When I first moved to New York, enamoured by its parks and museums and design firms and restaurants and bars, I never imagined that there could be much more to its geography than that. How wrong I was. My first drive across the George Washington Bridge was jaw-dropping - the cliffs of New Jersey are astonishingly tall, covered in a dense thicket of trees. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Drive up 87 to the Catskills or the Adirondacks and you'll witness the Hudson River winding its way through spectacular scenery and unforgiving seasons. Now I can't get enough; just two hours up the road, it's like the city never existed. Perfect recuperation after a long week.

I've seen so many great classic movies on film here. Being able to have that experience is one of the things that I feel lucky living in this city.

Simply, the best ice cream in New York.

One of my all time favorite shops. They have amazing succulents at reasonable prices. It's always a pleasure to stop in and see what they've got that day. Ched, the owner, is not only extremely knowledgeable but totally hilarious. Every plant has been personalized and anthropomorphized.

Its quite a trip out there but so very worth it if you wanna have the very special beach-experience! You can go there by car and then take the ferry either to Pines or Cherry Grove (I would prefer Pines!) or you do all by public transportation - there a "getaway tickes" for 36Dollars and the transfer works really smooth - may even be faster than by car!