The different views of the skyline are unbelievable. I especially like rooftop views from different apartment buildings. Try to get on top of an apartment building. This is the view from my apartment...

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.

Lovely Italian restaurant with a beautiful backyard. I usually have the Orecchiette Salsiccia Broccoli or the spaghetti Vongole.

Vegan and magnificent!

If you are looking for extraordinary studio-space, rental and awesome customer service included: this is your place to have your photo-shoots happening! There is also a lot of attractive outdoor options in the area around Greenpoint.