Tucked away on the second floor, it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of Manhattan. Order the Ika geso (squid legs) and the nankotsu (chicken cartilage), my personal favorites. You might notice people waiting around a nondescript door inside the restaurant; this is actually the entrance to the speakeasy bar Angel’s Share.

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.

One of the best pasta dishes i've ever had. Raggu pastas are heaven!

The exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art can speak for themselves, but the Sculpture Garden there is the best backyard in the city.

If you’re looking for this restaurant by reading the words printed on the awnings of Division Street, you’ll need to know Cantonese: “Kiki’s Greek Tavern” is written only in Chinese characters. Olive green doors and stone walls on the eatery’s interior are a better tell, and are touches that suit the Mediterranean cuisine of Kiki’s well. The restaurant’s Greek cuisine is straightforward and delicious, so whether you order seafood, lamb, or salad, you really can’t go wrong.