7 months before moving to New York I visited for the first time. I was immediately enraptured and felt a deep connection to the city that I had never experi- enced. It was in this massive hall at The Met that I decided I would be leaving Los Angeles and coming to NYC as soon as I possibly could.

The naked baby dolls piled up in the front window of SEARCH & DESTROY is a good preview for what you’re in for. If you’re looking for something weird, this East Village shop is a good starting point. In addition to vintage clothing with a seriously punk rock lean, they also sell everything from sex toys to Manic Panic hair dye.

Andrew Tarlow's Diner is a neighborhood institution and pioneer of gratuity-free establishments in Brooklyn. This place serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner in an old converted dining car under the Williamsburg bridge. A seasonal menu of fresh, New American style food that changes daily.

Summertime in Bushwick, means the locals will be barbecuing on the sidewalk, and playing in the hydrants. It's the perfect time to grab some shorts, and run down the street. If the one outside Mckibben isnt going off, one of the other 15 hydrants in the neighborhood will be.

Every seat is a good seat in this small, intimate theater dedicated to dance. Nearly every dance company has filtered through the theater and with a season that lasts about 45 weeks, there's always a performance to see and tickets are very reasonably priced. I prefer a performance at The Joyce then at Lincoln Center any day.