You need to make a reservation for L'Artusi years in advance... or at least the week before, if you try a walk-in then ask to be seated at the bar, as always in New York that is the best seats at any of my favorites restaurants.

Dumbo, which stands for 'Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,' is a neat neighborhood in Brooklyn that is at an awesome vantage point of Manhattan. There are cool rocks on the shore of Brooklyn Bridge Park that are fun to relax on and sneak alcoholic beverages.

Strand is a castle of books. It claims 2.5 million new and used books, across 18 miles of shelves, cared for by 200 employees—so set aside a couple of hours. Plenty of art books and good prices. Get your healthy huff of that old book smell.

I keep going there when I miss my friend Aggeliki. We meet on the line waiting to watch Martha Marcy May Marlene. I just arrived in NYC, I remember we both were in the same situation. We became very close since that day.

Coming Soon knows exactly what furniture and objects you need to make your apartment cooler than you are. The store’s (female) owners’ backgrounds in fine art and high design are clear, and they work directly with designers to bring in a carefully curated selection of pieces new and old.