Outfit Details:

Christy Dawn Dress, Mark Cross Bag, Chloe Flats, Ray Ban Sunglasses

No trip to Manhattan is complete without visiting Central Park at least once. Something we’ve always wanted to do was takeout a rowboat out on The Lake in Central Park. To be honest, the sheer number of boats out on the water has stopped us before, but we decided to just go anyways. We wanted to break up all of the shows and events and meetings our schedule was packed with and do something fun on this particular Saturday. To rent a rowboat, head over to the Boathouse in the park, where it’s about $15 an hour to take a boat out on the water.

One of our favorite landmarks in Central Park is Bow Bridge. Typically it’s full of people stopping to take their pictures or wedding or engagement shoots, but sometimes you’ll get lucky and find the bridge empty. Being in the boat gave us a new perspective of the bridge, as you ride right under it on The Lake. Thomas rowed most of the way, but we eventually switched places so that I could try. After rowing the wrong way for a little bit (ha!) I eventually figured it out.

I’m so glad I packed for summer weather on this trip to NYC because it was a hot one. Add in the humidity and there was absolutely no way you would find me in fall clothes. One of my favorite dresses I packed was this linen Christy Dawn dress. I’ve talked about my love for this LA based designer here after discovering her collection and buying my first dress before our trip to Italy. Funny enough, the last time I wore one of her dresses on the blog, I was in a boat. I slipped on my comfiest ballet flats and grabbed my new Mark Cross bag (that is probably my favorite bag I’ve ever owned) to complete the look.

It was a hot day, especially in the middle of the lake in direct sun. Thomas had just finished reading Boys In The Boat so he was feeling inspired and was more than willing to row us for the two hours we were out there. In typical summer weather style, we got hit by a light rain shower, having to find sanctuary under the bridge. Once it cleared, we rowed out to the middle of the lake and another cloud moved overhead. Initially, we got the same light rain but seconds later the clouds unleashed their fury and we got caught, in the center of the lake, in a downpour. We spotted a large tree overhanging the lake not too far away, so we beelined it along with a few other boats. By the time we made it to the bank, we had beat the other boats and we got the prime, dry location under the tree. It was quite a romantic moment to get caught in the rain in a row boat in the middle of Central Park!

After being out on the lake, we took a walk through the park, stopping at Bow Bridge and then heading over to get gelato. It was actually so hot that our gelato melted instantly, we ended up drinking more of it than taking actual bites or licks. Hot and exhausted from a long day in the sun we jumped into an Uber, cranked the A/C and headed to the new Butcher’s Daughter location in West Village, where we had a delicious and refreshing dinner before heading back to the hotel.