When I have a bit of money I like to go there with friends to celebrate our happiness and miseries.

When I first got here my peers at work made me a list of places in our neighborhood. This restaurant was one of them and it's now one of my favorite local spots. This Italian restaurant has never disappointed me so far.

I love this excellent independent arthouse theater in the Lower East side. Metrograph projects archive quality 35mm and independent films. Tastefully decorated, there is also a candy store, bookstore and restaurant.

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 Bronx Botanical Garden is a place my father and I have been going to since I was a child. Here's a photograph I took of him here. It has hundreds of species of trees and flowers. Sitting in the middle of the Bronx, it's most recognizable as a green oasis from the grays and concrete of city life.