An hour away from NYC, there lies a summer camp on a pristine lake which was abandoned 15 years ago. I cant tell you where this is, but some research can lead you to the right place.

Why not 

Most of the food here is meant to be eaten family-style with everyone sharing all the dishes on the table. Most of these dishes are best when accompanied by rice: Northern and Northeastern Thai dishes with sticky rice, Central and Southern Thai with jasmine rice. In Thailand, only a spoon and fork are used: the spoon to eat with and the fork to push food onto the spoon. We encourage you to try this method as it is the easiest way to eat many of these dishes. Some things are traditionally eaten with the hands such as grilled meat and sticky rice. Please ask your server for guidance if you wish. Chopsticks are normally used only when eating noodles, Vietnamese or Chinese food (they will be supplied if appropriate with a certain dish), however chopsticks are available upon request.

My second-favorite outdoor-place in Manhattan. The abandoned 1.6 km rail tracks running above Chelsea down to the Meatpacking district were turned into an above-ground park. Perfectly nice place for sitting in the sun, reading, relaxing, having lunch in some green spot in the city. Nice views at the Hudson River, New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty (little small from there but still visible) and the architecture around Chelsea.

“We wanted to create a place where people felt at home, somewhere that people came back to often and the quality of the food shone.” – Rose Carrarini. Rose Bakery was created by Rose Carrarini and her husband Jean Charles. Great place to sit and chat with a friend, definitely try their scone with butter + jam and stroll around Dover Street Market afterwards.