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.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (of Central Park), Prospect Park is where I go running in better weather and find an endless supply of flotsam and jetsam for casting in projects all year round. Thickets of trees, hidden paths, and rolling hills are an endless source of inspiration.

Sculpture by Tom Otterness at the 8th Avenue subway station at 14th street 

What's not to like with a place that has a Sandwich named after Jonah Hill and hand-drawn signs in the window?

"Mills" is my local bar, I live in that block, it's an old horse stable (for two horses) it's tiny, cozy, great drinks, food is great too - in the summer you can sit outside