Summer in the City with Barbara McLaughlin

New York is so full of fresh energy and creativity, there’s no other place our style muse and girl-about-town would rather be!
 

After so many months of hunkering down and hibernating at home, I think I can speak for my fellow New Yorkers when I say I feel like we’ve been set free! Unfettered and untethered, we’re happily exploring the city, reconnecting with friends and neighbors and savoring new outdoor experiences. Here are some of the things I’m loving this summer—and what I’m wearing, of course!
 

I grew up in a leafy suburban neighborhood in Minnesota, so I have fond memories of long summer afternoons spent reading in a lawn chair. Designed by award-winning set designer Mimi Lien, The Green at Lincoln Center is covered with 14,000 sq. ft. of recyclable, biobased grass-like material that looks and feels like summer.
 

When Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was dreaming up her installation for the New York Botanical Garden, she could never have imagined that her zany, colorful sculptures would reflect the zeitgeist of this summer, but that’s exactly what happened! It’s so inventive and inspiring, Kevin and I are already planning a second visit this fall.
 

Kevin and I love visiting The Shed, where there’s always something happening inside the dazzling Bloomberg Building. All summer long, The Shed is offering free tickets for Open Call, a performance series and exhibition of fresh work by early career New York artists. From there, we stroll along the High Line to Little Island, a magical new park on the site of the historic Pier 54.
 

A haunting counterpoint to all the summer sun and fun, artist Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest in Madison Square Park is a moving reminder of the importance of nature—and how lucky we are to live in such a dynamic, thriving city!
   

Later this summer when the rosy pink begonias are in full bloom on Park Avenue, they’ll provide a lovely backdrop for the installation of nine kinetic sculptures by the late George Rickey, one of the most inventive sculptors of the 20th century. The sculptures, which will be on view between 52nd and 56th Street through mid-November, are presented by the Sculpture Advisory Committee of The Fund for Park Avenue, NYC Parks and Kasmin.