When I first moved to New York, enamoured by its parks and museums and design firms and restaurants and bars, I never imagined that there could be much more to its geography than that. How wrong I was. My first drive across the George Washington Bridge was jaw-dropping - the cliffs of New Jersey are astonishingly tall, covered in a dense thicket of trees. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Drive up 87 to the Catskills or the Adirondacks and you'll witness the Hudson River winding its way through spectacular scenery and unforgiving seasons. Now I can't get enough; just two hours up the road, it's like the city never existed. Perfect recuperation after a long week.

Fun bar to drink/dance. Great sound system and rotating roster of Dj's. Tends to get unbearably crowded on weekends so weeknights are the way to go.

Long afternoon naps rarely happen here, sadly. But I never stop fantasizing.

Niche cinema for people who care too much about film and like obscure things. The restaurant/bar upstairs has great food, drinks, and skylights too.

Apropos mural on an iconic street