SUMMER WEEKEND PLANNING
Ultimate Food and Sound Make a Great Summer
Ahh summer is almost here! The smell of fresh cut grass as we lay in Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park, the flowers blooming across the sidewalk boxes adorning buildings and trees, the hustle and bustle of city bars and clubs Tuesday through Thursday nights and summer weekends away are almost upon us. Then again, so are the Friday sounds of bumper-to-bumper traffic for weekend excursions to the Hamptons, Jersey Shore and Hudson Valley.
It often seems that no matter what you do or how well you plan, the traffic out of New York never goes away during the summer. Congestion pricing be damned. And, yes, the reverse is also true on Sunday afternoon when everyone runs back to the city. Though in recent years, with Work From Home being more prevalent, that pattern has eased considerably as people are now coming back at different times. So, while the travel situation may be somewhat dicey, and often random, that does not mean that planning for the rest of your summer needs to be.
However, there are some challenges when it comes to weekending in the area. As an example, when I was growing up, I remember my parents had two sets of virtually everything needed: one for our apartment in the city and one for our country house. That can get expensive, fast. Now if you have a weekend share in the area, obviously you can be a little more mobile in your choices of what to have and where. However, there is one staple that no one can escape planning for: food.
FOOD PLANNING
FOR SUMMER WEEKENDS
Now I know the ‘90s supermodel diet of a piece of gum, endless cigarettes and Diet Coke died a few years back, so this is even more important now. And considering how many of our readers have children, and parties at their weekend homes, I thought I’d pass along a trick that has worked for me for over 20 years.
Basically, you arrange to have two different food deliveries across your week. One of the reasons this has worked out so well for my family is because we use the same grocery delivery service we are accustomed to for both week and weekend deliveries, FreshDirect. Yes, FreshDirect delivers to the Hamptons and Jersey Shore. That way I am familiar with the products they sell and the produce they carry (also not having to worry about local produce stands and the concern that they may not have enough product). I also know that I am still supporting local farms and farmers since FreshDirect buys directly from local farms and cooperatives on Long Island, in Upstate New York and in New Jersey. Ordering twice a week also cuts down on food waste and can save some dollars as you won’t have to worry about produce or prepared foods spoiling.
The first delivery should be on Monday night, in case you decide to hump it out under the sun for an extra six or eight hours. That delivery should be about 70% of your normal volume of vegetables and protein, as well as snacks, for Monday through Thursday. And don’t forget to order healthy snacks for the kiddos for the car ride to whatever fab destination you are heading to!
Since most people leave late Thursday night or early Friday morning for regional weekend destinations, schedule your delivery for Friday morning using FreshDirect’s delivery service to the Hamptons and Jersey Shore. That should be roughly 30% of your normal weekly grocery bill, plus whatever supplies you need for the weekend’s activities like a BBQ or party. Yes, FreshDirect sells charcoal, lighter fluid, bamboo sticks and more if you want to get your grill on! And when it comes to entertaining and catering, they have incredible cheese boards, charcuterie, appetizers, nibbles, snack packs and even easy to heat and serve entrees!
Now, if you are summering in the Hudson Valley, that is a little different. Your second delivery should be to your apartment Thursday night or very first thing Friday morning depending on when you plan to leave for parts north. And remember that a large cooler (like an Igloo) can be your best friend when traveling between homes. Though I have found that FreshDirect’s bags are great for transporting!
To save time, you might want to consider a few of FreshDirect’s meal kits or prepared dishes. They are made with local, fresh ingredients and are YUMMO! The meal kits can also make actual cooking easy and offer a variety of flavors and options you may not normally be comfortable making on your own. Those aside, I love their rotisserie chicken for a variety of reasons, but most importantly because it’s fresh, juicy and the leftover chicken can be used to also make other dishes on other nights, or sandwiches for picnic lunches the next day or two. It can also save you calories that can be reserved for that margarita or glass of rose!
Now, just to be clear, I have been a FreshDirect customer since their second week in business so, yes, I am a little biased. But I also tell it like it is. That is why friends call me for advice. As an example, last summer, a friend of mine called me because she was having a cocktail party and BBQ the next day. It was a new home for her and didn’t have the supplies she needed. She wasn’t even sure what to get since she normally doesn’t do that kind of thing and didn’t want to be embarrassed asking her boyfriend, who was actually barbecuing for guests. Knowing they deliver to Southampton, I sent her to FreshDirect’s website right away. She ordered racks of ribs, pre-formed burgers, hot dogs and buns as well as chips, salsa, vodka, mixers, beer and soda (FreshDirect delivers alcohol to customers, but you need to show a valid ID to prove you are over 21). All of it delivered the next day and she was floored. She now orders from FreshDirect multiple times a week.
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC
Now that we have the food sorted, let’s talk sound. After all, during the summer, you want to make sure you’ve got delicious taste and sound!
Whether by the pool, at the beach or having a rager on the patio, you want to make sure that your sound is up to snuff to ensure optimal entertainment! Whether it’s just for you, or including your family, friends and neighbors, having a great sound system is vital!
My friends at iLive sent me this incredible Bluetooth Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers. It’s perfect for your TV setup at the weekend house or share as it’s versatile and won’t set you back too much. It doesn’t matter which connection you use (Bluetooth, aux-in, HDMI, etc.), the various sound modes deliver impressive sound, and you don’t need to worry about that bass - it’s there! Whether connecting to your flatscreen, iPad or iPhone, it delivers a perfect array of acoustics that runs the gamut of personal enjoyment on your couch while binging the latest hot series or making everyone scream and shout along to a popular song while enjoying that mojito!
If you are heading to the beach, or just jamming out in the backyard and don’t want to spring for an entire sound system, you can still get incredible high-fidelity sound without breaking the bank too. The Bose SoundLink Max is their most powerful portable and delivers the same level of incredible sound as the legendary speaker brand’s home collection does. If you are down for a backyard blowout with more than 20 people, or powerful pool party, you should consider the Bose S1 Pro+ All-in-One Powered Portable Bluetooth Speaker Wireless PA System as it also has slots for microphones, instruments and the like. It delivers sound as if you had a full backyard setup!
This brings up the next issue, if you are going to be the DJ, or just manage the playlist, there are a couple of things to consider. No matter your choice of music, always make sure that you are using optimal sound equipment for everyone’s enjoyment! If everything is playing through Bluetooth, then you can use your mobile, be it iPhone or otherwise. But my suggestion is to grab the latest iPad Air that just came out in March. Killer hardware (new M3 chip!) that can make managing playlists, or even being your alter-ego DJ, so much easier. Or, if you want a less expensive model, Apple also just released a new version of the iPad that has a ton of power under the hood as well. One thing to consider is that the iPad Air does come with Apple Intelligence on-board which is incredible unto itself and may help you personally and professionally in your daily tasks. With either model, your friends can also chip in their songs through Apple Music if they want by sharing specific tracks, albums or their own curated playlists. The same applies if you are using Apple iPhone 16 and older models.
Have a delicious and sound-ful summer!