We were so excited to check out Little Island on New York City’s west side! What once was Pier 54 has been transformed into a spectacular bouquet of greenery, the beauty of the surrounds for both the near and far sighted via comprehensive plantings and rolling green spaces and vistas of the water and up and down the city. Tickets are required from noon on, but prior you can pop by and if it’s not too busy, grab a table and a coffee or avocado toast (or wine, craft beer, fresh farm veggies or smoked gouda mac & cheese in the evenings), bring a book or a picnic blanket and enjoy. For music lovers, there’s the Amph, certainly a memorable place for concerts, as it boasts a stadium seating for 684 people. A big thank you to Barry Diller of the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation and the Hudson River Park Trust for even more to love in New York. Littleisland.org.