Unlike a lot of neighborhoods the sidewalks in this area are often still paved in the original slate slabs. You can see “extra” pieces sometimes chained up outside like this…. Why pour concrete?

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.

An hour away from NYC, there lies a summer camp on a pristine lake which was abandoned 15 years ago. I cant tell you where this is, but some research can lead you to the right place.

For the first time in Manhattan we lived on 14th street – this nice and cozy café around the corner (on 16th) still is our favorite place for delicious breakfast or brunch... Think they have tons of meals on their menu, quite affordable for huge portions.. Plus, good music.

A still stunning space, harking back to the 1990s NYC that had fantastic, tasteful boutiques.