Summer in New York City
Happy Friday and Happy Summer, you guys!
What an amazing day! Friday and whaaat? Did someone say it's officially summer?! YES!
Summer is our favorite season! Some people argue they hate summer in New York because it can be scorching hot and very humid, but you know what - it's worth it to us! Winter is worse and we'd rather stay outside and do fun things than be inside and sad for what feels like 5 long months of cold winter days.
Since it's officially summer, here are some quick list of suggestion on how to enjoy summer time in New York:
Rooftop Bars
Part of living in New York is the countless rooftop bars you have access to and in the summer time - it's just a whole different ball game. Here are some of our favorite rooftop bars that you can add to your list this summer:
230 Fifth
Press Lounge
Brass Monkey
1 Hotel's Rooftop Bar
La Birreria
Outdoor Dining & Bars
New Yorkers love the libations any season of the year but during the summer we just prefer to do it outside. The city buzzes with excitement as every corner and crevice is filled with people trying to soak up the sun and get their drink on.
City Vineyard
Brooklyn Barge
Lavender Lake
Hot Bird
Parklife
Frying Pan
North River Lobster Company
Parks
New York takes their parks very seriously. This city will take any free space and convert it into a park-ish place somehow. They are iconic during the fall with colorful leaves and booming with new life in the spring. But in the summer time, it's a place to spend weekends, have picnics (you know, more daytime drinking), go to concerts, and just about anything you can use a park for to just soak in the long awaited sun. Some of our favorite parks are:
Brooklyn Bridge Park
The High Line
Central Park
Prospect Park
Free Movies and Free Concerts
This is a must do, whether you're into movies/concerts or not. It's FREE so what's not to love. Some of the upcoming events are:
Movies:
Today:
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn - Movies Under the Stars: Festival Friday: Hip Hop Film Festival - The Art of the Score
Columbus Park, Manhattan - Movies Under the Stars: MOCA Cinema: Pushing Hands
Complete schedule for the rest of summer time - Movies at the park
Concerts:
Today:
Bryant Park, Manhattan - Piano in Bryant Park: Luiz Simas
Stuyvessant Square, Manhattan - Bossa Nova with Ramsay Rawson
Complete line up:
Biking
This is one of the best way to just enjoy the sun and be able to explore neighborhoods that sometimes are hard to get to by train. This is definitely our absolute favorite thing to do during the summer. Brooklyn Bridge park is a frequent destination for us during weekends, and also a great place to watch the sunset.
If you don't own your own bike there's Citi Bike everywhere in the city, super convenient!
Beaches
We are Californians at heart and we pride ourselves with our beautiful beaches, but since moving to New York we’ve had to take what we can get. We find any excuse to just enjoy the sun and the water and be with friends that are family - we'll even take the sandy bars along the East River! But if you're looking for sand, some of our top beach destinations are:
Jacob Riis & Rockaway Beach
Jones Beach
Point Lookout on Long Beach
Farmers Markets
Ah! Fresh greens, local produce and I mean... pretty food! For people like us that love food and cooking, farmers markets are always a weekly destination. We love exploring what's in season and connecting with local farmers and vendors.
It's definitely an excuse to cook and invite friends over for brunch or dinner.
Fort Greene Farmers Market
Union Square Farmers Market
These two are our favorite go to markets. Just make sure to bring cash with you when you do go.
Now GO! Enjoy this glorious season!