‘New York hasn’t had a summer this year,’ seems to be a pretty common refrain right now. And I would agree for the most part – I swear previous years have been far, far sweatier. But I’ve still been trying to make the most of the outdoors before we’ll be pulling on our snowboots and talking about polar vortexes. This week there’s been grilling in our new garden, drinking in backyards and tomorrow we’re driving up to Pennsylvania for more scuba diving.

So as I look over the past week, I’ve had a few lovely moments from embracing the city in the summer. But the truth of the matter is that most things I’ve loved have involved food…

1 :: Views at brunch. You get glimpses of the Manhattan skyline from the most unexpected places, and last Sunday I enjoyed it from the top of Alma in Red Hook as I slurped Mimosas. I think I’ll move in.

2 :: Casablanca over dinner. Ryan and I found a tasty new Mexican place on Court Street, La Slowteria, which had a hidden backyard that was dotted with Christmas lights and showing Casablanca on a large screen. It made for an intimate little date spot, where they served up the most delicious tacos.

3 :: Cute buildings on the Upper East Side. It’s a lovely, quiet part of the city, but I rarely venture to the UES. This week I was surprised to see this set of rustic, not-very-Upper-East-Side buildings on Second Avenue.

4 :: Pastry displays at O Merveilleux. This Belgian bakery serves up works of art. I bought Ryan a couple of teeny tiny choux pastries but I might have given him a hand eating them…

5 :: Winning at Frames. I joined the IT guys in their Zog Sports bowling league again this week and – despite my run of zeroes – we made it to the playoffs!

6 :: Catching up with an old friend. Last week, I said how great it was when old friends visited New York – but this week, I caught up with an old friend, Katia, who lives right here in the city. In a place where new people come and go on a weekly basis, there is nothing like having someone who’s known you more than a decade. It took the waitress nearly an hour to get our sushi order (from Amura) because we were yapping too much to look at the menu.

7 :: This quirky approach to fencing in Carroll Gardens. Can you ID the landmarks?

8 :: Thali at Dosa Royale. This restaurant serves up Indian dishes I’ve never come across before – which is saying something, seeing as the British national dish is Indian food. I loved the variety of flavors, the backyard and the very reasonable prices. Definitely a place for a totally new experience.

And fiiinally :: Grass! Our new garden is coming along well and it seems that, despite warnings from everyone, Brooklyn soil actually does grow things. The lettuce, radishes and spinach are planted too!

I hope you’ve had a fantastic week too – whether in NYC or not. And have a great weekend!