The best views on Brooklyn and Manhattan. Forget the sweaty and expensive tourist buses, the ferry is just as much as a subway ride and breathtakingly beautiful. 

This is the view from the Manhattan Bridge of the Fulton Ferry Park, a pretty popular destination being between the Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridges, which still has the old waterfront tobacco warehouses. It’s changed a bit being made more of a “finished” park with a kind of beach etc, and has also been a regular spot for outdoor music shows, one for me being the memorable 7-7-7 Boadrum orchestrated by the Boredoms.

Somewhat off the beaten Williamsburg-track, Brooklyn Art Library is nestled on a mostly residential street. It’s home to tens of thousands of artist sketchbooks known as “The Sketchbook Project”. Over 100 countries are represented and their “collection houses books from small communities in Mongolia next to professional illustrators from New York.” You can donate one of your very own! All the sketchbooks have been cataloged for easy searching of their vast shelves, by artist and subject, and visitors are invited to browse what feels much like a hands-on museum. The Art Library also remains one of the few places to find art supplies (while limited) in the neighborhood, and if you’re in the market for a special gift (including books, totes and the cutest retro pennants) for your favorite art-lovin’ bibliophile, you might just get lucky here.

What can I say, I love donuts and these are my favorite in New York.

Wonderful place to grab a coffee+pastry with a great vibe and outdoor-only seating. Best cold-brew in the neighborhood. Doubles as the headquarters for The Lot Radio station, so there is often a live DJ spinning pretty chill music.