I'm a huge Japanophile: if there's one other place I'd like to live, it's Tokyo. I must have been there seven or eight times, most recently just after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Anyway, EN is a gem on Hudson Street, serving real Japanese cuisine. It turns out that EN is a chain in Japan; there are a lot of branches making lovely bosky food in cosy neighbourhood locations. But their New York incarnation is grand in scale and ambition, with solid, warm interiors (not unlike if the Whitney were a Japanese restaurant, oddly) - a remarkable hybrid of this city, and the other one that I'd love to live in.

Growing up in a small town surrounded by nature, life in the city becomes difficult sometimes. Prospect park is a great place to take a deep breath and refresh. Seeing the horizon there eases my mind.

This is the rooftop of my building. I come up here daily with my dog or friends to get 'fresh' air, see what's happening in the streets, or to catch sunsets and the occasional sunrise. My landlord has been trying for months to put a stop to our rooftop access, but every attempt he has made thus far has been futile.

For art books, monographs and catalogs new and used at a discount. I can never manage to leave here without a bag full of books in tow.

Daytime café, nighttime bar. Nothing stronger than 30-proof. Delicious beer and really good wine. Kind people run & staff the place. The garden in the Summer is perfect. I make near-daily visits.