Forthcoming: hot summer nights in the city.
If you’d like to keep your cool — non-AC version — it is our professional recommendation that you plan on scattered summer Fridays with a chance of mid-afternoon Monday arrivals.
Don’t fret the planning. We’ve got you covered.
So You Want Peace and Quiet Far and Fast: Nantucket
Go
Book a seat on a private puddle jumper with Tradewind Aviation and you’ll be relaxin’ in a hammock in just over an hour.
Stay
Location, location, location. Cliffside Beach Club lies just a mile from the Brant Point Lighthouse and ferry terminal, and its accommodations are refined, stylish and — most importantly — on the beach. Two-story houses come with private decks and an indulgent amenities roster that includes a 3,000-square-foot spa, two pools, a hot tub and two on-site dining options — one white-glove and one an easygoing bar and grill.
Eat
For pinkies-out American fare, head to Dune. The veggie- and seafood-heavy menu is Cape fare through and through. For a nautical scene and oysters on the half shell, you’ll be saddling up on the docks of Cru. And for relaxed, casual vibes with ocean views, Millie’s is a Nantucket staple.
Play
Pop the polo collar and hop a bike on your way to have a sail. Rainy day? Tour the Cisco Brewery. Classic Nantucket. And the upcoming Film Fest, which runs June 22-27, turns the charming island into a cultural epicenter for a week.
So You Want to Leave the City, But Not Its Style: Hudson Valley
Go
Hitting the road handsomely is made easy with Gotham Car Rentals’s Aston Martin DBS Volante Convertible. Suns out. Sunnies on. Top Down. Hit it.
Stay
Freshly opened last fall, this 27-room boutique Rivertown Lodge was converted from a theater in ‘58. Designed by the Brooklyn-based Workstead (see also: Wythe Hotel), the look is simple and comfortable, but still aesthetically impressive. It’s mid-century meets contemporary minimal, and they serve Tandem coffee, local brews and small bites from Vinegar Hill House on-site.
Eat
In walking distance, you can hit the Crimson Sparrow, known for renegade, Asian-inspired fare prepared via French techniques. But if you simply cannot leave your award-winning meals in Manhattan, Hudson delivers. Can’t go wrong with Fish and Game, which took home the James Beard Award for the Best Chef in the Northeast 2016. Our personal recommendation: Swoon Kitchenbar, slinging hyper-local, earthy eats and a knockout Burger Thursday.
Play
Go for a sail on the historic Onrust at the Hudson Maritime Museum. They do a nice on-boat brunch to boot if you’ve got your sea legs. Take in a flick at Upstate Films, a single-screen non-profit cinema showing a multifarious mix of classic and indie movies. And July 1st through August 13th, you won’t want to miss the mirrored spectacle that is Spiegeltent. At this nationally renowned cabaret venue, you’ll dine, dance and definitely want to leave any underagers at home. And no matter the month, the Valley always has a wine or craft beer fest a stone’s throw away.
So You Want to Reconnect with Nature But Not Its Nuisances: Adirondacks
Go
You’ll need a tougher number for withstanding this road trip. With the Mercedes-Benz G550, there’s no reason to compromise on luxury while achieving that.
Stay
The Point, rustic in ambience, is nestled on the shoreline of a shimmering mountain lake. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more stunning sunset that the one on offer at the only Forbes five-star resort Upstate. It’s their handsome mahogany boats that sold us, though. Available for fishing, waterskiing and evening cocktail cruises.
Eat
Left Bank Café is the go-to on-the-water bistro for getting your French on. In business for the last 40 years, dinner is classic and the morning pastries hot and divine. And casual local haunt Eat ‘n’ Meet knows that the most direct route to a man’s heart involves his stomach. Culinary bravado meets ‘50s-style standards.
Play
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the Wild Walk is the “High Line of the forest.” The elevated pathway will take you down a winding trail of bridges and up and down platforms from ground level to canopy. There’s a four-story twig treehouse and a massive spider’s web of a hammock dangling 24 feet off the ground for maximum Lost Boys nostalgia.
This is but only one installment of 37 Things a Man’s Gotta Do This Summer, our annual compendium of everything worth seeing, doing, eating, drinking and generally making time for in your neck of the woods between now and September
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