Picnic In The Park
PHOTOGRAPHER Ayasha Guerin
AUTHOR Zoë Schlanger
How often in the depths of winter did you have visions of the summer ahead? Of being out on a blanket in the park, sipping wine and wearing less than (gasp!) the countless layers of winter gear you were wearing at the time? It was high time for that fantasy to become sweet, sweet reality for the Bright Young Things.
The Great Lawn in Central Park is an oasis away from the scorching sidewalk and the dripping air conditioners and the smells that are induced to new levels of pungency in the heat. In fact, the difference in temperature is immediately felt upon stepping onto the grass (barefoot, of course!), a welcome relief from the high-nighties days that have recently plunged NYC into a state of perpetual perspiration. Cue “Summertime Clothes” by Animal Collective. Or perhaps some Spike Lee flick full of open fire hydrants and steaming man holes. That is NYC right now. So we headed to the park.
The picnic, as an institution, inhabits the same storybook sophistication in our collective imagination as a tea party did when we were five. Festive, colorful and quaint are the words that might best describe the imagery conjured by a picnic proposition, a concept far removed from the daily grind of summertime schlepping. It’s a different way to treat the weather, and so much more delightful. Go find yourself a spot and get to it, before those layers start sneaking their way into your wardrobe again.
