It may be approaching mid-July, but summer has really only just begun. In NYC, June is not yet summer: The schools don’t even let out until the end of the month, the public pools certainly don’t open until then (we learned this the hard way). The ocean in June is still a tad chilly. July 4th is a good kick-off to the season. Now, we are definitely fully immersed in summer. Fucking Summer!
But also, you’ve got to cherish it, because in a quick couple months, it’ll be on its way out. Before we know it, we’ll be calling out pumpkin enthusiasts for being basic, obsessing over what our Halloween costume should be, desperately trying to avoid any talk of football. You know, fall things. While we’re in summer, we’ve got to make the most of it, do all the summer things we envisioned, lest we experience regrets come Labor Day. No regrets! So what are your #summergoals this season? We asked some Brokelyn kids and some other folks around town to share what they’d like to accomplish in the dog days ahead — tell us yours in the comments too!
I’ll go first, since I have the blog floor: I’d like to drink a frozen negroni. You may be shaking your head at my inanity, (hey at least I’m not drinking one during #negroniweek), but negronis are my favorite drink, and I’d like to try one in its icy form.
I’d also like to go to Maine to see my dad, at some point. I’d like to play more outdoor lawn and beach games, like cornhole, Pro Kadima, maybe croquet? And finally, as my lease is up Sept. 1, I gotta find a new apartment!
“Swim nude in the ocean at night, with my Tinder date. Swim in every public pool in NYC—pool crawl. Create my own Get Summered nutcracker. Build a slip ‘n slide at Prospect Park. Build sustainable hydration stations all over New York for the homeless/people in need. Snowball fight in Times Square. Throw an awesome end of the summer boat party on September 10 (editor’s note: more details soon).”
—Dirtyboogie, founder of Get Summered; get their new summer mix here!
“I want to be on a beach every weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So far, I’m nailing it.”
“We’re moving to the Catskill Mountains to oversee the renovation of a motel we just bought with some partners. Hope to soak it all in before it opens…summer, that is! In the Catskills, this means swimming holes, BBQ’s, breweries, and bonfires.
—Denny and Erin of Escape Brooklyn
__________
“I don’t want to bring the spirit of this summer list down, but in the wake of back to back executions of black men and a brutal hit-and-run involving a super cyclist in Brooklyn, my summer goals at this point are to stay alive, stay aware, and do whatever I can to stay positive. All this exceptional music we’ve been blessed with this year is really helping.”
—Sean Rameswaram, digital producer and host at WNYC
“Go see every art house movie opening in Brooklyn. Finish A.O. Scott’s book and understand at least 40 percent of it. Cook something off my BuzzFeed newsletter at least once a week. Go through an entire day without talking about Donald Trump. Find out if The Americans is as good as everyone says. Not catch Zika.”
“Finally execute Edward Fortyhands with my friends. Travel to California and back by car. Get back my body I had when I was 20. And my most lazy one that I love—make sure Ayo (my partner) accomplishes her goals. I really don’t have to do anything.”
—Scott Lebowitz, co-founder of the NYC Beach Bus
__________
“Collect a pile of tickets to win something nice at Coney Island for my girlfriend. Get a new Cyclones jersey. Find more thrift store jerseys. Find a sandbar way out in the ocean at Fort Tilden. Eat smoked meat at Mile End Deli with Kevin Owens. Find a new apartment.”
—Brokelyn editor emeritus David Colon
“I’d like to take my boyfriend to Camelback Water Park and not wimp out on going on one of the bigger rides at the last minute. I’m already the only adult wearing a life jacket. I should be fine, right? And give my cat a wet bath.”
—Julie Kim, owner of Littlefield
“Be on more boats (total for the summer so far is three so this is going great). Boats! They’re a whole new world of enjoying the water.”
—Tim Donnelly
“I’m a wilderness guide, so I would say my goals this summer involve harvesting at least eight quarts of berries while not meeting any bears along the way.”
—Dave Dicerbo of Destination Backcountry Adventures
“Be on boats more. Move into my new apartment. Try to get people to do a long run to the beach with me.”
__________
“Meet Bill Murray. Learn how to shotgun a beer. Catch up on Game of Thrones. Play Settlers of Catan for the first time.Practice more ukulele so I can play more than “Fake Plastic Trees.” Have a boy take me on a picnic date. I’ve wanted this since I was 15!”
“Get better at cutting watermelon. Learn to throw and catch.”
–Jo Firestone, comedian
“Take day trips within and out of the five boroughs while sticking to my broke-ass budget. Find a place within walking distance of my neighborhood that has breakfast tacos.”
“Draw more. Screen print more of my own work, instead of always slaving for my clients…wink wink. Go up to the Catskills more than twice a month because rabbits and woodchucks are eating my garden! Do more live printing with Brooklyn Print House. Hit the roller-skating rink in Coney Island and skate to De La Soul.”
–Sal Fabella, owner of Brooklyn Print House, which printed these for us this summer.
“Come back to Brooklyn.”
–Sam Corbin, (willingly) exiled to Canada for the summer
What’s your summer goal? Tell us in the comments!
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Last year, my summer goal was to visit every brewery in New York City. How adorably naive! This year I'll make it more manageable:
-Spend a day in the Bronx, including a brewery visit to Gun Hill
-Spend enough time "out east" in Long Island to hit 5 breweries or so
-Something non-brewery related
Cheers to summer!