Let's Picnic in the Park
Raise your hand if you’ve felt personally victimized by the humidity and rain this summer. OK THOUGHT SO. Also if you don’t get my reference, we can’t be friends.
Image: Mean Girls
As much as I love summertime, and I mean ~love~ summertime, I am ready for this one to be over. It has been nothing but humid and raining, and I am over it just as much as you are. Now that it is coming to an end we can hope that the fall brings us nothing but perfect, crisp weather. No humidity means it will be more comfortable outside, so let’s grab our picnic baskets and get ready for fall weather in New York! There are so many amazing parks to choose from throughout New York City. My personal favorite: Astoria Park. Click here for a complete list of NYC parks organized by borough from the NYC Parks Department. First things first, let’s make a checklist of all of the things we will need to bring with us on our picnic, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll forget everything but the food.
Blanket/Towels
Music
Citronella Candle & Lighter
Utensils/Plates/Cups
Trash Bag
Napkins/Baby Wipes
Food, of course.
Let’s set up the perfect atmosphere…
You’re going to need somewhere to sit, and if we want to keep our authentic picnic theme going, we’re gonna grab a [big] blanket and sit right on the grass. If your blanket isn’t too thick, I recommend bringing a pillow or extra towel for some cushion to protect ya boney booty. I’ve grabbed my favorite blue striped blanket to make sure this looks Insta-worthy cute and a towel just to sit on! Now that we have our base ready, let’s think about how to make this an elevated picnic. How about a little music? A little background noise for you and your picnic partners will make this feel more intimate even if it is in a public setting.
Disclaimer: No one likes to be listening to other people’s music while they’re hanging out in public places, like the New York City parks, but if you bring a little speaker and keep it at a respectable volume, it’ll just add some fun to your picnic!Gentle reminder, we are OUTSIDE and sitting in the grass. Bugs do exist, and although we have to let them live in their environment, it doesn’t hurt to try and deter them from enjoying your picnic with you. Light some candles around your blanket to add to the atmosphere and hopefully to the critter prevention as well!
Getting ready…
Forks, knives, spoons, plates, cups, straws, everything you might need to have a seamless picnic in the park. New York City parks all have garbage pails scattered throughout them, so you can be smart here and bring disposables, so you have less to carry on the way out, but I recommend getting some biodegradable utensils and such. It’s 2021, they’re NOT expensive, and you can find them in your local grocery stores now. Don’t leave your plastic in the park please, thanks.
Although there are garbage cans spread throughout the parks, it doesn’t hurt to bring your own bag to throw your trash out in. We can’t always count on the garbage cans being empty or even super close to our picnics, so it is better to be safe than sorry here. Picnics can get messy since we are eating without a table generally, so don’t forget to bring some napkins and baby wipes for a quick and easy clean up.
A picnic wouldn’t be complete without…
Last but not least the most important item(s) to bring is the FOOD! A picnic would not be a picnic without some food, and here we have a few different options. You could (1) make some sandwiches and bring snacks from home or (2) support your local businesses and just bring some takeout with you! You can do option 2 pretty cheap too. Head to your local deli, get some sandwiches, chips, and soda… BAM whole picnic for 2 under $20. I’m going to go with option 1 for today, but if I was choosing option 2, here’s where I’d go.
First I’d grab a [giant] sandwich from Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s in Astoria on 23rd Avenue. Then I’d wander over to Chip City on 33rd Street and grab some cookies for dessert! So my Astoria friends, there’s your rec! Now...I’m grabbing my basket (bag because I don’t own a basket honestly), my cooler, and writing out my menu. We’re starting with a simple appetizer, which is perfect for any picnic: cheese and crackers! Slice up your cheese at home and put it in a reusable snack bag, so there’s less work when you get to the park. Throw that bad boy right in your cooler! The crackers you pick and go right into your basket with the plate/cutting board you choose to present your app on. If we’re going for Insta-wrothy, grab your cutting board!
For lunch, again we’re keeping it simple. Sandwiches. We’re gonna make a few to cut up so we can all share and have different options. We have your classic PB&J, PB & banana, ham & cheese, and turkey & cheese. Cut those up and put the cute little pieces in tupperware to keep them fresh until getting to the park. We can’t forget our snacks. Again, simplicity is key here. A bag or two of chips will do the trick. I’m going to make this trip a little extra special and cut up some veggies to bring along with some hummus & ranch! It is a picnic afterall, so why not make it feel like one.
No meal is complete without some dessert, and today’s menu includes some chocolate. We’re bringing options again because we love simple and we love options. Cookies. Simple and delicious. Throw 'em in the basket! For our extra special option, we’re gonna cut up some fruit, dip it in some chocolate, and add it to our cooler since we still have room there!
Can’t forget your drinks either! Make sure you have water to stay hydrated and some seltzers for fizzy fun (hard or not, who am I to tell you what to do!)
One more thing - don’t forget you are in NYC. This doesn’t have to be a fancy picnic with all of the works. Stop in any of your local pizza places (I’d recommend The Yard in Astoria) and grab a pie to share with your friends, maybe some apps if you wanna go all out too! Easy clean up and guaranteed deeeeeelish.
Bon appetit! Enjoy your perfect picnic in the park!