Summer Bucket List: Outside Shakespeare!

Happy June, friends! June is a big month for my family. My older sister and her family are moving back to New York, my younger sister is moving into my building, and today marks the official first day of my mom's retirement. Yay for good things!

If I were more of a "normal" person, I would make to-do lists of things I didn't want to do but had to, and I would not have to remind myself to have fun. However, I somehow lost that lesson along the way, and so sometimes need to remind myself to work a little less and play a little more. The summer is an especially important time to do this, when the weather is (theoretically) good and free things to do abound. And so I present to you the first post in this series: the Summer Bucket List.

The list!

As you can see, my list really runs the gamut. The only thing all of the items on the list have in common is that they take place outside. As you can see, so far I have crossed two things off the list. So I am off to a good start!

One of my favorite New York summer traditions is Shakespeare in the Park. Every summer, the Public Theater puts on two productions, at least one of which is Shakespeare, in Central Park. The tickets are free, but you have to wait in line to get them, sometimes starting early in the morning. Then, at 12:30, everyone in line can have up to two tickets. I've waited many times, and it's a fun part of the experience, but this summer I'm teaching in the mornings, so I didn't think I would be able to see a play unless someone decided to share their tickets with me.

To be or not to be-- that is the question.

In a stroke of bad/ good luck, I had to go to the dentist on Thursday. I needed a crown, which was very painful both physically and financially. As I walked back home through the park in the 80-something percent humidity, I was busy feeling sorry for myself when I saw that Shakespeare in the Park had begun for the season, but the sold out sign wasn't up yet. Telling myself that there was no way there were still tickets, since it was already 3:30, I went up the box office and.... lucky Rachel! Hurrah! Another kind soul go me two more, so I got to see the Tempest with my sister Sarah and my friends Sarah and Avi. I have to say, the Tempest is super weird and also really racist, but the acting was great and the experience was so much fun that I didn't even care.

One thing to know about Shakespeare in the Park is that, because it starts as the sun goes down and is right next to a pond, there is a high mosquito risk. However, it was also very hot. So I wore cropped khakis and a super lightweight tunic to try to get coverage without melting to death. And it worked! I am still in my non-melted state, and bug bite free. Yay!

The stage, with Belvedere Castle in the background

Romeo and Juliet

What's on your summer bucket list?

What I'm wearing: GAP Factory tunic (similar here), Downeast Basics cami, GAP khakis, H&M head wrap, Bare Traps sandals (similar here)