We don’t want to rain on your summer days, but they’re coming to an end quicker than you realize — it’s only a few weeks until Labor Day, the unofficial end of the season. So before we all get swept up into the craziness of back-to-school, the holiday season and every other unpleasantness that seems to arrive all at once on Sept. 8, here’s your warm weather to-do list to make the best of what’s left of summer.
Explore the urban wilderness ofGovernors Island
Get there first thing in the morning, because seeing everything is going to take some doing. Luckily, there’s now CitiBike to get you around to the food trucks, a minigolf course, an interactive sculpture garden and a whole field of hammocks, plus festivals galore (this weekend is your last chance to kick it with the cool cats at theJazz Age Lawn Party).Through Sept. 27
Get inspired by Frida Kahlo
Far from being just another pretty exhibit, theNew York Botanical Gardencreated a faithful replica of Kahlo’s Casa Azul so you, too, can walk through the scenery that inspired her art (of which there are over a dozen pieces on display). Go on aFrida Al Fresconight and you’ll be part of a Mexican garden party with live music and an outdoor cantina serving Kahlo’s own recipes (to go with your free drink).Through Nov. 1
Spend an afternoon at Citi Field
You don’t have to be a Mets fan to appreciateCiti Field, a great place to spend an afternoon. The breezy, open-plan corridors hold tons of food options, and lets you watch the action from pretty much anywhere. If you are a fan, the team is one of the best in the league right now, and trust us: Bartolo Colon is even better to watch in person.
Summer fun lives on Coney Island
Yes, the subway ride out toConey Islandis long, but at the end is a near-magical spot where the old and new New Yorks meet — take in a circus sideshow then nosh on this summer’s must-have eats atTacoway Beach;Luna Parkis old-fashioned midway fun meets state-of-the-art thrills; movie nights on a floating screen and all that boardwalk. Go this Saturday for theSand Sculpting Contest. Sink your toes into the sand atSurf City
For Manhattanites, one stop on the PATH to feel like you’re at the beach is a no-brainer. This sprawling riverfront bar just across the Hudson in Jersey City is straight out of Florida, serving a rainbow of frozen drinks and a shrimp ceviche that’s second to none on the “mainland.” Lounge under umbrellas by day, digging your toes into its sandy beach, then gather by the fire pit at night.
Go boating in Central Park
There’s no better way to indulge your historical novel fantasies thanrowing a boat in the Lake($12 for an hour, $3 for every 15 mins.) The idyll of it all could awaken your inner Evelyn Waugh, or just make for a great way to bask in the splendor of late summer before it’s nothing but a memory.Through October
Find the next big hit atSmorgasburg
The city’s first, and still best, outdoor food market attracts so much talent that Brooklyn can’t even handle it anymore. This summer, Smorgasburg expanded to Queens, Coney Island and the South Street Seaport, for lots of chances to discover the chefs who will be opening the hottest new restaurants next spring and summer. You can say you knew them when — and when you could still afford their food.Through November
Rage at an outdoor party
It takes a special kind of love for music to hit up a festival, but outdoor parties don’t just come jumbo-sized. Dance in the street duringMister Sunday, a weekly all-day block party at Brooklyn’s Industry City ($15); there’sMoMA PS1 Warm Upfor the arty crowd looking to check out the best foreign turntable talent ($18); and Thursdays after 5 p.m. is the electronicAir a Danserat the Caribbean-by-way-of-Flatbush spot Battery Harris.
