This is a hot spot for plant enthusiasts. A recurring L.A. pop-up where the employees can tell you as much or as little as you want to know about cacti. Marco can tell you about the trees. Must visit, but only open April/May - September/October.

I discovered the Frick my first week in New York, during a heat wave in August. The galleries were surprisingly empty, with only the occasional visitor strolling through the rooms, gently creaking the floorboards. I stood for a while in front of the Bronzino, a portrait of a boy standing against a background of green drapery, and then sat in the courtyard for a long, cool hour.

By chef Ignacio Mattos, it’s just great,.

Bill Brand presents an animated movie to passengers on the B and Q subway trains coming into Manhattan from Brooklyn. The project was modeled after the zoetrope, a 19th-century optical toy, which animated images inside a revolving cylinder, so that they appeared to move when viewed through narrow slits. Brand mounted 228 hand-painted panels in self-contained, illuminated units along the three-hundred-foot platform. Hop on a Manhattan-bound B or Q train at the Dekalb Avenue stop (corner of Dekalb Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Extension). Look out any window on the right side of the train.

Perfect cocktails, chicken fat rice, and a REAL fireplace. One of the coziest spots in Greenpoint, particularly in the winter. Its "off the beaten path" location keeps out the bridge and tunnel goons, so you're likely to meet actual locals. Good for dates, solo thinking, or a small group.