This is my local spot and one of my bad habits. The bartenders make sure I don't do anything to embarrassing and its full of regulars. Has dangerously replaced my living room. It's one of the only real dive bars on Smith street. Layers of funkiness help keep away the frat boys and bachelorette parties. Never closes before 4am so all the other neighborhood bartenders, cooks, and waiters stop by after work. Needless to say that only the best business decisions get made here!

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.

The jetties along Rockaway Beach are one of my regular destinations when I can get out there. I grew up in a Coast Guard family and spent a fair amount of time around the ocean and surfing. I still like to get in the water and this is the first Atlantic-exposed beach on Long Island as you start to get out of the city. When it comes to the environment, constructions like these can be contentious things but they also make for a series of interesting surf spots. Its got a lot of New York metro qualities you might expect including the Subway making its stops a couple of blocks back from the water.

Going for a stroll on Atlantic Beach is a fall Sunday must. I rarely go to the New York beaches in summer because of the crowds, but standing on an empty, windy beach is a total mind soother. Make sure to take a peek at the Miami-colored Catalina Beach Club. Beaches close mid-September.

It’s easy to get lost in the density and chaos of New York but there are opportunities to step outside of it for a macro view. Chartering a sailboat on the Hudson is a great way to escape and see the city in a different light, especially at night.