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.
I’m a big fan of libraries (tons of books, free to take out, I mean what’s not to love?) and even though you can’t actually take out any books at the big beautiful library in Midtown – it’s still worth a visit. I love walking around in the big halls, the architecture is so beautiful and there’s always small exhibitions or things to see. Don’t forget to look up when entering the main reading-hall. Feels like book-heaven!