Five faves for New York City?  What, are you kidding me? Boiling down my love of this city to just 5 things is tough. But here goes:

1. Walk this Proud Land. {click on link for soundtrack}

If you are in New York City, you must set forth on foot. Walk now. Walk everywhere. But please walk briskly. (New Yorkers, harried one and all, love you but not if you stroll or saunter). You will never feel the beating heart of New York neighborhoods unless you do a walkabout. I’ve spent days, weeks, months and years walking all around the city. I’ve walked the avenues from end to end, across bridges, and from borough to borough, often with my trusty camera in tow. I’ve discovered plenty of what’s small and special in the Big Bold Apple.

Guidebooks will tell you all about what’s glittery, shiny and hip. Those things are fine too, but nothing beats the pedestrian pursuit of happiness — that tucked-away café or restaurant, that amazing little shop, that intriguing bit of street art. Let all these unforgettable things discover you. And, don’t worry about getting lost; what you discover will be worth much more than the inconvenience. Rely on your smartphone to get you back, and you can thank or curse me later.

Some favorite walks: Brooklyn’s Prospect Park to Manhattan’s City Hall (via Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge); City Hall to the East Village; Manhattan’s Westside Highway from Battery Park to the Intrepid Museum.

2. We have Coffee. You can sleep when you’re dead. 

Step away from the Starbucks, people. No, seriously. If you are visiting, why do Starbucks here if you can do it at home? Sit yourself down somewhere else, grab yourself a cup of joe, and take an extended moment just to be. As much as I have professed my love of the original idea of that chain, the café experience you have while sitting in one of Starbucks’ *stores* has become numblingly generic, if wildly popular. And the baked goods just don’t cut it IMHO.

I must confess: Sydney, Melbourne, Seattle, and San Francisco have all fought off the franchised coffee monster better than we have. Regrettably, when Starbucks came to town here, some of our best cozy cafes perished.  But know this: New York City had great cafes before Starbucks arrived, and we have them now. You owe it to yourself to experience them. Go for quaint, go for old-world charm, go for hipster milieu, go for whatever turns you on. Just go.

A few of my faves: Ceci-Cela Patisserie (for the excellent French pastries), Caffe Roma and DeRobertis Caffe (for the old world Italian charm and desserts), Café Reggio (one of the original West Village bohemians), Patisserie Claude (the coffee is okay but this tiny gem turns out warm croissants that are the absolute truth), and  9^th Street Espresso and the Roasting Plant (oh, if you must have hipster cred). Those are just some Manhattan examples; there are many, many more. Check it!

[Prelude to No. 3: NYC is a big, bad city with 5 boroughs. Leave Manhattan (and hipster Brooklyn, too)]

3. Two words: Coney Island.

Get there before it’s too late.

Warning: this trip takes about an hour on the subway from midtown Manhattan but is so worth it if you’re feeling brave (oh, don’t be scared!). Lots of subway lines go there.

I’ve rhapsodized about Coney Island in an earlier post, so no need to go much further here. Let’s just say there’s an awful— yet wonderful — urban realness about Coney that goes beyond Nathan’s hot dogs. It’s the people’s playground –- kind of like our grimy, citified version of the state fair — although clearly it’s not everyone’s choice of hangout. If you want a touristy (and sanitized) waterside experience, complete with souvenir shops and pricey eateries: check out the South Street Seaport and Battery Park. High-end developers have commenced the upscale reincarnation of Coney Island, and in a few years’ time, it will look a whole lot more like the Seaport and have malls, prices and crowds to match. The unfortunate result: the kind of anti-charm that so many people enjoy now will vanish.

Here are my recommendations: If you want a fantastic beach experience: don’t go to Coney Island during the daytime in the summer. The beach itself is beautiful in the off-season, and you can stroll the boardwalk as slowly as you please (strolling is okay there). Now, if you want to know what pure joy feels like: catch the free fireworks every Friday night in summer. Take your kids. Eat some tacos. Ride the Cyclone. If you’re an aging hipster, like me, the people dancing to the house music party on the boardwalk will make you want to keep on dancing. Bliss!

4. Catch a flick at the Angelika Film Center. It’s not your Nana’s movie theater (unless she lives in NYC).

Not quite the haven for independent film it once was, the Angelika is still a great place to hang out. You won’t find Hollywood blockbusters here. Have a seat in the café/lobby on a weekend night (get your movie tickets early…or don’t, because you can sit in the café for free) and prepare to people watch. Truth be told, the café treats won’t inspire awe, but all the energy in the place will get you buzzing.

A real bonus: the Angelika is located near the frenetic corner of Houston and Broadway and is within walking distance of all the great downtown Manhattan neighborhoods: Greenwich Village (East and West), Soho, Tribeca, the Lower East Side, Chinatown and Little Italy. Walk up to Gramercy or Chelsea if you want to show off your walking chops.

The Angelika is by no means the only game in town for independent or alternative cinema (which I insist you support). Other worthy venues include: The Film Forum, Landmark Sunshine Theater, the IFC Center, Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, and Cinema Village.

If true theatre (i.e. live dramatic performances on stage) is more your thing, forget the movies and Broadway shows and just walk from the Angelika to the nearby Public Theater. Something good will be playing there and won’t cost you Broadway $$$$.

5. Need Something Spicy to Eat? Get Yourself to Jackson Heights, Queens. Quick. Fast. And in a Hurry.

So many people (visitors and residents alike) don’t want to leave Manhattan.  Or they’ll only travel to the close-in Brooklyn neighborhoods to which hipsters have been banished due to escalating real estate prices. Enter Queens: they’ll be happy to see you.

Jackson Heights, Queens is an Asian cuisine paradise that won’t hurt your pocketbook.  You get to have all the flavor you want without all the cost. Believe me, in NYC, that spells major stress relief for everybody.

Lots of subway lines come into Jackson Heights via the Roosevelt Avenue/74th St. Station. In fact, you can ride the same F train from Coney Island to this station, stopping at the Angelika for a layover along the way. (That’s right, 3 of the faves on the same subway line).

Hop off the train and walk a few steps, and Little India will embrace you. Delicious food in local restaurants on 74^th Street awaits you. Walk right past the Jackson Diner (the pioneer of curry parlors on this strip), and sit down in Delhi Palace, where you’ll see locals dining with their families. And, for good reason. The Sunday brunch buffet offers a superb assortment (no hyperbole) of things to tempt you. People with the proper credentials (bestowed by heritage) have told me that eating here is like having grandma’s home cooking. I’ll have some, thank you very much. You should, too.

Maybe you’d just like a snack. Stroll down the street (it’s allowed here) to the Al Naimat Restaurant & Sweets and for a dirt-cheap price, you can delight yourself with some of the to-die-for samosas. The last time I was there, two young women spontaneously shared part of their meal with me. How bad can that be? Anyway, decide for yourself.

While in the neighborhood, you also can treat yourself to a sari, Indian groceries, or some very intense gold jewelry. Or you can head back down to Roosevelt Avenue, the main drag, and you’ll find Colombian restaurants and clubs if you go in one direction and Thai, Filipino and Korean Fried Chicken restaurants if you head off in the other.

All this non-Manhattan meandering is worth your time. And, all of it is only 15 minutes away from Grand Central Station. 

Bonus: Ride the 7 train back to Grand Central and stand in the first car so you can watch the Manhattan skyline appear in the train’s front window. That light show is spectacular, and it’s complimentary with the subway fare.

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There you have it: 5 of my faves. Enjoy! Let me know what you think.