Find your beach

How I spent the three nicest days of the summer (so far).

The clouds parted and the high summer heat finally dropped a few degrees, leaving Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be some of the best days New York City has seen in months.

When my family and friends talk about the winter we had, they act as though they’re having flashbacks from the great war. They aren’t far off, it was pretty miserable, and we deserve nothing more than a reward for going through that.

The reward took a hot minute, but when it finally came, it was enjoyed to the fullest by Olivia Hawkins.

This weekend was cause for a few different celebrations. Two of my oldest friends, Grace and Lucy, were celebrating their joint birthdays on Friday and Saturday, all of my home friends and I, including Sophia who lives in Tampa and Grace and Lucy’s college friends, gathering together to have somewhere between 6-20 margaritas in a small, beautiful 48-hour window.

We started at Brooklyn Crab, a three-story riverside joint in Red Hook that sells Aperol Spritzes the size of your torso and the opportunity to add on an inflatable flamingo drink holder for $3 with your margarita, in addition to crabs of all variety and size. I’ve always wanted to go here, and Grace made my dreams come true (classic) with a beautiful table right at 7:45, just in time to watch the sun turn blood orange and hot pink behind the Statue of Liberty right before our eyes.

I had a blue crab roll that was pretty good not great, but enough watermelon margaritas to convince the 14 of them to go have a nightcap at Sunny’s around the corner, where the band was done playing for the night and none of us had cash. I plaid sugar mamma, handing out 20’s for my gals to get ciders and vodka sodas before calling a Lyft without telling anyone until it was too late to turn back.

In my defense, we had a long day ahead, because not only was Grace and Lucy’s official party on Saturday afternoon, but I also had my friend Channon’s 30th birthday later that evening, and my friend Kat’s going away party that night.

I kicked off Saturday by creating a solid base in my stomach to power me through the day at Landmark Coffee, where I had chocolate chip French toast, eggs, sausage, and homefries.

First stop was Lucy and India’s apartment for drinks on their roof and gifts. We had High Noons and took approximately 500 photos with the Empire State Building in the back before heading over to Sunday’s Well in Kips Bay. This bar was great if you’re in the birthday or mezcal margarita market.

Our beautiful Boston bestie, Hartley, surprised Lucy, Grace, and the rest of us by showing up about halfway through. No one will believe me when I say now that I had a weird feeling she may do that, but I did, I swear.

After running up a $100 bar tab, I dragged my boyfriend and my Tommy to Channon’s 30th birthday at spring (bar) on Madison and Market. We were the firsts on the scene besides the honorary birthday gal herself (classic), and I battered them with “HOT” stickers and myself with an “I <3 CHAN” tattoo before making a mad dash so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of the coworkers I would have to see just a day later.

Me and my two dates escaped across the Williamsburg Bridge to our final destination of the night—Kat’s going away party at FourFiveSix. I am probably going to seem like Alix Earle to my mother while she reads this, but this part of the night is a little fuzzy. I remember spilling mezcal margarita all over my Citizens of Humanity cargo pants, and then getting in an Uber shortly thereafter while curating my perfect Taco Bell order. I was finding shredded cheese on my carpet until Monday.

Sunday, my boyfriend and I had an early wake-up call to head over to Rockaway Beach for a day trip. We boarded the 10:02 ferry (my second ferry trip of the weekend and second of the entire summer) and staked our ground by 12:30. I lost my new Target sunglasses in the waves (which was entirely my fault) but besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed my first time to Rockaway. We connected in Red Hook on the way home and stopped by Tavern Next Door for dinner—Red Hook Tavern’s latest venture where they serve the exact same burger.

The burger was really good but salty. My martini was perfect and the stuffed olive was even more perfect. The wedge salad? The most perfect! If you don’t feel like doing the whole song and dance that Red Hook Tavern requires, I’d recommend.

As it’s Monday night and I A) missed today’s Coffee Order and B) am ready to go to sleep before the sun is fully down, it’s safe to say that this weekend was not restful but worth it nonetheless. I have the best friends, not even a summer nor’easter can get me down.