Manhattan's Chinatown is my second favorite neighborhood next to Fort Greene. It's full of people, odors, bars, clubs, cafes, and restaurants. There's always something going on here.

I'm a huge Japanophile: if there's one other place I'd like to live, it's Tokyo. I must have been there seven or eight times, most recently just after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Anyway, EN is a gem on Hudson Street, serving real Japanese cuisine. It turns out that EN is a chain in Japan; there are a lot of branches making lovely bosky food in cosy neighbourhood locations. But their New York incarnation is grand in scale and ambition, with solid, warm interiors (not unlike if the Whitney were a Japanese restaurant, oddly) - a remarkable hybrid of this city, and the other one that I'd love to live in.

 incredible curated and unique art shows

This artist-run gallery is a hub of the Brooklyn gallery scene. You'll find Bungee, a celebrated fixture, snoozing comfortably in the office and somehow oblivious to all the surrounding chaos.

My boyfriend and I have come to ATOBOY over 30 times since its opening last year, and it is our second home. The menu is incredible and ever-evolving; they also received 2 stars in the New York Times this summer!