Just because everyone knows about it doesn't mean it doesn't deserve more attention. Great food, great service, great movies, great drinks.

As Jim Jarmusch put it in the documentary Blank City, the address is roughly between Bowery, Avenue B, 14th Street and Houston. This area of the city is steeped in art, film, and music history; so many hugely influential artists, film makers, and musicians still live and work here. For such a small area, I think it's had more concentrated influence on contemporary art and culture than anywhere else.

Lunch there before a visit at the MET with a walk in Central Park

Grand Central is big and beautiful and it also periodically hosts free cultural events - poets at typewriters custom-composing poems on demand - or Alvin Ailey dancers performing in Artist, Nick Cave's horse suits!

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.