June in NYC is when the city exhales—slower mornings, longer nights, and a thousand reasons to say yes.
Think raffia slides, rooftop skewers, and golden-hour playlists that shimmer like memory.
We are leaning into ease this month—the kind that begins with a ferry ride, lingers over a shared mezze plate, and ends under city lights that feel softer than usual. June arrives with longer nights, sun-warmed shoulders, and the return of rooftop everything. Pride parades, lawn parties, spontaneous Fridays that spill into Saturdays—it is the season of saying yes.
This month also holds space for reverence. How to Celebrate Juneteenth in NYC is our editorial guide to 11 powerful events across the city—each one rooted in Black culture, freedom, and joy.
A monthly curation of what we are loving, using, sipping, and wandering toward in New York City.
Here is what the BKLS team is bookmarking as summer truly begins.
June in NYC is a Surrender to the Season.
Our city no longer teeters between temperatures—it leans fully into warmth. The breeze is softer, the light stretches longer, and iced drinks have become their own kind of love language. It is the month of rooftop everything, ferry escapes, and spontaneous indulgence.
June in NYC invites us to shed structure and follow what feels good. It is late-night walks in linen, unplanned patio martinis, and the joy of finding shade under something leafy and old. The pulse of the city shifts—and suddenly, you are moving slower, staying later, and saying yes to the extra.
Here is what the BKLS team is bookmarking this month: jazz-age revelry, beauty that glows with purpose, raffia shoes that go everywhere, and a playlist designed to make time feel suspended.
☁️ June in NYC Weather Notes
Average Temps: Highs of 76–84°F [24–29°C], Lows of 62–68°F [17–20°C].
Expect sun-drenched days and soft, warm nights. It is peak linen, SPF, and tinted sunglasses season. A raffia hat will not feel out of place, and a mini fan is more of a necessity than a luxury. Think breezy layers, open shoes, and a tote that can handle a spontaneous detour.
📍 Place We Are Visiting
The Jazz Age Lawn Party – Governors Island
Some gatherings feel festive. This one feels like time travel.
Each June, the sunlit lawns of Governors Island become a portal to another era—where jazz spills from gramophones, linen suits meet feathered fascinators, and champagne flows like it is 1924. The Jazz Age Lawn Party is New York nostalgia at its most romantic: a swing-filled celebration where the past feels palpable and parasols are as essential as SPF.
Come for the picnic glamour. Stay for the charm that lingers long after the music fades. No RSVP needed—just a chilled bottle of rosé, your breeziest white dress, and a willingness to be swept away.
🔗 Get tickets to the Jazz Age Lawn Party
💼 Things We Are Buying
Hudson Natural Raffia Platform Sandals by Loeffler Randall
The shoes that carry you into summer—literally and energetically.
Woven from natural raffia and set on a sculptural platform, these slides are breezy but intentional. They slip on easily, dress up effortlessly, and pair with just about everything you already love to wear. From city sidewalks to garden brunches, they are the sandals you will reach for without thinking—and miss when you forget.
We love them with wide-leg cotton, strappy linen, or anything that calls for ease with a little lift.
🔗 Shop the Hudson Raffia Platform Sandals
📖 What We Are Reading
“The Summer Book” by Tove Jansson.
A quiet masterpiece that shimmers with memory and meaning.
Set on a remote Finnish island, this slender novel drifts through the days of a grandmother and her granddaughter, capturing small rituals, silent griefs, and the kind of closeness that only unfolds with time. Nothing dramatic happens. And yet, somehow, everything does.
It is the kind of book that invites you to slow down. To notice things. To remember the weight of sunlight and the stillness of being understood without words.
Best read barefoot, on a shaded stoop, with something cold in hand and nowhere to be.
🎧 What We Are Listening To
BKLS June Playlist: “The Golden Hour”
That sliver of time when the light softens, the city exhales, and everything feels a little more possible—that is the space this playlist lives in.
Golden Hour is a blend of warm vocals, retro soul, soft indie, and shimmering low-tempo tracks that glow just as much as they groove. It is for ferry rides with the wind in your hair, rooftop moments that stretch too long to end, and those gorgeous in-between hours where nothing is rushed and everything feels like a scene from a film you did not know you were in.
We have saved it to Spotify under BKLS Playlists, and trust us—this is the one to return to for sun-drenched ferry rides, slow rooftop evenings, and walks that feel like chapters in a summer novel.
The “Golden Hour” BKLS Playlist
A blend of dreamy soul, warm indie, and retro shimmer—made for soft transitions: day into night, spring into summer, plans into memories.
Available on Apple Music and Spotify.
- “Golden Hour” – Kacey Musgraves
An obvious start—but the warmth, glow, and softness of this track capture everything we love about June’s slow unraveling. - “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” – Lauryn Hill
Sultry, nostalgic, and a beautiful option for open-window drives or stolen glances across rooftop tables. - “Electric Feel” – MGMT
A synth-pop buzz of energy—fizzy and flirtatious, like the first cocktail of the night. - “Come and Get Your Love” – Redbone
Feel-good groove with a timeless hook—ideal for a laid-back summer party or a solo dance break. - “Call It Fate, Call It Karma” – The Strokes
Moody and mellow with vintage undertones—this one feels like dusk on a Sunday. - “Sundress” – A$AP Rocky
Smooth, stylish, and flirtatiously confident—made for walking into a room and turning heads. - “Midnight Sun” – Nilüfer Yanya
Unexpected and hypnotic—just the right balance of shadow and light. - “Overtime” – KNOWER
Funky, fast-paced, and slightly offbeat—adds energy without breaking the vibe. - “Rock With You” – Michael Jackson
Soft disco magic glides into the mix with velvet and ease. Always welcome. - “Levitating” – Dua Lipa
Modern sparkle and summer movement—like catching the breeze at just the right moment.
🔗 [Listen on Spotify] | [Listen on Apple Music]
💄 Beauty Pick of the Month
Supergoop! Glow Stick SPF 50
A dewy finish. A silky glide. And the kind of sun protection that feels like skincare, not sunscreen.
This is the SPF we keep coming back to—because it delivers glow without grease, slides effortlessly over makeup, and tucks into every bag we carry. It is our secret weapon for radiant touch-ups between subway stops, spritzes, or rooftop martinis.
Glides on like a serum. Wears like a soft-focus filter. Protects like it means it.
🍽️ Where We Are Dining
Rule of Thirds
📍 171 Banker Street | Courtyard + Indoor Dining—Greenpoint
This is what outdoor dining should feel like: intimate, intentional, and just a little bit cinematic.
Tucked into a quiet pocket of Greenpoint, Rule of Thirds brings together Japanese flavor sensibilities and Brooklyn aesthetics—think grilled maitake mushrooms, sweet potato slicked with miso butter, and artful sashimi that arrives like sculpture. The ceramic sake cups are beautiful enough to pause for. The house-made milk bread? A quiet revelation.
The courtyard is where it all comes together: string lights overhead, woodgrain underfoot, and a soft, stylish hum that builds with each pour and plate. It is a place that invites you to stay a little longer, speak a little softer, and savor everything slowly.
🍷 What We Are Sipping
Breva
Spicy Paloma at Breva| 📍3145 Brighton 4th Street—Brighton Beach
This is not your average Paloma—it is a bold, beach-adjacent mood with just enough heat to keep things interesting. Breva’s take combines mezcalum mezcal, fresh lime, grapefruit, agave, fire tincture, and grapefruit soda for a citrusy sip with a smoky edge and a slow-building warmth that lingers like the best kind of sunset.
It is the drink we will be reaching for on Summer Fridays—because every Friday through August, we will be at La Plage de Brighton from 12 to 7 PM, soaking up coastal city vibes with live music from 4 to 6 PM. Come for the cocktail, stay for the rhythm, and let the week fall away.
🎵 Vibe of the Month
Cold Wine, Bare Shoulders, and Nowhere You Are Rushing to
It starts with a slow morning. Maybe a message from a friend. Then suddenly it is three hours later and you are lounging on a picnic blanket with cold strawberries and no plans to leave.
June’s mood is warm skin, big sunglasses, and a city that feels like it is unfolding just for you. This is the month to stretch time—to walk slower, stay later, and linger wherever the light feels right.
🚊 Bookmark This
The Ultimate Guide to Summer in NYC [Coming May 12]
Rooftop martinis. Ferry escapes. Film nights under the stars. This is your curated companion to the city’s sunniest season—designed for long days, late dinners, and the kind of plans that do not always look like plans.
Expect weekly updates. Expect the unexpected.
🔗 Our Summer Guide is live—read it now and plan your season with intention.
May in NYC
This is the month when summer finally lands.
The streets are softer. The nights, longer. And the days—wide open.
Maybe you are wandering into an outdoor jazz set. Or maybe you are walking home with sand on your feet. Whatever it looks like, this month is yours to stretch.
We will be back next month with more favorites, rituals, and places worth pausing for.
Until then—
Wear the linen. Drink the rosé. Chase the light.
— The BKLS Team
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