1. Aperol Spritz! I know, I’ve written about this aperitivo a bunch lately, but I went to a friend’s backyard BBQ over Labor Day weekend and one of the available drinks was the Spritz, complete with orange wedges for garnish. So of course I mixed myself one (or several). Deeelish!

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2. Picnic in Prospect Park on Labor Day: the park was pretty damn empty this year—I guess most New Yorkers went out of town or made themselves scarce during the always-insane, nearby West Indian American Day Parade and associated festivities. My friends and I traditionally picnic in the park on the three major summer holidays but we’ve been slacking a bit as of late. Fortunately we managed to get our shit together to do it again this year! (The folks pictured are from the picnic next to ours.)

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3. Pretty little mini orchid: my husband and I arrived at my parents’ house in St. Louis this morning for a visit and I was greeted by this cute lil’ guy in my bedroom. Love it! I *might* try to bring it back to NYC with me…we’ll see. 🙂

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4. Major nostalgia: this is a “Class of ’90” dough ornament that I got when I graduated from sixth grade in 1990 (my elementary school only went through sixth grade). I remember picking her out at a local craft fair in Tilles Park, which was right by the house we lived in at the time. She’s a bit dusty but still adorable!

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5. Summer’s last gasp: I had some nice pool time at my parents’ neighborhood pool this afternoon. It’s been warm enough that they haven’t closed it down just yet so we were lucky to have visited while it’s still open. It’s not often that you get to take a post-Labor Day dip!

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