Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club

Whenever my sister Alyssa comes to town, it never feels like we have to entertain, but it's always fun to take her to someplace new. :) During her recent trip, we decided to check out the recently opened Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Brooklyn. It's sort of hilarious in a way—bringing the best of Florida recreation to NYC—but it's also a ton of fun. 

My favorite part about the club was that it really did feel like a spot to just chill. There are two bars, both serving up sunshine-inspired cocktails, but there are board games to borrow and lots of tables to just chat and hang out with friends. We had to wait an hour and a half for a court, but it went by in a blink in an atmosphere like that.

Have you tried shuffleboard before? The only time I played before was at an old-school resort in Maine. One tip: It's not as easy as it looks!

PS: More NYC recreation.

(Images via Grub Street)

Spur of the Moment Reading

Over the weekend, I found myself on the Upper West Side — the weather was perfect, and I had no place to be. I stumbled into Westsider Books, a delightful used bookstore, where I planned to browse, not buy. But, while looking through the fiction titles, I came across Heartburn, the first-ever novel written by Nora Ephron, a woman whose writing style I will always admire and adore. The copy was pristine — whoever read and owned the book before treated it with care. I purchased it for a bargain rate and ventured over to Central Park to read. I'm hooked! And also happy to report that I was able to squeeze in another Saturday in the Park before the weather turns freezing cold. :)

What are you reading now? For lots of great book pics, check out Critics & Writers!

A pop-up pool in New York

New Yorkers in the summertime want one thing: an easy way to beat the heat. That's why the new pop-up pool in Brooklyn Bridge Park is such a hit. This brilliant idea offers just another day at the beach — expect sand, colorful umbrellas, concessions, and a 30' by 50' pool, big enough to fit 60 people at a time! Even better, it's run in a fairly organized fashion. When we popped over this past weekend, there wasn't even a wait to swim. The guy working did clue us in: the best time to go is weekdays, when most of the population is indoors at work. It makes sense — a convenient spot to cool down in the city won't stay a secret for long!

What do you do to beat the heat in New York?

PS—Remember this idea last year?

(Image 1, 2, and 3)

A taste of fall

For my birthday this year, I went canoeing with my family and Matt on the Nashua River in Massachusetts. It was such a lovely day, and a reminder of what fall weather should be like — cool and crisp with lots of sun. Now that it's October, I hope the weather starts to turn around. Enough with the rain! I want to get in some much-needed time outdoors before the cold weather arrives and the snow begins to fall. But until then, I'll look back at these end-of-summer pics — such a fun and peaceful way to celebrate another year!