Summer
in the City
Summertime
in New York City can be brutal with temperatures in the 90’s and heat radiating
off the buildings and sidewalks. But on summer weekends, the city is virtually
empty; you can get into any restaurant. Restaurant week 2013 lasts from July 22nd
to August 16th when you pay only $25.00 for a three course lunch and
$38.00 for a three course dinner at many of the city’s finest restaurants.
Throughout
the summer, Central Park and Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, Crotona Park in The
Bronx, Cloves Lake Park in Staten Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Coney Island,
Metrotech and Prospect Park in Brooklyn come alive with outdoor concerts,
movies and performances. The New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera
stage free (yes, free!) performances where you can bring a picnic basket and a
blanket and sit on the lawn to listen to extraordinary world class music. From
May to August, you can attend a variety of concerts for free from Blues to
opera to Indie Rock. Even the Martha Graham Company stages free performances.
On
summer weekends, street fairs with every imaginable type of food pop up
throughout the five boroughs, the High Line is emptied of New Yorkers, all the
stores have sales, some at even 90% off to make room for incoming fall styles.
Just go to the back of each floor in Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s, Bergdorf
Goodman and find that perfect outfit marked down from $1000.00 to $100.00.
There
is another alternative: head to the beach. Some of the most beautiful beaches
in the world are located in the Hamptons and Fire Island. It’s an easy train ride to Bayshore, Long
Island where you can hop on any ferry to cross the Great South Bay and walk 3
blocks to the ocean in Fair Harbor, Ocean Beach or any of the tiny towns across
the Island. Or take the train to
Montauk, dine on lobsters, swim in the ocean or even go whale watching and
deep-sea fishing.
If
you have a car, head out to Shelter Island, located in between the North and
South Forks of Long Island. You can take the car ferry from Greenport on the
North Fork or North Haven (just north of Sag Harbor) and watch a glorious
sunset at the famous Sunset Beach Hotel & restaurant located on Crescent
Beach. My favorite restaurant is Vine
Street but there are many other fabulous ones including La Maison Blanche,
which has awesome food or the Ram’s Head in where the food is mediocre but the
view from the outdoor tables is spectacular.
If
you go via the North Fork, there is a huge assortment of wineries and a vodka
distillery on the way. Many are worth a stop and a quick taste and welcome
small groups. You can continue all the way to the end of the North Fork where
you can drive on to the car ferry to Block Island (which is actually part of
Rhode Island) where the pace is slow and the beaches are dramatic. It is a huge
boating community with sailboats, trawlers and speed boats.
Summer
in the City is magical…if you can stand the heat!
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