1. Having a Lemonade stand. You can do that in the ‘burbs, you say. And you’re right, you can make lemonade, your kids can make signs, they can stand on the sidewalk, or grass shoulder that passes for a sidewalk. And they can watch car after car putter by as the driver stares at the saddest sight in the world: A lemonade stand with no customers. But here in the city, on a hot Saturday you will be turning them away. Two tips, make a ton so you don’t have to keep running upstairs for a refill. And be sure to have something else for sale. Can’t tempt them with juice? Try selling some cookies (people will even buy out-of-the-box Oreos, because they are sugar addicts and your kids are cute). Yesterday, one industrious little friend added small cups of grapes to our stand, and we moved some units. And of course, during all this commerce your kids are learning math, social skills (manners), marketing, branding. All we have to do is work coding in there and it’s basically a BA.
2. Running through an open fire hydrant. This is what will make a tourist kid (and a local) feel like they are living on Sesame Street. This image is the icon of summer in the city. Not sure where to find one? Call your local firehouse, since they have to give out the sprinkler caps, they may be able to tell you which blocks might have an open hydrant. But ultimately, it is dependent dude who has got the cap, and if he is feeling like opening the hydrant that day. And since you never know when you might stumble upon one when you’re out and about, it is worth keeping your kid in water shoes all summer, just in case.
3. Wading in a fountain. This is the rich man’s open fire hydrant. When I say fountain, I’m not talking about the water features at your local playground, though those are great. I mean fountains, which may be kid-friendly or even kid-focused, but aren’t connected to a playground. They feel a bit less contrived, more integrated into the rest of the community, not fenced off. The Washington Square Park fountain is my favorite. I know, not Brooklyn, but too awesome not to mention, especially now that there are real bathrooms, not the port-o-potties full of junkies. Also try the fountain outside the American Museum of Natural History, which is kid-focused, but doesn’t feel that way. And the water feature at Lakeside, which is so kid-focused only those under 12 can enter, but the view of Prospect Lake and a cold beer in your hand will help things feel more balanced.
4. Going to Coney Island. This is the ultimate New York City experience. This is what New Yorkers have been doing every summer for over a century. What could be more quintessentially summer than an amusement park on the beach (well, there are still some rides, sniff). And nothing is more surreal than taking the subway to the beach.
5. Eating ice cream you bought from a truck. There is a lot of great ice cream in this world, and you can get it in small towns up and down the eastern seaboard. But what is harder to come by, outside the city (unless you are at a little league play-off game, and then I just feel bad for you) is the authentic ice cream truck. And I don’t mean some DIY, sugar-free purveying, hand-painted truck. There should be nothing artisanal about your chocolate-dipped swirl. While their horrible song might be banned, nothing can minimize the magic of the true ice cream truck.
6. Going to outdoor movies. Al fresco movie watching doesn’t always seem that exciting, until you do it. And then it elevates the movie experience to this wonderful shared moment. You and few hundred of your neighbors have a four-hour picnic (two hours to wait for the movie to start, two to watch the thing), where in you share your love of the film, you revel in your favorite moments, you cheer or boo wildly in ways you wish you could in the theater, but you aren’t that guy. Movie going is often a very solitary thing, which is part of its appeal. But how nice to occasionally make it truly social. Plus, when your kid talks through the whole thing people don’t glare at you as much, just be sure to sit in the back.