It’s a great bookstore with an interesting yet relatable selection of art books 

My favorite neighborhood fancy chinese spot. Quality soup dumplings (it's obligatory to get an order). Mock eel (mushrooms), ants climbing a tree (noodles), salt & pepper fry (fresh daily), and mu shu duck are some of the go-tos. It's spicy and filling—worth a night of feasting. 

Luhring Augustine did a good job of converting an old warehouse/storage facility into a blue chip commercial art gallery that stages four shows of contemporary art per year. Which means you can catch museum quality shows in an unlikely spot, away from all the Chelsea pomp, and it actually has friendly staff, instead of a cold gallerina sat behind a desk pretending to be on the phone.

Strand is a castle of books. It claims 2.5 million new and used books, across 18 miles of shelves, cared for by 200 employees—so set aside a couple of hours. Plenty of art books and good prices. Get your healthy huff of that old book smell.

The glorious orange gates in Central Park in 2005.