Cherishing the final hot days of summer as a bit of a chill set in a few weekends ago, David and I had a full outdoors day starting in Manhattan. We got up early to be one of the first in to Dominique Ansel’s Soho bakery to try the August cronut flavor: salted caramel pretzel. We got a croissant on the side for good measure. The croissant was buttery and flaky perfection, and the cronut was sugary heaven. The creamy filling is my favorite part, and you can see it already oozing out of the center in these picture. We devoured both quickly as you would imagine.
Afterwards we went over to Tribeca and took advantage of the free kayaking on the Hudson that turned out to be everything we’d hoped. Paddling through the Hudson with alternate glittering views of Jersey and Manhattan was very entertaining, and being out in the sun on the water at the end of summer was so refreshing.
We walked the pier afterwards, drying off as needed and enjoying the breeze. It being the weekend, it didn’t take long to cross paths with a small market set up near a park in TriBeCa. The sunflowers, bakery items, and gorgeous colorful produce were quintessential summer right there in the streets of NYC.
Growing hungry after all of the physical activity, we found a Mexican restaurant with a patio and were seated immediately for a late lunch of chips and salsa followed by fajitas and tacos. The weather was mild and perfect for enjoying an outdoor lunch.
After lunch we went by a favorite posted and print shop in FiDi that we had happened across during a winter wander. We chose a few very cool prints and cards to take home and stopped in a few book shops nearby to peruse. Continuing on our way, we headed back to Brooklyn to stroll through the Brooklyn Bridge park. We sat for a while on the steps overlooking the river and watched as people walked the waterside.
It was busy day, spent wandering various corners of NYC and seeing new sights as is always possible in a city this big. There’s nothing better than spending a free day of leisure letting the city guide you to the next sight or food experience, especially when the weather is so gorgeous.
~KS
Katydid in NYC 