From rooftop rituals to spontaneous garden dinners, here’s everything we are loving, bookmarking, and sipping our way through this May in NYC.
Think cinematic sunlight, crisp linens, and places that make you linger longer than planned.
This month, BKLS Bookmarks returns with that same energy—refined, reflective, and softly celebratory. A collective curation of what we are loving, using, sipping, and wandering toward in New York City. Think linen bags, ferry-day playlists, and tables that transport you to the South of France.
A monthly curation of what we are loving, using, sipping, and wandering toward in New York City.
We continue our reimagined Editor’s Note—now known as BKLS Bookmarks. It is thoughtful. Cinematic. Unmistakably New York.
May in NYC is a Soft Launch into Summer.
There is a warmth in the air now—just enough to stay out longer, walk a little slower, and say yes to last-minute plans. It is the season of in-betweens: sweaters in the morning, sandals by noon, and golden hours that stretch into night. The city is beginning to shimmer again.
May invites us to pay attention to sidewalk shadows, to market flowers, to the way the city exhales before summer’s rush. This is when spontaneity feels like a strategy, and small indulgences feel deserved.
Here is what the BKLS team is bookmarking this month: rooftop rituals, French tableware, the book everyone’s quietly obsessed with, and beauty that refreshes you mid-subway ride.
☁️ May Weather Notes
Average Temps: Highs of 67–75°F [19–24°C], Lows of 54–61°F [12–16°C].
May brings longer days and warmer breezes. Expect crisp mornings, golden afternoons, and the occasional spring rain. It is officially light-jacket season—linen layers, cotton shirting, and shoes that can handle a surprise downpour. Keep sunglasses and a scarf in your tote—you will likely need both.
📍 Place We Are Visiting
Côte À Coast – Nolita
Some boutiques feel transactional. Côte À Coast feels like travel.
Born as a pop-up and now a quietly permanent part of the neighborhood, this French-inspired boutique blends the relaxed elegance of Marseille with the everyday ease of Nolita. Inside, you will find airy linens, South of France ceramics, and scented soaps that smell like summer afternoons by the sea.
It is the kind of store that makes you want to linger. That turns gift shopping into a little ritual. That reminds you beauty doesn’t have to be complicated—it can be tactile, thoughtful, and slow.
We stopped in looking for a Mother’s Day gift and left with a few too many things we might not actually give away. If you are unsure what to get, their curated Mother’s Day picks are charming and foolproof.
💼 Things We Are Buying
Large Tote from Dragon Diffusion
May is about momentum—rooftop afternoons, flower markets, and last-minute escapes. This handwoven leather tote from Dragon Diffusion is the piece we are reaching for most. Understated but intentional, it holds everything without feeling bulky: a good book, sunglasses, your favorite lip balm, and maybe a scarf for that evening breeze.
It is the kind of bag that becomes part of your rhythm—thrown over the shoulder on the way to brunch, tucked under the table at a sidewalk café, resting at your feet on the ferry.
Honorable mention? Dragon Diffusion’s woven leather flats are equally timeless and packable for weekends upstate or just wandering through Fort Greene.
📖 What We Are Reading
“What I Loved” by Siri Hustvedt.
This book is messy, magnetic, and beautifully undone. It captures New York in all its chaos and charm, where falling in love feels like free-fall and healing is more collision than clarity.
It is about art, addiction, and the ache of wanting to be seen—but underneath it all, it is a story about becoming. We suggest reading it late at night, when the city is quiet but your mind is not, or on a solo weekend afternoon with a martini and no agenda.
It is not an easy read. But it is unforgettable. And you will underline more than you expect.
🎧 What We Are Listening To
BKLS May Playlist: “Late Light”
May is not quite summer, but it is no longer spring. It is the season of late light—of golden hour ferry rides, post-dinner walks without a jacket, and the kind of evenings that stretch long past plans. This playlist was made for all of it.
Think: French indie-pop, soft house, warm-weather classics, and breezy tracks that shimmer with just enough nostalgia.
We have saved it to Spotify under BKLS Playlists, and trust us—this is the one you will return to for rooftop resets, solo strolls, or the next time you need music that feels like a scene from a film you once imagined yourself in.
The “Late Light” BKLS Playlist
A sun-warmed blend of French indie, soft house, and dreamy classics—made for golden hour walks, rooftop resets, and ferry rides at dusk.
Available on Apple Music and Spotify.
- “L’été Indien” – Joe Dassin
A retro French classic that feels like early May—slow, golden, and sentimental. - “Canopée” – Polo & Pan
Bright and transportive—like a breeze off the Mediterranean, but in Bushwick. - “Sunset Lover” – Petit Biscuit
All haze and memory—made for ferry rides and late golden-hour walks. - “Only You” (Yazoo cover) – Theophilus London ft. Tame Impala
Velvety and hypnotic—a rooftop cocktail in song form. - “Lose It” – Oh Wonder
Soft, steady, and sweetly unhurried—wonderful for early evening wanderings. - “Light On” – Maggie Rogers
Hopeful and open-hearted—the sound of rediscovering yourself in motion. - “Le temps est bon” – Isabelle Pierre
Breezy and flirtatious—like a vintage Paris postcard reimagined in the West Village. - “Feel It All Around” – Washed Out
Dreamy and ambient—a city lullaby for warm-weather nights. - Écoute Chérie” – Vendredi sur Mer
Low-lit, magnetic, and made for those not-quite-midnight moods. - “Strawberry Letter 23” – The Brothers Johnson
Disco soul with shimmer—ends the mix on a lush, late-spring high.
💄 Beauty Pick of the Month
Caudalie Beauty Elixir
We have misted our way through a dozen facial sprays—some too floral, some too sticky—but this one remains a classic. Under $50, spa-scented, and instantly refreshing, it is the midday pick-me-up we reach for on repeat.
Especially useful on humid subway days or during long writing sessions when we need a moment of calm. Bonus: It sets makeup with a soft glow and makes even a Tuesday feel like a vineyard morning in Bordeaux. We stash one in our tote and another in the fridge.
🔗 Shop the Caudalie Beauty Elixir
🍽️ Where We Are Dining
Maison Premiere
📍298 Bedford Avenue—Williamsburg
An oyster and absinthe bar with a Parisian garden vibe, a beautiful place for brunch or cocktails.
Still the best absinthe-and-oyster moment in the city. Go for a long brunch or linger into cocktail hour. Sit in the garden, pretend you are in Paris, and do not skip the martinis.
There is an ease to it all—low lighting, wonderful pacing, and oysters that feel like ceremony. It is the kind of place that never rushes you. We have returned more times than we can count, and each visit still feels like a quiet revelation. Maison Premiere is not just where we are dining this month. It is where we are reminded why New York romance always finds its way to the table.
🍷 What We Are Sipping
Baba Cool
The Baba Martini at Baba Cool | 📍33 Lafayette Avenue—Fort Greene
Fat-washed gin, stonefruit, lavender, sage, and Aixa dry—it reads like a garden dream and sips like one too. The Baba Martini is unexpected in all the right ways: herbaceous, floral, and softly complex, with a finish that lingers just long enough to feel like a secret.
It is the kind of cocktail you order once on a whim and never stop thinking about. Best enjoyed as the sun fades, with something shareable on the table and no reason to rush.
🎵 Vibe of the Month
Your Favorite Dress on an Unplanned Day Out
No reservations. No agenda. Just a sunny stretch of city and the right pair of shoes.
It starts with a text: “You around?”
Next thing you know, you are three neighborhoods away, seated curbside with sunglasses slipping down your nose and a cocktail you did not plan for. The breeze is soft, your dress fits just right, and nothing feels urgent.
This month’s mood: spontaneous joy, almond blossom spritzes, and the slow unraveling of routines in favor of whatever the day becomes.
🚊 Bookmark This
The Ultimate Guide to Summer in NYC [Coming May 12]
Because ferry rides, rooftop hours, and Fourth of July plans do not plan themselves. Our Summer Guide is your curated companion for the city’s sunniest season—packed with fresh discoveries, old favorites, and everything you didn’t know you needed.
May in NYC
This is the month when the city tips toward summer.
Evenings stretch. Plans loosen. And suddenly you are saying yes to more. More daylight, more outdoor dinners, more slow walks home with a cone in hand.
Whether you are slipping into a linen dress for an impromptu happy hour or finally visiting that garden you bookmarked in March, May is about momentum and soft indulgence.
We will be back next month with more favorites, rituals, and places worth pausing for.
Until then—
Follow what feels bright. Chase the light. And remember: New York always finds new ways to surprise you.
— The BKLS Team
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