Books are Magic is a great local spot for bookworms. The staff is warm and friendly with regular events happening monthly. 

If you love movies, and if you have hangovers - then Nitehawk is the perfect cure, cozy seats, cold beers, drinks and pleasure food

Needs no introduction.

Been going here a long time. Solid Italian spot with freshly made pasta. Get the cavatelli with Sausage.

I love that there's a museum dedicated to American art, founded at a time when American artists were underappreciated. The exhibitions are curated with a broad but discerning eye, and the architecture is spectacular. In my experience it's typically much quieter than the obvious choices like the Met and the MoMA - although both are remarkable, there's something I love about the scale and style of the Whitney.