As Jim Jarmusch put it in the documentary Blank City, the address is roughly between Bowery, Avenue B, 14th Street and Houston. This area of the city is steeped in art, film, and music history; so many hugely influential artists, film makers, and musicians still live and work here. For such a small area, I think it's had more concentrated influence on contemporary art and culture than anywhere else.

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. 

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.

It's a sweet agave bar hidden in the fridge of a Mexican grocery store that use to be a laundromat. It doesn't get more Brooklyn than that but the tourists haven't found it yet so I highly recommend it. Music is really good and they have a great selection of mezcal. Felipe, the owner, also owns the adjoining restaurant Cerveceria.

An unchanged 1940s lounge known for its masterpiece Martinis and whimsical murals painted by the author of “Madeline,” Ludwig Bemelmans.