A Quick Glance Back At Our Summer 2015

1. A day spent at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

It’s hard to believe that summer has flown by so fast. They say time flies when you’re having fun – they’re not kidding! This summer sure was delightfully fun and very eventful to say the least. It was so pleasurable {probably because I intended for it to be so} that for the first time, I actually feel sad that it ended so quickly. We explored new places, spent more time outdoors, ate at new (to us) restaurants that are now some of our favorite spots – made a few new connections, and savored many dinners al fresco on our terrace. What I’m most grateful for are the fond memories created that I know we’ll reminisce about for a long time to come, despite battling this unexpected horrid flu that sprung up on me since our return from vacation this week. I’m hoping reliving our summer through a recap of a few photos will help me feel better.

2. An incredibly memorable pre-anniversary broadway show.

3. Time well spent in the outdoors picnicking in Central Park.

4. Summer jazz on the lawn at the mansion.

 5. Relished many breezy summer afternoons at side walk cafes. 

6. Enjoyed moments like carefree spontaneous al fresco intimate summer dinners out on the terrace.

7. Rounded out the season with an end of summer vacation aboard Carnival Splendor to New England + Canada. Making stops in:

An incredible shot the hubby captured right from our stateroom as we sailed away from Manhattan at dusk.

Boston, MA – where we strolled the streets and explored South Boston, a part of the city that we hadn’t ventured around in during our past visits. We dined on some oysters and sipped some wine at one of downtown’s favorite seafood/oyster bar spots called Row34.  

Portland, Maine – story related: “has 65 historical lighthouses still standing and spread out along 5,000 miles of coastline, inlets and islands, Maine is commonly referred to as The Lighthouse State. These lighthouses have acted as beacons of light for sailors for hundreds of years, guiding sailors and fishermen safely into harbors along the rocky Maine coastline. Today, lighthouses are an important part of Maine’s history.”

Halifax, NS, Canada: this small town with a population of 400,000 is mainly a university town that is famous for having the most bars and pubs per capita in North America, but is also home to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic where some of the most significant artifacts and records to Titanic can be found. It is one interesting museum and I would say, a must-visit. Most things to do and see are in their downtown area, which are all reachable on foot. It’s a very friendly city as we always have found with all of Canada. It was unusually hot at this time of year (September) with temperatures ranging to 80 degrees+  which we were told was 10 degrees higher than usual. This of course blew me right into Sugah (similar to cold stone here in the states) to grab an ice cream cone.

Saint John New Brunswick, Canada: population of 75,000 and yet is considered the largest city in New Brunswick, it’s also known as the Fundy City due to its location on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, as well as being the only city on the bay and home to the world highest tides up to 50 feet high. 

One of the main attractions to visit is the famous Reversing Falls Rapids, where the Bay of Fundy forces the St. John River to reverse direction and flow upstream. An attraction that you may or may not get to experience depending on the time of day you visit as it only happens during high tide or low tide over a 6 hour period. And as you can see, we missed it. 🙁 When there – visit Fallsview Park, it is said to be the best vantage point to see the rapids.

Another pride and joy of the Canadian people in Halifax, is their city market – being the oldest farmer’s market dating back to 1876…

Interestingly, not only do they sell poutine fries, but  their McDonald’s golden M has a maple leaf in the center.

8.  …and finally, this book was one of my favorite summer reads.

How about you – what are you grateful for this past summer?