Hey everyone,

August is usually one of my favorite times in NYC. Yes, it’s hot as hell and the streets all start to smell a little like pee, but it’s usually when people leave the city and the usual congestion we’re all accustomed to lightens up a little bit and allows the rest of us who haven’t abandoned the city for the Hamptons or Palm Springs or wherever can enjoy less waiting to get into restaurants or museums or whatever we want. Here’s a great piece from the Times from 2018 about NYC in August.

I’m not really a “vacation” kinda guy. You can ask my frustrated wife. While I’m not taking a vacation this August, I will be taking two weeks off from The Briefly. I’m scheduled for shoulder surgery this week to repair an old injury, so I’m making an effort to deliberately lighten my schedule for the few days leading up to the surgery. Right now I’m penciling a return to The Briefly on August 24 with a lightened schedule. I’ll be one-armed for a while so I’ll be sending out emails three times a week instead of five.

While this is happening, I’m interested in hearing from you. Have you picked up or rediscovered a hobby? Found solace in a park? It doesn’t matter how mundane or small it may be, I’d love to hear it.

Write soon, Rob