Summer grub in Gotham has many faces – greenmarkets, Summer Restaurant Week, sidewalk dining on crunchy summer salads and picnics. Hold on? Picnics? In the middle of the largest city in the country? You bet and here are some of the best spots to spread out that blanket and some of the yummiest chow to put into that wicker basket.

Where to go?

In a city awash in parks, there is no shortage of green space available to set up your food, kick off your shoes and take in the slower pace of a summer afternoon.

Central Park is the obvious Manhattan choice - and for good reason. The Park is lovely. Almost where ever you turn, you will see a spot that beckons you to lay out a blanket and start dishing out paper plates full of finger foods. But a few specific suggestions if you have small children in your party - why not go where they can see (and climb, with supervision) on Belvedere’s Castle. Your picnic then becomes nutrition for the imagination as well as the body. Looking for a new view of Manhattan’s back garden? Go north of the reservoir. Few areas of the Park are as gorgeous as the Harlem Meer. Small fry plus? The Dana Discovery Center is right on the north shore of the Meer (Dutch for “lake” in case you were wondering)

Fort Tryon Park – if the Cloisters weren’t enough of a draw (and honestly, what more could one want?), this fantastic park in the Inwood in section of Manhattan offers not only a beautiful setting, gorgeous plantings, rolling lawns and a quiet not often found in the city but a dog run (complete with a gazebo for dog owners looking for a bit of shade and a sit down) and two playgrounds.

The Bronx is home to one of the most amazing outdoor spaces in the state (if not the country) and that is Wave Hill. Although picnicking isn’t allowed everywhere, it is allowed at the Glyndor Gallery Picnic Area so bring your basket and tuck in. Then stroll the gardens and galleries (Free Garden and Greenhouse Tours begin at the conservatory every Sunday, 2:15) or let the kids join in on the weekly art project.

If you are Brooklyn bound for your outdoor repast, try Prospect Park, Central Park’s slightly funkier, more laid-back but equally lovely cousin. You’ll find many of the same facilities and amenities here as you will in Central Park - a zoo and wildlife center, pedal boats, carousel, farmer’s market, tennis courts, skating rink, band shell – but not nearly as many tourists.

If you long for something with a little more bite than your average picnic fare but believe that throwing a barbecue is out of reach in Manhattan – think again! According to the NYC Parks and Recreation site, you need a permit to barbecue but you can grill to your heart’s content “at designated areas within the following parks: East River Park, St. Nicholas Park, Highbridge Park, Inwood Hill Park, Marcus Garvey Park, Riverside Park. Thomas Jefferson Park, Randall’s Island, and Wards Island.”

What to bring and where to get it

The Bought Picnic: When someone says “picnic foods – what comes to your mind? Potato and pasta salads? Fried Chicken and Sandwiches? Fruit and veggie sticks? Iced tea and lemonade? Yup, that’s what I think of as well. Still, the kitchen is not my natural habitat so I’m more likely to compile a ‘prepared foods’ shopping list than go get some ingredients and do the preparing myself. After all, these are the lazy days of summer – ‘lazy’ being the operative word.

So if you want as much fun with as little fuss as possible, head out to grab your picnic-ready grub (salads, cold chicken – roast, grilled or fried, salsa and chips and every bottled water you’ve ever heard of and some you haven’t) at places like Zabar’s, Grace’s Marketplace, Grand Central Food Hall, Chelsea Market, Eli’s Vinegar Factory, Gourmet Garage or Whole Foods. The last, with some advanced notice, will actually put together a customized basket for you – the ultimate in no fuss picnic planning).

The Built Picnic: Feel like making at least a minor contribution to the process and doing at list some assembly if not outright cooking? How industrious of you! Grab a few cheese selections, some crunchy breads, some fruit and carrot sticks, slinging it across your shoulder with a thermos of some spicy iced tea (try my favorite or experiment with your own) and a few bottles of water. Voila! You have ‘built” an outdoor feast of considerable deliciousness. All without turning on an oven or switching on the stove.

The key to the ‘built” picnic is the quality and choice of cheese as well as the freshness of the bread so turn to the experts at Murray’s Cheese Shop (if your in Manhattan) or Bedford Cheese Shop (in Brooklyn) for advice on what cheese hold up well to an afternoon out (no one wants brie running off the blanket into the grass) and which breads, pita chips or crackers are best suited to each. Some of the best bread advice in the city can be had at Eli’s Bread or Zabar’s but the best bread in city – and the advice that goes with it – is at The Sullivan Street Bakery

The Blow Out Picnic: Feeling your inner Donna Reed? Want to impress as well as feed your guests? Then start cooking, baby!

• Chicken – whether roasted, fried or grilled - is always a good finger food choice for picnics and honestly, roasting chicken pieces is a lot of bang for the buck as well as an impressive pile of goodness for comparatively little effort. People can eat it with fingers, shred it into salad or wrap in a tortilla. It is truly a food with something for everyone.
• Dessert? Sure, you could buy perfectly decent baked goods almost anywhere but since you have decided to get ‘hands on’ - what about a cobbler? No need to worry about neat or tidy slices. Hardly any ingredients and is far, far better warm or room temp than either hot or cold. And like the chicken – an impressive result for almost no hard core cooking.
• And even though you have your chef hat on for this alfresco fiesta, there’s nothing wrong with rounding out your homemade goodies with store bought. Tortilla chips and pre-cut veggies sticks will carry your homemade salsa just as well as carrots you peeled and cut yourself. For that matter, make extra salsa or buy an extra container of store bought salsa. It will give the chips something to do, yes but it’s also a great way to garnish your chicken, sandwiches and wraps.
• Speaking of which – bring some whole wheat wraps, sliced tomatoes and lettuce so that folks can wrap up your chicken salad and take their lunch for a stroll. Then bring plenty of water and two good sized thermoses – one with ice tea, one with lemonade – for your mobile beverage cart.

In my opinion – again, I mention the ‘lazy’ days of summer - the best way to do the homemade picnic is to find a group of like-minded friends and dole out cooking assignments. Even I can make at least one thing in my own kitchen without resorting to the store so I expect your friends can too.

Next in the NYC Summer Fun series: Greens and greenmarkets