One of the best curated visual art books in New York and the World, with a bent towards a crossover of music/art/psychedelics. A place to feed the art habit, remembering that the greatest images are still locked in books and not online.

The beauty of the light on the water, with a full view of the changing skyline, always awe inspiring.

The best part of the new Whitney Museum is the view in all directions from the terrace - and also from the staircase facing West. I'm afraid it upstages the Art.

You've heard about the reading room at the New York Public Library, haven't you? Then I need not go on. Just look at it. And you're allowed to hang around in there!

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.