Now presenting the second half of the Circle Back ABC’s1 in the style of A Summer Checklist. We gave you some suggestions, but make it your own!
In the spirit of following A Summer Checklist (something we haven’t done since high school), please enjoy Sylvie and Ilana circa 2014, the summer before they turned pretty ;p
Note: This letter is best enjoyed while listening to “sum 2014”, a playlist by our very own DJ Ilana when we were 18.
A SUMMER 2024 CHECKLIST
N: Nap...
…in the middle of the day, next to waves, rocking in a hammock (see “Z”), under the Baggu tent
O: Ooni...
… something that isn’t pizza; for, or with, friends; If pizza is on the menu, might we recommend a chopped pizza (a Circle Back secret recipe and take on the viral TikTok trend – and by secret we mean we can’t remember exactly what we put on it but we chopped a lot of things really small — like spinach and artichokes and pepperoni and anchovies and mozz etc.)
P: Pierce...
… your ears (and then get some Nap earrings), someone else’s ears, through the crowd in Dime Square on your way to Cervos, School (IYKYK), and lest we forget...Abernathy’s arms...
Q: Quit...
… Zynning (it’s disgusting, you can’t deny it), ignoring the many items on yours and our summer checklists; brushing your hair when it’s wet (it’s more prone to breakage) and use the Glossier Comb instead
R: Read...
… your OOO message out loud; All Fours by Miranda July; Substacks that piled up in your inbox (some we’re currently reading: Feed Me, FoundNY)
S: Swim...
… in the Mediterranean, in the Atlantic, in lots of pools, in the nude, off an island, in a pond, first thing in the morning
T: Taste...
… soft serve with rainbow sprinkles, s’mores, oysters (Rockerfeller or with Rhubarb & Pink Peppercorn Mignonette), horseradish (apparently it’s the taste of the summer) a cake piled high with strawberries like this one by Lauren Schofield, the margaritas at Tacoway, Bad Larry’s Good Pizza2
U: Unpack...
… your summer wardrobe and attempt to style it like Colbo’s spring/summer 2025 collection; confusing or delightful thoughts; a haul from Brimfield Antique Show (may we recommend getting lost in the Brimfield-specific antique-tok)
V: View...
… a movie for the air conditioning; Jenny Holzer at the Guggenheim; scene at Bittersweet on a Saturday morning
W: Wear...
… a rash guard; sunscreen on your face, sunscreen as perfume (These aren’t the preferred scents of Circle Back, but we are curious. If you’ve given this, or any, Vacation product a try, let us know)
X: Xplore...
… Storm King Mountain, Manhattan top to bottom, something from a new angle
Y: Yell...
… jumping off a dock into water, from the top of something (see “X”), when reuniting with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, while playing Anomia (the unofficial game of Circle Back), at someone performing on a stage
Z: Zone out...
… in Prospect Park, on the Coney Island ferris wheel, at the Governor’s Island hammocks, while talking to someone named Drew, on the LIRR (reminds us of 2023’s book of the summer, “The Guest” by Emma Cline, which we both had mixed feelings about—link to your Goodreads review in the comments).
Send us your own Summer Checklist (or a completed Circle Back version) and we’ll send you another picture of us at 18.
See you at Whoopsie Daisy Bar on July 1 (6pm) for their super pizza pop-up