A Few of My
Favorite Things

Three Lives & Company

154 W 10th St · West Village

The ideal bookstore. Tiny, curated, never condescending. Has been quietly recommending the right book to the right person for decades. A neighborhood institution that feels irreplaceable.

The Music Inn

169 W 4th St · West Village

Folk instruments, world instruments, things you've never seen before. A Village institution that reminds you music here runs deeper than any playlist. Walk in and you'll stay longer than you planned.

Casa Magazines

22 8th Ave · West Village

Hundreds of international magazines, foreign newspapers, and publications you won't find anywhere else in the city. A neighborhood fixture that celebrates print in the most unpretentious way possible.

Poster House Museum

119 W 23rd St · Chelsea

The only museum in the US dedicated entirely to poster art. Surprising, smart, and almost always undervisited. Consistently one of the most enjoyable museum experiences downtown.

The Whitney Biennial

99 Gansevoort St · Meatpacking

Every two years, the definitive pulse of American contemporary art. The Renzo Piano building alone — and the views from the terraces — are worth the trip on any given day.

Rosecrans

Greenwich Ave · West Village

Apothecary, beauty, objects. The kind of shop that makes you slow down and pay attention to things you didn't know you wanted. Beautifully edited, quietly indispensable.

Printed Matter

231 11th Ave · West Chelsea

Artist books, zines, and publications from around the world. A genuine institution of the Chelsea art ecosystem — the place artists and collectors come to find things that don't exist anywhere else.

192 Books

192 10th Ave · West Chelsea

The art world's bookstore, curated entirely around the Chelsea gallery district. Thoughtful, personal, and the kind of shop that only exists because someone really cared.

C.O. Bigelow Apothecary

414 6th Ave · Greenwich Village

The oldest pharmacy in America, open since 1838. Its chandeliers still have their original gas fittings. Customers have included Mark Twain and Eleanor Roosevelt. Still the finest apothecary in the city.

Caffe Reggio

119 Macdougal St · Greenwich Village

Open since 1927, Caffe Reggio claims to have introduced cappuccino to America — brewed on a machine built in 1902 that still sits behind the bar. Order an espresso and look at everything on the walls.

Corner Bistro

331 W 4th St · West Village

Open since 1961. Dark wood booths, cheap beer, and one of the most celebrated burgers in New York City. Nothing has changed, and nothing should. The anti-Instagram restaurant.

La Bonbonniere

28 8th Ave · West Village

A diner unchanged since 1940. Eggs, coffee, locals, no agenda. One of the last genuinely unreconstructed spots in a neighborhood that has otherwise transformed entirely around it.

Smalls Jazz Club

183 W 10th St · West Village

Founded in 1994 by a former submariner-turned-jazz-violinist. Late-night, intimate, serious. Where working musicians go to play after their other gigs. No frills, no pretense — just the music.

Blue Note

131 W 3rd St · Greenwich Village

The most famous jazz club in the world outside the Vanguard. Legendary bookings, great sightlines, and a history going back to 1981. The place to take someone who's never seen jazz live.

The Bitter End

147 Bleecker St · Greenwich Village

Open since 1961. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young played early sets on this stage. Still presenting live music nightly. The folk-rock counterpart to the Vanguard's jazz tradition — and the street to prove it.

Cellar Dog

West Village

Formerly Fat Cat Billiards — the beloved late-night institution lives on as Cellar Dog. Same spirit: billiards, ping pong, board games, and live jazz in a basement into the small hours. One of the great West Village evenings.

Via Carota

51 Grove St · West Village

The insalata verde alone justifies the wait. Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's love letter to the Italian table is essentially perfect. Order everything, sit close together, and don't rush.

Buvette

42 Grove St · West Village

A tiny, warm gastrothèque that makes you feel like you've wandered into a Paris side street. Croque monsieur, good wine, no rush. One of the most transportive rooms in the city.

Little Owl

90 Bedford St · West Village

Eleven tables and one of the best brunch pork chop sandwiches in New York. Intimate, neighborly, and consistently excellent. Reserve well ahead or arrive ready to wait and chat on the stoop.

L'Artusi

228 W 10th St · West Village

Elevated Italian with an excellent wine list and a bar scene that somehow manages to be both buzzy and grown-up. The pasta is always right. A West Village anchor for a reason.

Malatesta Trattoria

649 Washington St · West Village

Unpretentious, reliably delicious Roman trattoria on a quiet corner. Cash only, no reservations, always worth it. The kind of place that reminds you simplicity is its own sophistication.

Pastis

52 Gansevoort St · Meatpacking

The original downtown brasserie, magnificently restored. Still the best terrace people-watching in the Meatpacking District. Steak frites, a Kir Royale, and the whole city walks by.

Jeffrey's Grocery

172 Waverly Pl · West Village

Oysters at the bar on a rainy afternoon. The room has exactly the right amount of wood paneling and low light. One of the most effortlessly good neighborhood restaurants downtown.

Bonsignour

35 Jane St · West Village

Neighborhood café and sandwich shop that doesn't try to be anything other than exactly what it is. That's a compliment. The morning coffee and egg sandwich ritual, perfected.

Tea & Sympathy

108 Greenwich Ave · West Village

A proper British tearoom in the middle of the Village. Scones, shepherd's pie, and a distinctly un-New York pace. Come when you need the world to slow down for an hour.

Jeju Noodle Bar

679 Greenwich St · West Village

Korean-inspired noodles in a small, serious space. The ramyun broth is deeply satisfying in any season. One of those spots that punches far above its footprint.

Willow Vegan

West Village

Thoughtful, genuinely good plant-based cooking. One of those rare spots where the menu doesn't feel like a compromise — it feels like the point.

Soccarat Paella Bar

259 W 19th St · Chelsea

Proper Spanish paella cooked in the pan, every time. Bring a group and order the seafood. Reserve ahead on weekends. One of the most satisfying communal meals in the neighborhood.

Shukette

Chelsea

Israeli-inflected small plates from Ayesha Nurdjaja. Casual, colorful, and better than you expect every single time. The hummus alone is worth the trip.

Balaboosta

611 Hudson St · West Village

Einat Admony's warm, inventive Middle Eastern cooking. Named for the Yiddish word for a woman who does everything — and does it perfectly. Every dish is an argument for the table.

Hav & Mar

22 9th Ave · Meatpacking

Marcus Samuelsson's Scandinavian-African dining room. Bold flavors, beautiful space, right on the edge of the High Line corridor. A destination that earns its reputation.

Cookshop

156 10th Ave · Chelsea

A Chelsea cornerstone. Farm-to-table before it was a phrase, still setting the standard for the neighborhood brunch. The green juice here has no equivalent.

Chelsea Hotel Bar

222 W 23rd St · Chelsea

Drink in one of the most storied lobbies in American cultural history. Dylan Thomas, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith — every surface has a story. Order something and look around.

Rooftop at RH

9 9th Ave · Meatpacking

A rooftop restaurant inside a furniture gallery — only in New York. Views across the Hudson, a glass of wine, and no particular agenda. The kind of afternoon that makes you love this city.

Bottino

246 10th Ave · West Chelsea

Sleek Italian on 10th Avenue, long a gathering spot for the art world crowd. The garden in the back is one of the best-kept warm-weather secrets in Chelsea.

Tía Pol

205 10th Ave · West Chelsea

Tiny, beloved Spanish tapas bar on 10th Avenue, a neighborhood fixture for over 20 years. The jamón croquetas and a glass of Txakoli are a near-perfect combination.

Billy's Bakery

184 9th Ave · Chelsea

Old-fashioned American baking in the best possible sense. The layer cakes are beautiful and the banana pudding is the real thing. A neighborhood staple on 9th Avenue.

Cull & Pistol

Chelsea Market · 75 9th Ave

The oyster bar inside Chelsea Market. Serious seafood in a room that always feels like the city is working exactly as it should. The lobster roll deserves its reputation.

The Spain Market at Hudson Yards

Hudson Yards

José Andrés's sprawling Spanish food hall — one of the most ambitious dining destinations in the city. Go hungry, order widely, and let the charcuterie do the talking.

Chelsea Piers

Piers 59–62 · Hudson River

A floating sports complex on the Hudson — golf driving range, ice rink, rock climbing wall, marina, and bowling. One of those only-in-New York places that shouldn't work and absolutely does.

Gagosian

555 W 24th St · Chelsea

The 24th Street flagship is one of the most important gallery spaces in the world. The scale of the programming — and the art on the walls — is consistently extraordinary. Always worth checking what's up.

Pace Gallery

540 W 25th St · Chelsea

A massive, architecturally striking space on 25th Street with a roster spanning the 20th century to today. One of the essential stops on any Chelsea gallery walk.

David Zwirner

519 W 19th St · Chelsea

Blue-chip anchor of the Chelsea gallery district. The 19th Street space is beautifully designed and the programming is consistently among the most serious in the city.

Hauser & Wirth

542 W 22nd St · Chelsea

One of the most important galleries globally, with programming that spans historic masters and living artists. The 22nd Street space is architecturally memorable and the shows are always ambitious.

Lévy Gorvy Dayan

Chelsea

A serious program with a deep roster of 20th-century masters and contemporary artists. One of the galleries that makes Chelsea feel like the art capital it is.

Matthew Marks

523 W 22nd St · Chelsea

One of the original Chelsea anchors — Matthew Marks was here before most of the neighborhood arrived. The programming remains as thoughtful as ever. An essential stop.

Washington Square Park

Greenwich Village

The best people-watching in all of New York City. Sit on any bench for thirty minutes and you'll understand why people never want to leave downtown. Chess players, musicians, students, tourists, locals — everyone is here.

Hudson River Park

Christopher St pier & beyond

The Christopher Street pier at sunset is one of the great free experiences in New York. Walk north or south and find your own stretch of river. Four miles of waterfront, all of it yours.

Little Island

Pier 55 · Hudson River Park

A floating meadow on tulip-shaped concrete piers, rising from the remnants of the old Pier 54 — where Titanic survivors first arrived in 1912. A 687-seat amphitheater, gardens, and views that stop you mid-sentence.

The High Line

Gansevoort to 34th St

The elevated rail park that changed the conversation about what public space can be. 1.5 miles of gardens, art installations, and city views — from the Meatpacking District all the way to Hudson Yards.

Pier 57 / Market 57

25 11th Ave · Chelsea

Google's revived pier features some of the city's best food vendors under one roof, with a rooftop park above and river views on all sides. A destination that keeps getting better.

Furnish Green

Chelsea

Vintage and antique furniture in Chelsea — the kind of shop where you come in for one thing and leave having reconsidered your entire apartment. A Chelsea gem for anyone serious about their space.