The weekend commenced without a script.

I am a big planner.

A lot going on so I thought I would coast for a change.

Friday night proved to be a classic weekend kickoff with cocktails at Bar Boulud sitting with our favorite bartender and a chaser of escargots.

Saturday dawned glorious…blue skies and, praise the weather God, no humidity.

We took a dogless two hour walk through Central Park, pausing for beverages at the Pain Quotidian location on the east side of the Park.

We sat on a bench overlooking the pond next to a vibrant young couple. The woman looked at us, declaring that we had previously met. It turns out that she was the surgical resident when my husband had emergency surgery in 2019. She remembered everything. We benefited from a post op check on the incision.

We stopped for a great lunch on West 72nd Street at Friedman’s. There are 5 NYC locations around the city serving American comfort food. We both devoured amazing salads.

We strolled the upper west side and dashed in and out of stores.

Dinner and movies ensued.

Sunday we were out by 7:30am and headed to the west village to take a glorious walk by the Hudson River with our daughter and doggie.

The city was dazzling on a mild sunny day.

Our daughter introduced us to Pier 57, a nearly 2-acre rooftop park with stunning panoramic views of Lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor.

Access to the park is from the ground floor through the new Food Market 57 directly across from Little Island.

The impressive public green space within Hudson River Park is open 6am-1am daily.

Brunch was at Buvette the most adorable French bistro on Grove Street. The food is consistently fantastic.

The drive home was quick and we cleaned up for dinner at the hot new Taiwanese restaurant, Din Tai Fung which can accommodate more than 450 people. They create over 10,000 dumplings a day (review to follow).

Dinner was delish. We cheated and took the subway home as the heat and humidity came roaring back.

Olympic watching, a huge surprise and an impressive Yankee win against the Boston Red Sox completed the weekend activities.