Getaway not far from the city. Nice beach, surreal pool. Next to Fire Island (which is also super nice).

My favorite Chinese food spot. The best Peking duck! Ignore the C health code rating in the window, they must have made a mistake ;) Also, It's BYOB with no uncorking fee, go crazy.

This is one of my favorite bars in Manhattan. It has a courtyard in the middle and they only serve a large selection of Belgian beer. It's always dark with red lights so it's like a giant darkroom with everyone developing hangovers instead of film. The courtyard creates a front bar that is open on the weekends, so if you get cornered talking about architecture you can escape over to the front bar and watch people walk down 4th street.

One of the last untapped areas of downtown Manhattan. Hand pulled noodles, cheap eats, and a concentrated area of families make this an often interesting place to explore.

When I first visited NY in 2010 the New Museum left a permanent impression. I love the architecture and the concept of the piled-white-shoe-box look-a-like building at the edge of the Lower East Side neighborhood. The exhibition program is appealingly different, and the bookstore in the foyer is not to be missed!