The Frank Stella’s are the best. They are all over the city and they always look amazing. Two of my favorites are the Saatchi and Saatchi lobby (pictured) and the Citi Corp building in Midtown.
One of my lunch favorites - start with the crab toast lemon aioli, then roast carrot avocado salad, Kasha and Bowtie pasta with Meatballs - and their homemade sodas and green juice are awesome!
If you're far up in Greenpoint and need caffeine + snack, Bakeri is my spot (I say "bake-ery", others say "bach-ery"—I still vote the former). Known for their baked goods—both savory and sweet—it's the perfect spot for a coffee meeting, small breakfast, or a solo book read. There's one large communal table in the center, plus a few two-tops and decent counter space—one of the rare cafes with enough room that it's rarely packed (except saturday!).
Its an image imprinted in everybody's mind: the background for hundreds of movies, ads and commercials. Actually standing on a saturday-night at Time Square, hearing dozens of different languages of tourists around you, and being fully emerged with the sounds and light, slightly frantic and crazy… You are in NY.