The oldest still-operating restaurant in New York City, still in the family of the original founders. At Christmastime, it's decorated to the nines. Go with a big group: portions are large and the wine flows liberally. Look for the little buttons on the walls: in the old days, the mafia would hang out in the back room, and if diners saw the cops come in, they'd press the buttons so the mafia guys could run out the back.

The different views of the skyline are unbelievable. I especially like rooftop views from different apartment buildings. Try to get on top of an apartment building. This is the view from my apartment...

Taco Chulo is a great Mexican restaurant that has a good selection of tacos and burritos and of course has interesting blends of margaritas. I probably eat here at least once every other week.

Get the perfect ingredient for your selfmade springrolls in the middle of the craziness of Chinatown/Little Italy! An experience you should not miss!

My second-favorite outdoor-place in Manhattan. The abandoned 1.6 km rail tracks running above Chelsea down to the Meatpacking district were turned into an above-ground park. Perfectly nice place for sitting in the sun, reading, relaxing, having lunch in some green spot in the city. Nice views at the Hudson River, New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty (little small from there but still visible) and the architecture around Chelsea.