You can feel a bit lonely in the last week of August if you’re still in the city. Everyone else seems to be gone. Parking spaces are easy to come by.

If you’re here it’s a good time to treat yourself to something special. And I’ve got a few suggestions.

Take a swim at the Clubs at Charles River Park. This venerable pool is one of the best outdoor pools in the Boston area. Owned by MGH, the clubs offer discounted membership rates for residents of Charles River Park, MGH employees and those over 62 years of age. If you’re not a member, ask a member to invite you. You can go as a guest for $25 for the day. On Wednesdays, guests are free.

Explore the Cambridge side of the river. A new boardwalk opened in early July along the Broad Canal, adjacent to the Mirant power plant on the east side of the Longfellow Bridge. A walk along the river toward the Science Museum offers a good view of the West End and MGH. Another canal extends into Cambridge alongside the Cambridgeside Galleria. If you go farther, crossing Monsignor O’Brien Highway, you can wend your way into the lovely North Point riverside park.

You’ll be stuck then and have to return the way you came since railroad tracks and complicated loops heading to the Zakim Bridge block your path.

But you can imagine the future, when a new pedestrian bridge is supposed to connect the park you’ve been able to get to with Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. This bridge has been designed, and is therefore “shovel ready,” and rumor has it that it is slated to be built with stimulus money. But a spokeswoman from the Massachusetts Office of Administration and Finance said she couldn’t confirm that.         Take in some history. Visit Beacon Hill’s three museums—the Harrison Gray Otis House on Cambridge Street (open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 pm), The Museum of African-American History on Joy Street (open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a suggested donation of $5), and the Nichols House Museum on Mount Vernon (open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with tours every half hour for a $7 admission fee). A bonus is that the tour of the Otis House is free to Boston residents. And so is a tour of the Black Heritage Trail. Follow the trail yourself by downloading a guide from the museum’s web site or take the free, guided tour by showing up at the Shaw Memorial plaque on the Common in front of the State House just before 10 a.m., noon, or 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

A small, but rather surprising historical site is visible through the windows of the main corridor at Mass General. An excavated rectangular pit exposes the old wharf and pilings at what was the bank of the Charles River until about 1860. It’s not exactly what you expect to see in a hospital.

This last week of August is probably the best time to visit the Boston Athenaeum and become a member. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. On Monday it stays open until 8 p.m. The inside of the building is charming and offers a special view of the Old Granary Burying Ground. It is cool inside after a massive renovation a few years ago, which makes it nice for reading newspapers and magazines of which it has more than you’d ever want.

The application for membership requires two references and $230, but don’t be put off by an application. If they’ll take me as a member, they’ll take anyone. And you’ll find reading there as pleasurable next winter as you do this week.

After Labor Day, life will be busy once again, but until then the city will be as quiet as it ever gets.