Sunscreen, books, and a coal oven the size of an apartment

(and the most New York night ever)

Hi friends, and happy Friday, the first official Friday of summer.

The last couple of weeks have been in the heavier content area. We talked about anticipating Sammy’s bar mitzvah, I recapped the weekend (so much JOY), and then about the Knicks reinvigorating my love for New York City, a place where, over the last couple of years, I have sometimes felt like I didn’t belong. A feeling which, if I’m being honest, the NYC election results pulled back towards. But still: I love you, Jalen Brunson, and I loved watching Yaxel Lendeborg get drafted by the Warriors. Have you seen the videos with his mom, who is living with stage 4 cancer and who he credits for everything? Sports don’t heal everything, but they heal a lot.

So this week, on a lighter note, some things I’m looking forward to this summer. But first, can I tell you about the most New York night I’ve had in a long time?!

Last summer, our pizza chef, Nino Coniglio, opened a restaurant in Bushwick called Lucky Charlie. Old school in the coolest way, with an apartment-sized coal oven in the basement, and the food is exactly as delicious as I knew it would be. When Nino toured us around, and we ended up hanging out in the backyard with off-menu desserts and the Lambrusco he made, it felt like one of those New York City nights that’s literally a movie. We brought our friends who are moving out of town, and their eyes got big. “Are you sure you still want to move?” we asked them. Sadly for us, they do. They do.

Nino also has two locations in Jersey if that’s closer to you: Coniglio’s in Morristown and the just-opened King of Pies, as they say, down the shore!

Okay. Summer things.

STUFF

Marysia bathing suit. A friend handed this down to me a few years ago and it’s been my most-reached-for ever since. I might even get a second one in the black/navy combo. So chic, right??

Ray-Bans. Chunky in exactly the right way. Also on sale right now. Should I buy a second pair in case I lose the first? (Who, me?!)

This Doen dress is a huge splurge, but wouldn’t it look amazing with those chunky Jackie-O-esque sunglasses above? And given how often I wear the one other Doen dress I own, this might actually work out, cost-per-wear.

Vacation sunscreen. By far the best-smelling sunscreen I’ve found. When I brought it out at the pool last week, my friends were spraying it around like perfume.

A bag to tote it all around in. Only wish I’d gotten the limited-edition Knicks colorway like Queen Marisha. Oh, and for it ALL, the all-time best Hulken that people stop me on the street about whenever I’m rolling it around.

BOOKS

Last night, The Spark Society held our first official book club to discuss Strangers. Rainy night, so I lured everyone there with pizza and a dress code of sweats. (Again.)

Separately, the other week, after a delicious dinner with a friend (3 pastas for 2 people, so what?!), I left with a long reading list. Here’s what’s on it:

The Science of Scaling. This friend is a brilliant businesswoman who just closed a big deal, and you know I love a good business book. I read the first few chapters and was like, wait, is this book talking directly to me?!

Retreat by Krysten Ritter. Thriller about identity and obsession from the actress-turned-bestselling-author. My friend said to read this one first because I’d fly through it.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige. They say if you loved God of the Woods, you’ll love this one. I loved God of the Woods.

Theo of Golden. The Spark chat raved about this one. A few people said it was the best book they’d ever read, and some others said it’s better read in peace and quiet … or on vacation. Noted.

And lastly, The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza. Preordering this one because it’s our August Spark book club pick, and Jo is joining us (!!!) So fun when we get the author to join!

THINGS TO SEE/DO

I was on Governor’s Island for the Great Nosh last weekend, and it reminded me how much I love it there. Dream day: QC Spa, then glamping at Collective Retreats. And if you really want to go all out, book an outdoor Misipasta dinner on the island too.

Heading to Colorado in a few weeks to drop the kids at Nana Camp, and my MIL wants to take us to Royal Gorge. Should we walk over America’s Highest Suspension Bridge?!

Have a lazy lakeside reunion with your mom friends, like I’m doing right now. The best. (See opening photo from where I’m sending this!)

The only thing I'd add to all of this: actually unplug while you're doing it.

Something I always think about when summer rolls around is time off. Or Time Off.

I wrote a longer essay a while back about lowercase ooo vs. UPPER CASE OOO, where you block off your calendar all the way and take a real brain break. So many of my clients and entrepreneur friends aren’t great at the latter. The mistake I see most often: not clearly deciding which mode you’re actually in, and not taking enough of it to actually recharge. So if I can leave you with anything today: take the real OOO. You’ll feel so much better on the other end.

Two more books on or adjacent to this topic that I recommend to coaching clients all the time: Burnout and Buy Back Your Time.

Have a great weekend. I hope it’s an all-caps OOO, potentially near a body of water.

xx,

Leah

PS. A few links in here are affiliate links. As always, everything I recommend is something I'd tell you about anyway.