Grand Central is big and beautiful and it also periodically hosts free cultural events - poets at typewriters custom-composing poems on demand - or Alvin Ailey dancers performing in Artist, Nick Cave's horse suits!

Adore is my favorite spot to carefully select a few beautiful flowers to take home or bring as a gift. I always try to pair my visit with a trip right around the corner, to Dashwood Books, for a great selection of art books.

Offering 20% off on current “indie bestsellers” (and 10% off picks from their well-read staff), you can still get a good deal while supporting one of the city’s last independent bookstores. They also carry an impressive selection of magazines and literary journals that you can flip through in their café. McNally’s event calendar is packed with appearances and readings by authors like Zadie Smith and Chris Kraus, but they're perhaps best known for their in-store printing press and self-publishing services.

Always beautifully curated shows in a whitewashed space. The work is juxtaposed with the bustling China Town backdrop, adding a dose of life and grit compared to the other often hyper sterile art spaces around the world.

Getaway not far from the city. Nice beach, surreal pool. Next to Fire Island (which is also super nice).