pack a picnic for a park you’ve never been to. DONE: hit Prospect Park for July 4.
- Go to a pool party. DONE: happy birthday to MegMo!
- Camp outside.
- Attend a free NYC event.
- Make a summer salad.
And a few other fantastic things that won’t make any list, but were an integral part of my first New York City summer:
- Hosted a Golden Girls-themed birthday party at a dive bar in Greenpoint.
- Snuggled with pitbull puppies at a backyard party.
- Spend a long lazy night on a friends’ patio, eating Brazilian barbecue and slapping away mosquitoes.
- Enjoyed my first Domino Domingo with old friends.
- Went to a theme park wedding.
- Explore the Swiss Alps.
- Went to a wedding in a museum of medical oddities.
- Went for a run and then cooled off in Barton Creek.
- Ate at Shake Shack. Multiple times.
- Embraced the humidity like only someone who has spent a decade’s worth of chilly San Francisco summer days can.