XXXI (‘Thirty-One’) is ❶ a mixed-use community space for designers (and others) to exhibit, teach, and discuss self-initiated work; ❷ a shared studio space; ❸ a residency for designers; and ❹ an online (and sometimes physical) store.
It purposefully lives outside (or against) the constraints of the city it exists in and traditional commercial practice to ask what design can do when its goal is not money.
One of my lunch favorites - start with the crab toast lemon aioli, then roast carrot avocado salad, Kasha and Bowtie pasta with Meatballs - and their homemade sodas and green juice are awesome!
Apart from Dia Beacon, in Beacon (upstate New York about an hour away from Grand Central Station) and also the Judd Foundation in Soho, this institution is absolutely one of my favourite places to visit and it is located in Long Island City, Queens. It showcases sculpture in the broadest sense and has an incredible building that used to be a workshop that refurbished and fixed subway cars. It has been running since 1928 and when you visit you will definitely see why that is.
My favorite Chinese food spot. The best Peking duck! Ignore the C health code rating in the window, they must have made a mistake ;) Also, It's BYOB with no uncorking fee, go crazy.