The absolute, hands down, no question about it, COOLEST place in New York City. 6th Street Specials. Home to Hugh and Fumi - two of the nicest and most down to earth guys you’ll ever meet that also happen to build, restore and service some of the most sexy, badass and simply gorgeous vintage and custom motorcycles on the planet. Enough said.

Great barber shop. Been there for years. Used to be upstairs, moved downstairs. A New York City staple. Need a haircut? Go here... Oh yeah, and they have karaoke. Enough said.

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.

The Ear Bar has been in New York longer than any of us. In a city of vacuous fleeting trendy bars the Ear Bar (which is really called the Ear Inn but I've never called it that) is the real deal.

I have old friends in San Francisco who grudgingly tell me that the High Line is everything that's wrong with New York. Well, too bad. To me, it embodies a culture that's constantly reinventing itself: a defunct elevated railway that was becoming a burden to the city ("we used to climb up there to throw garbage bags full of rotting Korean food at the Hasids!", noted a successful photographer's assistant) becoming a startling example of urban greening for the public good. The expert landscaping makes it feel like walking on a Montauk beach - but a stone's throw from some of New York's most progressive galleries and hotels.