Get \u2019em while it\u2019s hot.<\/p>\n
August\u2019s not only here, but half over \u2014\u00a0its swift march toward September whittling down the number of days left to enjoy NYC\u2019s great outdoors in (fingers crossed!) equally great weather.<\/p>\n
While al fresco activities in Gotham may bring to mind casual strolls in Central Park<\/a> or catching the summer sun\u2019s last rays on your building roof, the concrete jungle crawls with under-the-radar fresh air fun \u2014\u00a0in more than 31 square miles of natural open space, from secret forest to sandy coastline. \u00a0<\/p>\n And exploring these sometimes under-appreciated spaces isn\u2019t just a refreshing change of pace \u2014 new Stanford University-backed research shows it\u2019s essential for our mental well-being<\/a>.<\/p>\n Busy Big Apple dwellers don\u2019t even need that much time outdoors to feel better, either, the data revealed \u2014\u00a0 city slickers can get \u201csignificant mental benefits\u201d from as little as 15 minutes in nature.<\/p>\n Bump that time up to more than 45 minutes, the experts say, and you\u2019ll see significant reductions in stress levels \u2014\u00a0not to mention boosts in vitality.<\/p>\n As a service to perennially vitamin D-deprived New Yorkers, The Post has rounded up five less-than-expected fresh air adventures \u2014\u00a0before lower temperatures send everyone running back indoors.<\/p>\n Surf\u2019s up in Far Rockaway<\/p>\n Locals Surf School instructors Amine Farji (from left), Kailani Mergen and Mason Fahey demonstrate wave-riding poses at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Surfing within view of the NYC skyline might seem as incongruous as the \u201cCool Runnings\u201d Jamaican bobsled team.<\/p>\n But since 2012, the Locals Surf School <\/a>in Arverne, Queens, has taught the ways to wave-shredding \u2014 right off Rockaway Beach.<\/p>\n \u201c[It\u2019s about] discovering that you can do something that you didn\u2019t think was possible,\u201d the school\u2019s co-owner, Mike Reinhardt, a fifth-generation Rockaway resident, told The Post of NYC\u2019s unlikely surf scene. \u201cIt really is a novelty to be like, whoa, I had no idea that I could just jump on a bus, ferry or subway and within 45 minutes to an hour, be in a completely different environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The surf school teaches wave-riding seven days a week all year, offering private, semi-private and group lessons for people of all skill levels. <\/p>\n \u201c[It\u2019s about] discovering that you can do something that you didn\u2019t think was possible,\u201d Locals co-founder Mike Reinhardt told The Post. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n \u201cThe instructors make it so easy and approachable for you that you get that amazing feeling of riding a wave, even on the first time,\u201d said Reinhardt, who is a Master Level Instructor with the International Surfing Association (ISA).<\/p>\n He and fellow founder and Rockaway lifer Mike Kololyan\u2019s began the business as a pipe-line dream, offering surf lessons out of a van for pocket cash. They now function as a year-round, vibrant hub with classes, corporate outings and kids\u2019 camps. <\/p>\n Just off the boardwalk, the pair also operate Locals Collective, a coffee shop and surf boutique.<\/p>\n Reinhardt (not pictured) said that Queens might not be as \u201cestablished as places like Hawaii and California,\u201d but he could foresee Rockaway becoming like Venice Beach in five or 10 years. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Unlike the Himalayan water walls of the Pacific, Rockaway\u2019s surf generally measures an \u201cideal\u201d two to three feet for learners, per Reinhardt \u2014\u00a0who noted that the surf is at its most challenging during the fall hurricane season.<\/p>\n While Reinhardt said that Queens might not be as \u201cestablished as places like Hawaii and California,\u201d he could foresee Rockaway becoming like Venice Beach<\/a> in five or 10 years \u2014\u00a0but perhaps with more fuggedaboudits than cowabungas.<\/p>\n A tree grows in The Bronx<\/p>\n A true Bronx gem, the Thain Family Forest offers NYC nature lovers a portal to the Big Apple\u2019s pre-industrial past. NYBG.org<\/p>\n Want to glimpse what NYC looked like before it became an urban jungle? Disappear into the New York Botanical Garden<\/a> in The Bronx and explore the Thain Family Forest, one of the last bastions of original woodlands that once blanketed the city \u2014\u00a0perched above a pretty stretch of the Bronx River. <\/p>\n The unspoiled oasis is, at 50 acres, the \u201clargest remnant patch of old growth forest left in New York City,\u201d Thain manager John Zeiger told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cThis forest has been used by people for a very long time, but it\u2019s never been significantly altered,\u201d the eco expert said. \u201cIt\u2019s never been cut down. It\u2019s never been farmed. We don\u2019t think it was ever pastured. There\u2019s kind of a continuity literally going back when forests came back after the last Ice Age.\u201d<\/p>\n The surprisingly expansive bit of wilderness, where winding paths still follow original Lenape Native American hunting trails, is said to be the reason that Botanical Garden co-founder Nathaniel Lord Britton picked the shaded spot to establish the local landmark, all the way back in 1895.<\/p>\n With its semi-hidden gem status, these tranquil woodlands remain relatively untrodden \u2014\u00a0and are perfect for solo walks, particularly on weekdays. One-hour guided tours are also offered, with the next one to be held Sun. Aug. 17, at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n The hottest patio in town<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted the outdoor patio to make guests feel like they\u2019re on holiday by the sea,\u201d Crevette co-owner Patricia Howard told The Post. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n When it comes to peak al fresco seafood experiences in Summer 2025, the pearl in the grit is Crevette in the West Village \u2014\u00a0a red-hot Mediterranean fish depot from the team behind the tony neighborhood\u2019s Lord\u2019s and Dame restaurants.<\/p>\n And while coveted Resy reservations<\/a> released two weeks out (daily at noon) are gone in a flash, the proprietors typically hold the palatial patio area for walk-ins \u2014\u00a0meaning everyone gets a shot at a seat on the double-wide sidewalk, where diners,\u00a0A-list and otherwise, tuck into oysters ($4-$4.50 each), red shrimp carpaccio ($22) and bright pink \u201cSicilian Sashimi\u201d ($20\/$38). <\/p>\n Mussels on toast with aioli, peppers, pickled carrots and more. @crevette_nyc\/Instagram<\/p>\n The double-wide sidewalk setting allows for a more expansive patio setup than is typical in Lower Manhattan. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n The relatively sprawling outdoor area offers far more than the usual al-fresco arrangement \u2014\u00a0a luxuriant-for-Lower Manhattan space with a lounge-y vibe, designed to feel more like Saint Tropez than Sixth Avenue, according to co-owner Patricia Howard.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted the outdoor patio to make guests feel like they\u2019re on holiday by the sea,\u201d Howard told The Post.<\/p>\n High but not dry<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed it to be something that really made it worth the trip and the experience for New Yorkers,\u201d said Bathhouse co-founder Jason Goodman. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post<\/p>\n In a city where skyscraper swimming holes can be barely bigger than a bird bath, the Bathhouse Williamsburg <\/a>has lavished bathers with a high-altitude pool that\u2019s nearly half a block long.<\/p>\n At 120 feet from end to end, the plus-size attraction is billed as NYC\u2019s largest rooftop swimming pool.<\/p>\n Cofounder Jason Goodman told The Post the plus-size piscina came about when loyal customers of the popular two-location spa<\/a>, already enamored with the existing \u201cimmersive\u201d indoor baths and other facilities, made clear their desire for an equally impressive outdoor space.<\/p>\n The pool measures a whopping 120 feet long, just 40 feet shy of its Olympic counterparts. Adrian Gaut<\/p>\n They weren\u2019t going to just put in a \u201clittle backyard pool,\u201d Goodman said of the aquatic add-on, which was completed in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed it to be something that really made it worth the trip and the experience for New Yorkers,\u201d he said of the sky-high splash zone, which was built in 11 sections and then craned onto the rooftop and welded in.<\/p>\n Accessing the behemoth basin, situated on an 11,000-square-foot deck with a bar, requires booking a day pass, which sells for as little as $35, or a pricier spa treatment. This grants clients first-come-first-serve admission to the space. Reserved lounge chairs start at $89, daybeds $175.<\/p>\n Visitors also have full access to all the indoor amenities, including thermal pools, saunas and steam rooms.<\/p>\n Back to the garden<\/p>\n The Elizabeth Street Garden barely dodged the bulldozer \u2014\u00a0and they\u2019ve been celebrating their new lease on life this summer. G.N. Miller\/New York Post<\/p>\n After nearly a 12-year back-and-forth battle between developers, city officials and stalwart supporters such as Robert De Niro<\/a>, Nolita\u2019s beloved Elizabeth Street Garden has been spared the wrecking ball.<\/a><\/p>\n The city walked back plans to erect senior housing on the 20,000-square-foot lot \u2014\u00a0and in light of escaping the jaws of urban renewal, the sculpture garden brought back its acclaimed outdoor film series for another sunny season.<\/p>\n Alas, this summer\u2019s al fresco movie marathon is coming to a close, but cinephiles can still catch Wes Anderson\u2019s offbeat NYC opus \u201cThe Royal Tenenbaums,\u201d on Wednesday, Aug. 20.<\/p>\n The popular downtown enclave brought back its summer movie nights, a series which will wrap up shortly. @elizabethstreetgarden\/instagram<\/p>\n It\u2019s first-come, first-served for outdoorsy film buffs.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has definitely been a general sense of celebration and joy during the programs and throughout the community with the Garden no longer under threat,\u201d Executive Director Joseph Reiver told The Post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get \u2019em while it\u2019s hot. 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