I have old friends in San Francisco who grudgingly tell me that the High Line is everything that's wrong with New York. Well, too bad. To me, it embodies a culture that's constantly reinventing itself: a defunct elevated railway that was becoming a burden to the city ("we used to climb up there to throw garbage bags full of rotting Korean food at the Hasids!", noted a successful photographer's assistant) becoming a startling example of urban greening for the public good. The expert landscaping makes it feel like walking on a Montauk beach - but a stone's throw from some of New York's most progressive galleries and hotels.

Vegan and magnificent!

Lovely Italian restaurant with a beautiful backyard. I usually have the Orecchiette Salsiccia Broccoli or the spaghetti Vongole.

If you are looking for extraordinary studio-space, rental and awesome customer service included: this is your place to have your photo-shoots happening! There is also a lot of attractive outdoor options in the area around Greenpoint.

Empty, but not abandoned, this cavernous Brooklyn loading dock was once considered the largest individual building in the world.