This quaint shop boasts an artfully arranged and tastefully curated selection of jewelry, pottery, books and art. I have to keep myself from going there too often, because I have trouble leaving without making a purchase.

Intimate east village record shop with an excellently curated selection of second hand and new vinyl.

In 1963, the Italian-born sculptor Costantino Nivola filled a playground that covers an entire city block with avant-garde abstractions. In the middle of an Upper Manhattan housing project, there are cuboid cutouts sculpted in cement, a fountain made with two diamond-shaped boulders, concrete play horses, and a sand-casted relief carved high into a wall. In the northeast corner, a matriarchal figure known as “The Nanny” rises from the ground. The artist’s sculptures were built in an era when urban development incorporated art in its effort to uplift communities and express democratic ideals. “A work designed for a public space is less a work of art than a civic act,” Nivola once said. “It concerns the ways in which we live together, and in which we influence each other.”

Growing up in Arizona I loved collecting rocks and was especially obsessed with gemstones. I have a natural affinity for this section of The Museum of Natural History and it’s oddly peaceful and relaxing even when the museum is packed.

Say Hi to "hip" in Greenpoint?! Yes: That´s the place for (late) summer nights and days: waterfront gastropub featuring American plates & cocktails, plus a patio with skyline views. Weekends are crazy packed (of course).