Take It Outside

As summer started winding down (sniff), I felt as though I didn’t take full advantage of the beautiful weather we had. Oh, I took a couple vacation days here and there, I enjoyed poolside weekends, and I even attended some of the awesome free summer events NYC is known for. But I still felt as though it’s slipping away.

I needed to find a way to squeeze every last drop out of the sun-soaked days that remain.

So I made a promise that I would unshackle myself from my desk and take a lunchtime stroll. And on days that I wasn’t snowed-under with work, I would even eat outside. I’d say that about four out of five days a week, I kept my promise and ventured into the blinding sunshine to breathe a little non-recycled air.

What a difference a few minutes can make! I explored Downtown – weaving in and out of tourists – and staked claims to benches and staircases all over the district. The Trinity Church cemetery became a favorite, as I could usually find a bench or at least a spot on one of those huge memorials. Wednesdays, you could find me at Zuccotti Park so I could check out The River To River Festival’s “Lunchtime Music at Zuccotti Park.” I even ventured down to Battery Park to watch the ferries and enjoy the waterfront that is such an amenity of Lower Manhattan.

Having worked in Midtown, I can truly appreciate the parks, plazas and waterfront vistas of Lower Manhattan. “Having lunch outside” in Midtown means going to Patsy’s on 3^rd Ave and waiting half an hour for one of their three outdoor tables. “Taking a stroll” means dodging the crowds and town cars on a mission for some udon noodle soup.

Here, I can actually find a park that’s not in the middle of a main intersection. Downtown truly is unique in the bounty of beautiful and often historic public spaces that dot our district.

So slap on some sun block, grab a sandwich and enjoy the last days of summer. I’ll see you out there.