I know summer isn’t officially over until September 22, and unofficially after Labor Day, yet the grief of this summer wrapping up is taking a little more of a toll on me than any other year for the first time in a while.
Things I did this summer that made it a summer to remember
I did my first Hyrox race ever – women’s open doubles with a dear friend from California, and we finished in 2 hours and 9 minutes
I hosted four friends who were visiting the city (including my Hyrox partner), and we got to
visit
the Guggenheim (first time)
the American Natural History Museum (first time since moving back to the east coast)
the Museum of Sex (first time)
the Museum of Ice Cream (first time at the NYC location)
the Seaglass Carousel (first time)
stroll around Central Park and take in NYC
go to the Salvage City Supper Club at Paradise Club
eat a bunch of crab roe noodles from Xie Bao (both in Manhattan and Flushing)
had dinner and dessert at the Louis Vuitton Cafe
see Moulin Rouge
visit a bunch of really cool bars and eateries around the city (including Pick & Cheese, Rice to Riches, KazuNori, and the Pickle Guys)
attended my first FGC regional event (D.I.Y 2026 @ OS NYC)
visited the Color Factory
seen the city come together during the NBA Finals
I would see places around Astoria stay open past operating hours and they would put on their TVs to the game, and pockets of crowds would gather in front of these places and you could hear cheering throughout the streets
My sister and I went to a local LGBTQ+ bar to watch game 5 and the whole venue was locked in to those TVs and when they won…oh my gosh, it was just magical. Everyone was just hugging and crying tears of joy, and the city felt SO ALIVE
World Cup energy throughout the city (did not get a chance to go to watch parties but did catch games on the TV at various places)
saw Death Becomes Her right before it closed
Evo 2026 – I really could write a whole post about my experience this year. I got to do more this year, learned SO much about event operations, and got to meet and work with really, really cool people on our staff as well as vendors, exhibitors, and attendees
got to visit Meow Wolf and roam around Area 15
signed up and competed in a few local Tekken 8 tournaments, including one where the commentators were all comedians (that was during the fires in Canada and when I left the venue the air quality was 255)
met a lot of cool people from the NYC FGC scene
block parties and street fairs
I did the Missed Connections photobooth
cooked and baked for myself for pleasure for the first time in forever
visited the Morgan Library to see the Tarot! Renaissance Systems, Modern Visions exhibit
visited the Park Avenue Armory to see clinamen right before it closed
did my first loops/chains series since the beginning of the year; surprisingly my body adapted to the chains quicker than I expected
went on my first speed-dating event via Shuffle Dating thanks to my best friends, and had them involved throughout the process (being there when I signed up, helping me pick an outfit, texting in between dates, event post-mortem). Having them involved really made the experience. It also helped that the venue that it was at also had a really great cocktail menu
did my first Hyrox solo race simulation
picked up embroidery and attended my first craft night at my favorite coffee shop
received the game that my friends created! (P.S. you should check out Overgrown if you like board games!)
attended Anime NYC for the first time since 2021
And now, I’m getting ready to drive down to Washington, D.C. to compete in said solo Hyrox race, as well as visit friends in that area. This is the big bow to wrap this gift of a season.
