The Sill is one of our favorite places to shop for plants in all of New York City, offering amazing customer service and a busy calendar of events in their tiny shop on Hester Street to help you learn exactly how to keep that fiddle leaf fig or pothos alive.
Of all the many museums in New York, this one is the most striking to me because of the unique experience you have while viewing the art. This Frank Lloyd Wright building integrates art with architecture in a way that makes it unique to this city. No matter where you are standing you get an incredible, extremely thought out detail of his work and the exhibited work.
If you're far up in Greenpoint and need caffeine + snack, Bakeri is my spot (I say "bake-ery", others say "bach-ery"—I still vote the former). Known for their baked goods—both savory and sweet—it's the perfect spot for a coffee meeting, small breakfast, or a solo book read. There's one large communal table in the center, plus a few two-tops and decent counter space—one of the rare cafes with enough room that it's rarely packed (except saturday!).
While the current trend in noodles may well be ramen, this bafflingly-named Japanese restaurant just ten minutes from my apartment specialises in udon. Unless you are my friend Diego Zambrano it will probably take you several visits to get through all the things you need to try on the menu - the gyoza are otherworldly, the sushi 'tacos' clever enough without being silly. New York has thousands of awful Japanese places; this is not one of them. It's super nice to come in on a Sunday night and eat at the bar next to curmudgeonly old guys barking at each other in Japanese.