We ended up in a local outdoor cafe with banana trees and various leafy tropical plants, Brazilian hostesses (ahem) and locally inspired cuisine.

FORBES: Brazil's Next Boom Still Brewing

Their outcry against the 50, 000-square-foot Dreamhouse and outdoor cafe comes as increasing tourism to Berlin is softening the edges of a once gritty city.

WSJ: Berlin Leftists' New Target: Barbie Dreamhouse

Heading west from the park, pick up afternoon treats at New York iconic Zabar's food market (2245 Broadway), and later, as dusk unfolds, meander the serene firefly-flecked Riverside Park amid the Upper West Side's manifold joggers, strollers and dog owners, to the stunning outdoor 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe (W 79th St at the Hudson River) for a huckleberry vodka nightcap.

BBC: Summer in the city: New York

If the weather cooperates, plop down on an outdoor bench and do some people-watching, or head around the corner for a bite at Ramsi's Cafe On the World , a funky and vegetarian-friendly restaurant.

WSJ: Where to Go When the Horses Aren't Running