Four Fun Summer Activities to Do in NYC

By Priscilla Oliveras

Ooh, summer in the city! Sure, it can be hot and humid and dreary. But it can also be TONS OF FUN! I’m a city lover…the vibe, the energy, the numerous ways to entertain yourself. I live in a small college town, so when I get the chance to visit familia in the city, there’s no shortage of activities on my “must do” list. Here are a few you might enjoy, too!

1. Strolling through a museum

If you’re in NYC, you’ve got a bevy of museum choices and you can’t go wrong with any! My youngest and I spent a memorable afternoon perusing the displays at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where Lori Wilde’s novella is set in our Summer in the City anthology). We had some fun and tried our best to re-enact a few of the pieces (a la the classic film and musical “On the Town”), then we moseyed on up to ooh and aah at the summer rooftop display while sipping mimosas. Definitely a memorable way to spend a day! And definitely a “must do” event for the summer!

My youngest & me enjoying the view & display on the MET rooftop

2. Relaxing in a city park reading a book

As fellow book lovers, here’s an activity I’m sure you’d give the thumbs up. Central Park in NYC has tons of nooks and crannies with benches or comfy grass for us to lay down a blanket, pull out a good book and enjoy the sunny weather. Venturing to another famous big city, the summer of 2015, I was fortunate to spend a week in London. I saw as many sights as I could and soaked it ALL in. But to be honest, one of my most relaxing afternoons involved a towel on the grass, a romance novel in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. #citylivingrelaxtion

3. Catching a foul ball while eating a hot dog, peanuts & beer at a baseball game

If I’m not at the beach, the perfect sunny Sunday afternoon for me would include bleacher seat tickets at Wrigley Field, a cold Old Style in one hand while I’m pumping a fist in the air at a great play my Cubbies just made on the field. If you’re in NYC, catch a Mets or Yankees game and cheer them on…unless they’re playing against my Cubbies. Then it’s GO CUBS all the way!

My mami & me having fun in the bleacher seats with friends at Wrigley Field in Chicago

4. Popping into an indie bookstore

In NYC there’s a number of indie bookstores where you can browse and buy a memento for your Keeper Bookshelf at home. Of course, you can always visit the Strand, an icon among indies in the city. Or, you can head uptown to Washington Heights where you’ll find Word Up Community Bookshop/Libería Comunitaria or hop on the subway to Brooklyn to visit Mil Mundos or Word Bookstore. All three of these smaller indies have been super supportive of my releases and have also hosted events with me and other diverse authors. Word Up recently held a “Game Night with the 4 Chicas and Anchored Hearts” to celebrate its release in April!

Any support you can show these indie bookstores is greatly appreciated.

Alexis Daria, Sabrina Sol, Mia Sosa & me

Each connected novella in this fun, fresh Rom-Com anthology follows a different woman from a group of NYC friends whose plans to escape the summer heat with a fabulous girls-only weekend suddenly lose steam when an unexpected blackout cuts off power to all of Manhattan. But while the lights are out, enemies become lovers, acquaintances find they have more in common than a pack of matches, and the city really heats up!

There’s nothing like summer in Manhattan. The days are long and the nights are even longer. But when the lights go out in the city, fireworks explode… 

Night at the Museum by Lori Wilde
Art restorer Ria Preston knows a thing or two about beauty. And when she discovers her neighborhood crush, gregarious Wall Street advisor Vic Albright, is stuck overnight in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her, she can’t resist taking him on a very private tour…

Lights Outby Priscilla Oliveras
Back in high school, Vanessa Ríos and Mateo Garza were theater troupe rivals. Now Mateo’s a rising Broadway star and Vanessa’s his most scathing critic. Cue a plot twist straight out of central casting: the two end up alone in his New York City apartment during the blackout, setting the stage for what could be their second act romance . . .

​Mind Games by Sarah Skilton
What happens in college stays in college–unless you never get over it. In fact, Alison has been waiting to take her revenge on Nick, once the hottest guy on campus, now the hottest guy on the rising magician’s circuit. But her plans to sabotage his first show are upended by the power outage. That’s when the real magic happens…