If you're far up in Greenpoint and need caffeine + snack, Bakeri is my spot (I say "bake-ery", others say "bach-ery"—I still vote the former). Known for their baked goods—both savory and sweet—it's the perfect spot for a coffee meeting, small breakfast, or a solo book read. There's one large communal table in the center, plus a few two-tops and decent counter space—one of the rare cafes with enough room that it's rarely packed (except saturday!). 

A spin around the park on a bike makes me feel good. One lap is about 6.13 miles. I've trained here for longer rides (including this London to Paris ride on a track bike that was 86 miles one day, rest on the second day, and 136 miles on the third day). I've sat there on a Sunday afternoon and have done as many as 10 laps (with rests in between). I switch in-between my carbon road bike and my steel track bike.

A legendary basketball court in the West Village that is a popular destination for basketball aficionados, deflated hoop-dreamers, and gawking tourists.

After the full moon, when the tide is the lowest, you'll find a century of fossils from a gone NY, trails of washed-out rainbow colored bottles, a graffitied shipwreck buried by time. Hundreds of years of history written in the sand.

where I walk with my dog near my apartment, is also the remains of what was Fort Putnam in the late 1700’s and later Fort Washington near the Navy Yard. Not the largest park but a regular part of my routine and big enough to feel like you’re still out of the city when you’re in the middle of it.