You lucky so-and-so! Your office gives you half-days every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day! Or, like those of us here at Flavorpill Media, every other Friday. You owe it to the folks still slaving away at five on a Friday to make the most of your holiday, and these tips — brought to you by Starbucks, your summer starting point for all day refreshment — will help you do just that. Not a lucky so-and-so? You can still get your morning going with Iced Coffee, relax at lunch with an Iced Tea, and recharge your afternoon with a Starbucks Refreshers™ beverage.
1. Toss the glossies. Amp up your beach reading list with suggestions from Flavorwire’s Books section. We’ve got recommendations for highbrow yet poolside-appropriate lit, brand new must-reads for August, and seafaring books for a swashbuckling summer. They should keep you busy all day and all summer.
2. Find or make a large body of water. You can’t have “beach reads” without, well, a beach. But we’re awarding extra point for creativity here. If you’re not within bike/car/train distance from an ocean or a lake, build your own Slip ‘n Slide. Rig up a DIY dumpster pool. Invest in some “children’s” water sprinklers (seriously, how fun do these look?). Instant refreshment!
3. Catch a flick and some fireflies. Sure, go and beat the heat inside an air conditioned movie theater, but come sundown, head back outside for an al fresco film screening. There are tons of outdoor movie screenings all summer long, depending on where you live. In NYC, you can choose among flicks from series including Rooftop Films, SummerScreen, and more. Chicago’s Movies in the Park lineup features classics like Spaceballs and The Birds, and in San Francisco (and Marin), Film Night in the Park shows movies for free through September.
4. Get creative on the grill. Go beyond the burger! After you and your friends have ditched work, fire up the grill and throw down on some… Romaine? Yes. Clams? Definitely. Oysters? Watermelon? You betcha. You’re good to go, grillmaster.
5. Learn something new. You’re probably more inclined to hit the pool, but may we remind you: museums are air-conditioned! Sometimes the weekend tourist influx deters us from hitting a local art or science museum; this is the perfect opportunity to beat the crowds and get some honest-to-goodness culture at the same time. If you’re in NYC, LA, or SF, Flavorpill editors have tons of recommendations for you!