Best Bike Lane

Best Church to Find a Program for Anyone
Rutgers Presbyterian Church
236 W. 73rd St. near Broadway,
rutgerschurch.org
In 1998, Rutgers celebrated its bicentennial and completed a full renovation of its sanctuary. Whether you’re single or a family, gay or straight, younger or older, a seeker or a believer, you’ll find this church to be a warm, hospitable community of faith with the programs you’re looking for. Whether you are someone seeking an all-inclusive place to worship or you are looking for children’s classes, adult classes, AA meetings, youth groups or community programs, you can find them all at Rutgers.

Best Cooking Experience
Eataly
multiple locations, lascuola@eataly.com or call 212.539.0204 Ext. 304
Even if they didn’t provide their own in-house experts to guide you, Eataly makes Italian food look good. What is better is that they teach you how to expertly and easily create dishes you love in your own kitchen. With a state-of-the-art cooking school, they offer classes that range from getting to know gnocchi to everything you ever wanted to know about olive oil. The space is specially designed so every student can see and hear each delicate detail. Classes are continually changing and always provide an ample meal.

Best Doggie Day Care
Wiggly Pups
152 E. 22nd St. near Third Avenue,
wigglypups.com
Billed as a “private canine club,” this Gramercy den for pampered pooches lives up to its promise. Paul and Kathy Compitus create a home-style environment for man’s best friend—if your home were well appointed with high-end doggie furnishings of your own design. After a temperament test ensures your pup will be a good fit with the in crowd (less than 20 dogs at a time), full-day care or shorter stays are available in their lounge Monday – Saturday. For $70 a night, your dog can snuggle overnight in their hotel, complete with turn-down service. Membership also grants access to “Wiggly Watch,” a password-protected portal to your puppy, allowing helicopter parents to keep an eye on their canine kids. Walking, transportation in a vintage Rolls Royce and positive reinforcement training are available for additional fees.

Best European Style
Salon with UES Flair
Aaron Emanuel Salon
307 E. 77th St., 212-422-3000
Expert stylist and salon owner Aaron Emanuel introduces a relaxing and pampering Upper East Side salon. Handpicked stylists, colorists and special-treatments experts make up the staff, which aims to create looks that surpass clients’ expectations. With a European styling foundation and today’s latest techniques, you’ll walk out feeling energized and looking beautiful!

Best Facelift of an Old Building
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Ave.
A “facelift” sometimes means a complete transformation into something new—nothing like what was there before. But with the Park Avenue Armory, a landmark and cultural institution on the Upper East Side, the remodelers wanted to refurbish and enhance the building, while holding on to its historic features and character. New York state’s Seventh Regiment of the National Guard built the armory in 1881, and besides a military center, it also served as a social hall. The building’s renovations included cleaning and brick replacements on the façade, replacements of skylights on the roof and interior alterations on the third and fourth floors, to name a few. Still, the building has something of an antique atmosphere, and the amber- and copper-colored walls in the drill hall are decorated with portraits of soldiers from the past and plaques honoring their service. Today, the Armory also houses artistic and cultural events—and it endures as a place where New York’s past and present coexist.

Best Foot Massage
Foot Heaven
16 Pell St., 212-962-6588
Located in Chinatown, Foot Heaven is the perfect resource for New Yorkers, who spend so much of their day trudging up and down subway stairs and rushing along sidewalks. This clean, unassuming massage parlor offers just two services: back rubs and foot rubs. While both are top-notch, the foot massages are, true to the store’s name, heavenly. The best part? The price: 30 minutes of intensive, restorative massage will set you back only $25. (For an even $30, spend your remaining $5 on an order of soup dumplings at Joe’s Ginger, located just across the street.)

Best Free Education
New School
66 W. 12th St. near Fifth Avenue, newschool.edu
The cost of higher learning keeps getting worse, but for those who live near The New School, there is a wonderful opportunity to take part in some free or $5 classes and events. There is a continual stream of nighttime workshops, panels, screenings and talks happening in the West Village all year long, open to the general public, as well as the students. Bring your pen and paper, and join in on a live event—from meeting Mumbai’s Barefoot Researchers or meeting the Cave Canem Poetry Prize winners, there is always something interesting going on.

Best Gym
Reebok Sports Club
160 Columbus Ave. near West 67th,
thesportsclubla.com
If you are serious about changing your body, run, don’t walk to Reebok Sports Club. Open 24 hours, you can always find time to fit a workout into your schedule. Once you are there, everyone from the check-in to locker room attendant will greet you with a smile. On busy days, you can shower in their spotless locker rooms and make it to your desk on time. Amenities include a 25-yard pool, two basketball courts, and a rock climbing wall. If you want to socialize, bring your laptop and sit in their sidewalk café, complete with complimentary wi-fi.

Best Health Food Store
4th Street Food Co-op
58 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue, 4thstreetfoodcoop.org
This little gem on Fourth Street is so tiny you might have passed it by, unconvinced of the virtues inside. Anyone can shop there, volunteers just get a good discount, but you can simply walk in and enjoy picking out your locally grown produce without fighting the elements or the elbows at an outdoor farmers’ market. Most everything in the shop is organic and carefully chosen, so it is only labeled when it isn’t up to those high standards. Flavorful dried fruits, plentiful grains, legumes and bulk herbs are some of the items you’ll discover along with ever-changing friendly service to tell you what the sorrel tastes like or give you a slice of the latest apple to try.

Best-Kept Banking Secret on the UWS
Lomto Federal Credit Union (180 Riverside Blvd. at 69th Street, 212-947-3380)
Originally incorporated to serve the needs of New York City’s Taxi and Limo drivers, Lomto FCU expanded its services a couple of years back to serve the whole community. Being located on the UWS means that anyone who lives, works or prays on the Upper West Side can take advantage of their wide array of banking services—which include some of the highest rates paid on CDs and money market accounts.

Best Hotel
Empire Hotel 4
4 W. 63rd St., empirehotelnyc.com
If you’ve ever watched Gossip Girl, you have probably caught a glimpse of the trendy 423-room hotel that character Chuck Bass owns. A stone’s throw away from Lincoln Center, the boutique hotel can be recognized by the bold neon sign that towers above the Upper West Side. Inside, you will be greeted by concierges Chris and Yuri and a lobby filled with beautiful people sipping drinks on leopard-print chairs. Not surprisingly, it is the official hotel of Fashion Week. There is a rooftop deck bar open to the public that is crowded every night of the week. If you are going for the food, the hotel is also the home to Ed’s Chowder House.

Best Jeweler
Murrey’s
1395 Third Ave., betw. E. 79th & 80th sts., 212-879-3690
Murrey’s Jewelers, a family business now in its third generation, has been serving loyal customers since 1936. Clients keep going back for purchases, repairs, appraisals and custom work because Murrey’s never says “no” to a project and always delivers. An added plus is that Murrey’s onsite workshop is locally and internationally acclaimed.

Best Local Author
Molly Jong Fast
Fast, who is the daughter of author Erica Jong and Jonathan Fast, somehow managed to become not only a fantastic writer, but a well-adjusted person. Born and brought up in Manhattan, her novels show the best (and often worst) sides of the Upper East Side.

Best Local
Clothing Company
Ann Yee Collection
Various locations, annyeecollection.com
Made in NYC isn’t a gratuitous throwaway line for Ann Yee, the rising Brooklyn-based designer who still manufactures her collections in New York’s garment district. Ann’s designs, which have garnered attention from publications like Nylon magazine and Women’s Wear Daily, feature architectural cuts juxtaposed with soft draping. With a blend of sophisticated uptown style and downtown edge, she’s committed to keeping her production local, but it won’t be long before her popularity spreads beyond New York.

Best Local Hardware Store
Scheman & Grant
various locations, schemanandgrant.com
Looking for a small-town hardware store smack-dab in the center of Midtown? Check out Scheman & Grant. The independently owned company has two locations right in the heart of Manhattan; Bryant Park on 39th and another close to Port Authority. The hardware store has a broad range of products ranging from paints to blinds, and they have crucial delivery and locksmith services available to city dwellers. With Middle American prices and helpful do-it-yourself staff, these are the best places to spruce up your NYC-sized life, or just fix the broken toilet your super ignores.

Best Off-the-Beaten-Path Waterfront Park
West Harlem Piers Park
Henry Hudson Parkway, at 131st St.,
nycgovparks.org
Piers Park, just off of Riverside Drive in West Harlem, is a shady, peaceful spot to catch up on people-watching. Bring a book to read, a paper to skim or a coffee to sip, and listen to the calming sounds of the East River. This destination is a popular passageway for leisurely bike-riders, mothers with children, couples, students and those aiming to catch a breath before or after a shopping trip at the nearby Fairway Market. You can also enjoy a clear view of George Washington Bridge to the north and the New Jersey coastline to the west.

Best Office Building to Move Up To
The Agora
at 87th Street and Third Avenue,
718-263-3800 or ross@muss.com
The Agora is the only first-class office building on the Upper East Side. It has two entrances and lobbies, one at 177 East 87th St. and the other at 1556 Third Ave., and is conveniently located one block from the Lexington Avenue Subway (4, 5 and 6 trains). Some notable tenants include Mount Sinai Manhattan Heart, Doyle Galleries and Duane Reade. Inquiries should be directed to Ross Spitalnick, senior vice president, Muss Development.

Best Place to Adopt a Pet
Bideawee
410 E. 38th Street, betw. FDR Dr. & 1st Ave., www.bideawee.org
Bideawee, which means “stay awhile,” in Scottish, is one of the country’s oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations. Founded in 1903, Bideawee has been cultivating and supporting the lifelong relationships between pets and the people who love them for more than 100 years. Bideawee provides an array of high-touch services including adoption centers, animal hospitals, pet therapy programs, and pet memorial parks that serve pets and pet lovers on their lifelong journey together. Bideawee is a not for profit 501(c) 3 humane animal organization and 100% of Bideawee’s funding comes from private sources. Bideawee operates one facility in New York City and two on Long Island, one in Wantagh, and one in Westhampton.

Best Place to Feel Like a Family
Make Meaning
329 Columbus Ave. near W. 75th St.,
212-362-0350
Remember when you were tricked into going with your friends to one of those pottery places where you had to make your own plate? It’s back—kinda. Make Meaning, with locations on the Upper West and Upper East Side, has managed to balance the twee with the sophisticated. The store has courses to teach you how to make items with glass, or you can try making candles, jewelry or fancy paper. They recently started cake decorating classes. What better way for families to spend quality time together?

Best Place to Find Your Faith
Marble Collegiate
at Fifth Avenue and West 29th Street,
marblechurch.org
Marble Collegiate does church the way you’ve always hoped it could be: diverse, inclusive, vibrant and fun. The spiritual house is a warm place of connection and community. Marble has been a part of the New York City landscape since 1854. There is truly something for everyone at Marble.

Best Place to Gussy Up Your Apartment
Haus Interior
250 Elizabeth St. near E. Houston,
hausinterior.com
It’s time to leave your Ikea cast-offs behind and decorate your big-kid apartment. Get your stuff together and your style on at this upscale pioneer-chic boutique. At Haus Interior, German-born design maven Nina Freudenberger offers what feels like her personal selections from all over the word. Expanding her interiors business into a tiny Nolita storefront, Nina curates fresh, modern pieces to fill out your space with natural and elegant lines. Not in the market for a complete overhaul? Haus Interior has enviable accessories: retro glassware, crisp Japanese linens and cozy throw blankets that easily can elevate the cool factor in your 700 square feet or your Hamptons dream home. The bevy of colorful pillows and unique wallpaper allow you to channel your inner pattern freak without committing to pieces of furniture. All beautiful, but obtainable on a budget. But if you’re that overwhelmed, Nina is for hire through the full-service design program.

Best Salon
Warren Tricomi Salon
at the Plaza Hotel, warrentricomi.com
When the Plaza Hotel was renovated, two major additions were hair gurus Joel Warren and Edward Tricomi. The cutting/coloring dynamic duo can be found there, transforming the look of everyone from Broadway stars
to diplomats. Among their accomplishments, they are the first stylist and colorist to create a hair product line together. A L’Oreal Professional salon, they are the pioneers of dry cutting and now specialize in frizz control. As befits the classic Plaza, the salon is decorated in the theme of old Hollywood glamour. Even if you don’t qualify to sit in their VIP area, the staff is sure to pamper you like you do.

Best Senior Health Care
Quality Healthcare
qualityny.com, info@qualityny.com,
718-338-8500
Quality Healthcare is a fully licensed and bonded home health care agency founded in 1994. For nearly 20 years, they have been providing exceptional home-care services in the New York area, with warmth and compassion. They specialize in striving to make the transition to home care as smooth as possible for the client and his family. Each member of our field staff has been trained, certified and has been screened and tested to ensure the highest level of service to our clients. Each client is assigned a personal coordinator who becomes familiar with their individual needs (physical, language, religious and cultural) and preferences and who is available each day to ensure that those needs are met. Someone will be with you every step of the way, with 24/7 availability.

Best Shoe Repair
John’s Shoe Repair
30 Irving Place near 15th St., 212-533-4110
John’s Shoe Repair in Gramercy is one of the few old-fashioned shoe repairmen left, and has been around for over 40 years. Owner Ariel Lopez does each and every one of the shoe repairs by hand, and works with old-fashioned leather cutting and threading machines. Lopez, who can do many repairs in less than one minute, takes pride in his work, and is capable of completely rebuilding a pair of ruined shoes. With reasonable prices and quick service, John’s Shoe Repair is a neighborhood staple.

Best Spa Experience
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental
80 Columbus Circle, mandarinoriental.com
Actress Sutton Foster calls this spa her favorite place in all of Manhattan. High above the city, you will be transported to an oriental-style home complete with bamboo floors and even a bento box meal. Their signature treatment, the oriental meridian massage, is tailored to your needs and lasts a whole hour and 50 minutes. Vitality pools, a fireplace, and an Oriental Tea Lounge add to the unique experience. Awarded five stars in Forbes Travel, it gives you a majestic view of the Hudson River—far from the tranquility of the Orient, but close enough.

Best Spiritual Getaway
Mount of Atonement
1350 Route 9, Garrison, N.Y.,
AtonementFriars.org, 845-424-3671
Among the rolling hills flanking the Hudson River is the Mount of Atonement, commonly called Graymoor, home to the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement. If quiet reflection is your goal, there are beautiful chapels, shrines and gardens. The nearby Appalachian Trail calls to hikers, and picnickers are welcome. The That Nothing Be Lost Thrift Shop is a treasure trove of vintage items; the Graymoor Book & Gift Center is the area’s largest ecumenical book store.

Best Unlikely Cool Neighborhood
Murray Hill
OK, stop laughing. Murray Hill is not just the place where snooty Cornell and Syracuse graduates live cheaply on their parents’ dimes. The rooftop parties at the Gansevoort Park may piss off the neighbors, but they’ve announced to the world this hood is a good-time destination. Joining them on the party circuit, POD 39 Hotel (opening soon) will boast a lounge and bar serving inventive tacos dreamed up by Chef April Bloomfield. With Milk and Honey’s spawn Middle Branch delivering classic cocktails with hand-cut ice and Terroir pouring Riesling down the throats of their disciples, the Hill has tipples for the discerning palate. Among cheap blow-outs, you can now find Aussie Greg Ruggeri’s new salon. Stop in for haute couture highlights while taking in his extensive art collection. Want to laugh without leaving your block? People’s Improv Theatre hosts edgy, hilarious performances seven nights a week. There’s a lot going on in Murray Hill—they’re getting a Fairway too!

Best Vacation Spot Within Two Hours
Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa
220 North Road, Milton, N.Y., 845-795-1310
Just a 90-minute train ride from Grand Central Station lies Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa, a picturesque 75-acre property in the Hudson Valley, with quaint accommodations, an eco-friendly day spa and a farm complete with llamas. Sample farm-to-table cuisine (literally, in this case) at Henry’s, but be sure to save room for the inn’s daily breakfast, which features cooked-to-order entrees and fresh-baked pastries. Unwind with a stroll around the grounds, get a hot stone massage or rent a car and go antiquing in neighboring New Paltz.

Best Vet
Amy Crain
Heart of Chelsea Animal Hospital, 257 W. 18th St., heartofchelsea.com
When you’ve given your dog dramamine for a road trip and you’re convinced you’ve killed him and you’re counting his breaths, there’s only one person who can talk you down from your fear of puppy-cide. Dr. Crain at Heart of Chelsea Animal Hospital is the best vet in town to calm your fears. She’ll answer all of your questions even if you think they’re insane. Animal owners wish she’d treat their maladies in addition to Fido’s—Dr. Crain is that incredibly patient and kind. She and the rest of the compassionate staff can handle anything from routine vaccines to dental to state-of-the-art radio surgery. This West Side office is a one-stop shop for your pet—even offering holistic care such as acupuncture and Chinese herbology.

Best Way to be Heard
Brilliant Senior Voice-Overs
brilliantseniorvoiceovers.com or
212-996-9732
We’re talking “heard” as in being the voice of a radio or TV commercial or perhaps heard as an audiobook narrator. This is the place to start. You’ll find classes, boot camps, demo production and their ever-popular, exclusive voice-over agent and casting-director nights. All students are men and women 55 and over, holding special appeal for boomers and seniors looking for a possible second career, improving speech and self-confidence and meeting great new people.

Best Way to Get Organized
Gotham Organizers
752 West End Ave. at W. 97th St.,
gothamorganizers.com
Is your studio apartment looking like it’s straight out of an episode of TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive? Do you have enough unread magazines and takeout menus piled up to create your own paper fort? Have no fear—Gotham Organizers are here to save the day. Specializing in organizing homes and businesses across New York City, the folks at Gotham Organizer will help you with everything from shredding your 2003 Con Ed bills to finding a better place to store your hairdryer than the kitchen cupboard. Consultation is free of charge.

Best Way to Keep Out City Noise
Cityproof
cityproof.com or 718-786-1600
Since 1960, Cityproof soundproof interior windows has been custom-manufacturing and installing interior windows that dramatically improve the quality of life in NYC home and work environments. Cityproof’s custom-designed Citywindows are installed on the inside of the existing exterior windows, creating a “buffer zone” of airspace that seals out noise. With Cityproof, there’s no need to replace or modify existing windows, since their Citywindows are often more economical and provide more noise reduction than replacing windows. They offer a free, on-site evaluation.

Best Way to See NYC
Experience the Ride
experiencetheride.com or 646-289-5060
More than a show and more than a tour, The Ride takes audience members on a nonstop entertainment experience through midtown Manhattan. Acting as the city’s only moving theater, with stadium seating and floor-to-ceiling glass, every audience member has front-row seats as the streets of New York become a stage. With performances around every corner, audience members are left guessing who’s a part of the show and who’s just along for The Ride.

Best Urgent Care That Feels Like a Spa
Medhattan
106 Liberty St. at Trinity Place, 646-461-2544
Medhattan Immediate Medical Care is Downtown NYC’s ER Alternative. Same-day appointments are available for you or your child with one of NY’s premier Board Certified ER doctors 365 days a year. With a spa-like décor, most capabilities of an ER and amenities you’d expect from a boutique hotel, Medhattan is just what busy but discriminating New Yorkers need. Since Medhattan opened its doors this time last year, they have cared for over 4,000 happy customers with everything from cuts and colds to fractures and kidney stones. X-ray, labs, sonogram, EKG, IV fluids, breathing treatments and casting are all offered on-site. Most major insurance plans including Medicare are accepted.

Best Yoga in Midtown
Sonic Yoga
754 9th Ave. near W. 51st, sonicyoga.com
Sonic Yoga is temporarily offering four months of unlimited yoga for $199 for new yogis. And you no longer have to worry about lugging your mat around town, because Sonic lets you store your mat at the studio for free. Don’t have a mat? No worries—they also let you borrow a freshly cleaned one for less than a cup of java. The intimate-yet-inviting studio is all hardwood and features changing rooms and cubbies for storing your stuff. Most importantly, Sonic’s instructors seem to really care about you—at the end of each session, they give mini-massages with calming lavender oil. is tailored to your needs and lasts a whole hour and 50 minutes.

Best TV: Soul Food
Roger Mooking’s new show Man Fire Food on the Cooking Channel has solved the soul-food riddle that has perplexed television’s new foodie culture. Mooking, a Canadian with an inviting grin, takes his culinary skill and infectious humor on the road, searching for new ways that assorted cooks use to express their individuality and different backgrounds.

The Cooking Channel had previously tried placing G. Garvin into this Masterpiece Kitchen-on-the-road slot via Roadtrip with G. Garvin, launching the former TV One cooking host to national prominence among the Cooking Channel’s roster of chefs (curiously light on American soul-food flavor). Garvin’s peripatetic duties missed the camaraderie of Patrick and Gina Neely of the Food Network. Garvin’s bluster was like beer-based sauce, a tad overbearing.

But Mooking finds a good balance of casual friendliness, observing his guests’ methods with genuine interest and demonstrating taste that testified to his own skills. Just bring back Mooking’s old habit of playing kitchen DJ once his meals have plated, and the Cooking Channel might have another hit.

Best Film School
The Bronx-based Ghetto Film School—an ideal introduction to the practicalities of filmmaking, film history and movie aesthetic—continues to move forward.
With film noteworthies like directors David O. Russell and Spike Jonze on its board, GFS has become one of the leading film schools in the country by steering clear of the snobbery and careerism that taint film education at the university and now festival-circuit level, where students are taught to bow down to the entrenched system of commercial and egghead formulas.

AT GFS, students are encouraged to follow the unbeatable educator’s dictum: Film What You Know. The GFS movies are about the students’ lives; their experiences translated through film communication methods. GFS puts young cineastes on the right path.

Best Indiana Jones movie
The recently issued Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Blu-Ray comes at the right moment—with enough time having passed—that a reasonable assessment can be made of the entire series. Despite the impact that Raiders of the Lost Ark made in 1981, each sequel has surpassed it. The original now looks rather stodgy (even with the vivid Blu-Ray transfer) because Spielberg’s momentum improved—astonishingly—with each sequel.

Now it can told: Raiders is the least of the quartet, despite its early-’80s novelty, coming at the tail end of the ’70s American Renaissance, when filmmakers brought modernist revisionism to Hollywood genres. The widely disliked Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is in fact richer, though it lacks the gorgeous lighting by Douglas Slocombe of the first three films. Kingdom builds on Raiders’ ideas and complicates them. Arriving two decades later, it is the series’ true sequel—refined and elegant.

The other films stand alone: Temple of Doom is a rambunctious comedy with some of the greatest action directing (that roller-coaster ride through the mines) that one can ever see. And The Last Crusade is the series’ masterpiece. Harrison Ford’s Indy finds his best ally in his dad (Sean Connery) and his perfect foil (Adolf Hitler giving his autograph). The overture sequence detailing Indy’s boyhood (played by the late River Phoenix) is a perfect example of relay-race ingenuity as well as a condensed history of cinema kinetics. It’s in The Last Crusade that Spielberg comes to grips with imperialism and the politics and ethics behind the anthropological urge. Manifest colonialism meets its spiritual destiny.
Read more about this in my book The Resistance: Ten Years of Pop Culture That Shook the World.

Best Arts and Culture Guide
Culturadar.com
You love arts and culture, want to take advantage of the best deals and don’t have a ton of time. Sound familiar? Culturadar (pronounced “culture radar”) aggregates critics’ picks and event listings/reviews from publications including The New York Times, New York magazine, the New Yorker, the L and the Village Voice. It is a one-stop to explore what’s happening, share info, make plans and get discounts to institutions and events. A single click even retrieves all free events citywide, making it easy to experience arts and culture in NYC completely free of charge.

Best Big Movie Theater
Loews Lincoln Square
(1998 Broadway, amctheatres.com)
This Upper West Side multiplex bridges old and new, with Old Hollywood photos and theaters named after the screen palaces of yore as well as Manhattan’s best IMAX screen. This AMC theater boasts blockbusters and smaller art-house indies all at the same time. And its prime Broadway location, near the 1 train and across the street from Ollie’s? Now that’s a happy ending.

Best Burlesque
Slipper Room
167 Orchard St., betw. Allen & Essex Sts., slipperroom.com
Long the undisputed home for burlesque in New York—you can also sometimes catch comedy or a concert—the Slipper Room hosts the best performers in town, like Julie Atlas Muse, Dirty Martini and Billy the Blue Bunny. Now, it’s emerging with a facelift, with two floors, purple banquettes and improved sight lines for you to take in your tassels in style. It’s scheduled to be unveiled to the public in October.

Best Cast on Broadway
Grace
graceonbroadway.com
You get four powerhouse actors for the price of one ticket in Grace, Craig Wright’s seriocomic look at four lives colliding in Florida: Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon; his wife, Kate Arrington, a Chicago staple; film star Paul Rudd, returning to Broadway after 2006’s Three Days of Rain; and seven-time Emmy champ (a record for men) Ed Asner. With a show tackling themes as heavy and polarizing as religion, faith and destiny, you need a cast this strong to bolster the material.

Best Classical Music for Kids
The Little Orchestra Society
littleorchestra.org
The Little Orchestra Society takes you inside the music with spectacles of music and theater—beloved and new, classic and cutting edge. From the iconic rock musician and poet Patti Smith narrating her childhood favorite, “Tubby the Tuba,” to the indelible animation of Disney performed with our orchestra in “Disney Fantasia Live in Concert, to Victor Herbert’s holiday extravaganza “Babes in Toyland,” there is something for every member of your family. Also, young children can begin a lifelong love of music with the Lolli-Pops series, where colorful characters educate and entertain. Discover your inner musician!

Best Fall Show at a Museum
New York Historical Society’s WWII exhibit
170 Central Park West, nyhistory.org
Starting Oct. 5, New York Historical Society will house the exhibit WWII & NYC, which demonstrates the impact that the Great War had on the Big Apple. Aspects covered will include the mobilization of workers, shipbuilding, Civil Rights struggles and the ripple effect on the arts back home. The exhibit will also display more than 300 real artifacts, including documents pertaining to the Japanese surrender.

Best Indie Movie Theater
Elinor Bunim Monroe Film
Center at Lincoln Center
165 W. 65th St., filmlinc.com
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s new state-of-the-art cinema just celebrated its first birthday, but it has already made a name for itself as a home for mature movies and serious watchers. The venue has a 150-seat and a 90-seat theater, ensuring intimate viewing experiences of small features and documentaries. EBM also plays host to special lectures, panels and educational programs.

Best Jazz Bar
Fat Cat
75 Christopher St., fatcatmusic.org
Tucked just below ground in the Village, Fat Cat is a massive, grungy live jazz lounge, bar and game hall with cheap drinks and game tables for miles. Be forewarned: On most nights, it’s near impossible to find a place to sit, let alone the pieces to the Scrabble sets.

Best Jukebox Selection
Manitoba’s
99 Avenue B, manitobas.com
While it’s true there are now internet jukeboxes that allow you to find almost any song ever produced—for extra money, of course—that’s still no substitute for a good jukebox of the old-fashioned kind. So leave it to “Handsome Dick” Manitoba, formerly of The Dictators and now owner of this great Ave. B dive, and his staff to select a range of picks—from obscure ’60s garage à la Nuggets to proto-punk and punk classics to newer indie gems—that can satisfy rock nerds of all stripes.

Best Karaoke
Sing Sing
various locations, karaokesingson.com
It’s still hard to beat this old Avenue A (with another location now on St. Mark’s) favorite, with its small rooms and eclectic song collection, where even the most jaded hipster can find something to belt out to his group of friends without feeling uncool. The small rooms may be spartan, but they are private and encourage disinhibition (necessary when you need to do a David Johansen rendition) as only an East Village dive can. Book in advance on a weekend.

Best Live Music Venue
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen St. near E. Houston,
rockwoodmusichall.com
This intimate and hip LES space has two stages, both of which allow you to get up close to your favorite performers. With cheap admission and multiple bands (virtually every hour on the hour), it’s a great venue to discover a new act without dropping a lot of cash; tickets are typically around $5. Plenty of folky singer-songwriter acts along with a solid mix representing other genres including indie, alt-country and even bebop.

Best New Bookstore
192 Books
190 10th Ave., 192books.com
192 Books is a general-interest bookstore located at Tenth Avenue and 21st Street, which hosts regular readings, exhibitions and a vast selection of contemporary literature. The clean, bright Chelsea bookstore also boasts rare and out-of-print texts.

Best New Art Gallery
Recession Art at CultureFix
9 Clinton St. near E. Houston
culturefixny.com
CultureFix gallery on the Lower East Side has partnered with Recession Art to create a gallery featuring exhibitions specifically by emerging artists. RAC features truly unique exhibitions, regular events and performances, and an affordable storefront.

Best New York Art Fair
The Affordable Art Fair
affordableartfair.us
The Affordable Art Fair, which takes place in April on West 34th Street, lives up to its name. It sees 10,000 visitors every year, according to its website, and provides a wide variety of unique art for affordable prices. The fair also offers art classes and events for visitors of all ages.

Best NYC Film Festival
Big Apple Film Festival
bigapplefilmfestival.com
Many of the “indie” film festivals have gradually shape-shifted into showcases for artsy Hollywood projects or weeklong marketing sprees for Miramax. But Big Apple Film Festival, which this year runs Nov. 14-19 at Tribeca Cinema, remains dedicated to self-financed projects produced outside the mainstream. Now in its ninth year, it serves especially as an outlet for small films that take place in the five boroughs or are made by New Yorkers.

Best Off-Off Broadway Show
Red Dog Howls
nytw.org
Alexander Dinelaris’ new show marks the return of acclaimed Manhattan actress Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit) to New York Theatre Workshop. She plays, Rose, a mysterious Armenian woman who leads Michael (Alfredo Narciso, star of The Ugly One and one of New York’s greatest talents) to unearth a buried family history. Florencia Lozano (Last Easter) also stars. Given NYTW’s recent history—their homegrown children Once and Peter and the Starcatcher swept this year’s Tonys—Howls may just have plenty to sing about.

Best Outside-the-Box Classical Music
American Symphony Orchestra
americansymphony.org
Whether they’re telling you the story behind your favorite piece of classical music or performing a rarity that you’ve never enjoyed before, the American Symphony Orchestra is never just giving you the same old orchestra concert. The ASO is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season with concerts unlike any other. At Symphony Space, Music Director Leon Botstein will explain a series of works with a Mahler connection. And the concerts-on-a-theme at Carnegie Hall will explore everything from vampires to John Cage to whipped cream. Best of all, most seats are just $25 or $35.

Best Performance Venue
ABC No Rio
156 Rivington St., betw. Clinton & Suffolk Sts., abcnorio.org
When ABC No Rio was redesigned in 2007 with help from the city, there were some that feared this former Lower East Side squat would drop its dedication to promoting radically hip collaborative arts and readings. But it didn’t. So whether it’s hosting a noise-punk outfit or an avant-garde poetry reading, the space is now just about the last bastion of old-school bohemia.

Best Place for Comedy
(That’s Not Upright Citizens Brigade)
The Pit
123 E. 24th St. near Park Avenue, 212-563-7488
According to comics fed up with the stale stand-up circuit, this is the venue to check out. From such acts as the deadpan Stone Brothers—two twins who look like buttoned-up lawyers and finish each other’s stories and talk over each other to Shakespeare send-up Jester’s Dead—this is the place to experience some new laughs.

Best Place to Write a Novel
Paragraph NY
35 W. 14th St., paragraphny.com
Paragraph NY, open 24/7, 365 days a year, was created “by writers for writers,” according to the organization’s website. Located near Union Square—but removed from the hustle and bustle—the quiet, eclectic and comfortable writing space “away from the hurry and obligation of urban life” is a member organization that takes applications from those wishing to access the space. Paragraph NY has everything from wifi to cozy couches and coffee makers for members.

Best Reading Series
KGB
85 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue,
kgbbar.com
This cozy Soviet-themed bar tucked away in the East Village has been the home to Monday-night poetry readings for over a decade. The renowned series, which features free evening readings by major contemporary poets throughout the fall and spring, is joined by readings of other genres most nights of the week. Get there early to snag a seat for the popular readings.

Best Tabletop Sport at a Bar
Ace Bar
531 E. Fifth St. near Avenue A,
acebar.com
While not quite a dive or yuppie bar, you can definitely peg this watering hole as a great place to play a host of tabletop games. Two cool pinball machines, pool tables, darts and, best of all, skeet ball! Not to mention a great selection of tap beers. If you get bored playing pinball or skeet ball, you can always lose some time examining their nonpareil vintage lunch-box collection or a game of Big Buck Hunter.

Best Under-the-Radar Museum
NY Transit Museum
130 Livingston St. at Boerum Place,
Brooklyn, mta.info/mta/museum
Sure, you could catch a Kandinsky or de Kooning at your pick of local museums. But where else can you find out how New York’s rail system is powered? NYTM, housed in a historic Brooklyn Heights subway station, is the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history. Visitors can learn about the history of the subway system as well as enjoy a look at New York City’s trolleys and buses. The museum also includes an after-school program for students on the autism spectrum.

Best Used Bookstore
The Strand
multiple locations, strandbooks.com
The Strand bookstore near Union Square is well-known among local and far-reaching offbeat literature-lovers for its quaintness, book selection, decent prices and eager employees. The Strand is not for the faint of heart, though—at peak hours it’s all about survival of the fittest on the store’s crowded main floor. While the second floor is spacious and labyrinthine, the basement (nonfiction section) could use a little work.

Best Bagels

Best Bar/Restaurant in a Hotel
NoMad
1170 Broadway, 347-472-5660,
thenomadhotel.com
Located in the “it” hotel of the moment, the NoMad Hotel, the aptly named NoMad comes courtesy of Daniel Humm and Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park fame, so it’s fitting that the red-and-black interior, service, and Swiss and French-inspired fare are all flawlessly executed. Unfortunately, all that quality buzz comes at a price, and with appetizers priced at up to $24 and entrees priced at up to $78, it’s a high one. Alas, that is the price of dining next to the likes of Katie Holmes and President Obama.
Best Bar for the First Date
Peels
325 Bowery, 646-602-7015, peelsnyc.com
First dates are tricky. You don’t want to pick an overly trendy or overly foodie spot lest you come off as trying too hard, nor do you want to pick a place that’s too affordable or, given the risk that your date could turn out to be a dud, too pricey. Peels is that rare gem that offers a menu of comfort-food classics at moderate prices and an always-hoping scene that’s neither too pretentious nor so loud that conversations are impossible. Better yet, Taavo Somer (of Freeman’s fame) offers the likes of fried chicken and red quinoa salad in a room set under what is arguably the most complexion-flattering lighting in all of New York City.

Best Bar for Microbrews
Idle Hands Bar
25 Ave. B, downstairs, idlehandsbar.com
It can be hard to convince non-beer-loving friends to accompany you on your latest saison scavenger hunt. That old saw about beer being an acquired taste? Only true of the good stuff. Try to get someone who’ll guzzle PBRs all night long to venture into hoppier territory, and watch the night dry up before your eyes. That’s why Idle Hands is the perfect bar for cross-cultural drinking. Their taps rotate weekly, showcasing hard-to-find seasonal brews sourced locally and from around the country, and 50 cans and bottles on hand at all times. But they also feature one of the most extensive bourbon lists in the city (80 and counting, including their very own Evan Williams barrel) and play varieties of rock music you don’t ever hear without digging deep into the Internet jukebox. The bartenders will offer suggestions without a whiff of judgment; they’ll even make a vodka-soda without batting an eye. It’s like the U.N. of booze—bringing people together, one drink at a time.

Best Breakfast
The Breslin
16 W. 29th St., thebreslin.com
First, let’s be clear. This is breakfast we’re talking about, not brunch. There are a thousand nice brunches in this city, and 10 times more that rate at passable or waste of time. But a real breakfast? You know, served before 9 a.m., on weekdays? That’s a rare gem. That’s why we love The Breslin. It’s secretly a hotel restaurant, which means it’s open from 7 a.m. for business travelers off to a full day in the office, but it’s cheffed by April Bloomfield, the nouveau-Brit champion best known for Village gastropub The Spotted Pig. Breakfast runs the spectrum from a refreshingly light grapefruit with ginger and mint to hearty meals like poached eggs with curried lentils and yogurt or a full English breakfast. Whatever you do, don’t skip the baked goods—Bloomfield’s pastry chef makes miracles with butter and sugar, turning classic British treats like hot cross buns and cinnamon toast into manna from heaven.

Best Coffee
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
18 W. 29th St., stumptowncoffee.com
Now that the joke of the hipster coffee shop (Fedoras! Tasting notes! Those hilarious brewing contraptions!) has faded into cliché, it’s about time we all settled down and realized one very basic fact: All that seemingly excessive care makes some damned good coffee. Case in point: Stumptown. This Portland import is ripe for jokes just by its provenance; add in the baristas’ requisite headwear and the carefully rough-hewn dark wood interior, and it’s all you can do to stop your eyes from rolling. But have a cup. Their espressos are thick and rich, expertly pulled from their own Hair Bender blend, but the real revelation is the regular joe. French press-brewed from a different bean every day, this cup is sweet and fruity, hearty and aromatic without needing a drop of milk or sugar. You’ll find you only need a small cup to get you going in the morning; looks like the last laugh’s on those suckers chained to their vat of Starbucks.
Best Coffeehouse
Blue Bottle Coffee
450 W. 15th St., 510-653-3394,
bluebottlecoffee.com
Originally hailing from the Bay Area, this fast expanding mini-coffee empire still stays true to its original mission of delivering high-quality coffee, all of which is less than 48 hours out of the roaster so that it can be enjoyed at its peak flavor. To boot, all of the coffee is made from organic, pesticide-free, shade-grown beans, and the space’s streamlined seating area and décor make it the perfect spot to take a breather as you wait for your coffee (which can take a good five minutes to be prepared) and pastries. As an added bonus, the crowd at this coffee shop—heavy on fashion and design types—is always impeccably dressed.

Best Comfort Food
Congee Village
New York has been overrun by down-home faux-Southern just like mama (whose mama, exactly? Not mine) used to make “comfort food” restaurants that are so predictable you could set your watch by their menus. Mac and cheese. Burgers. Fried pickles. So on. While we love a good gut-buster every once in a while, there’s nothing particularly comforting about rolling down the street clutching your belly. Comfort, to us, comes in the form of something simple, warm and soothing, the kind of food that gives you the strength to go back out into the world. That’s what congee does. The Chinese porridge is simple in the extreme—just rice cooked down with lots of water until it gives up its shape and becomes a silky soup, doctored up with whatever meats you like and served with enough sliced ginger and scallion on top to clear any head. It sticks to your ribs in a way that’s not overwhelming—just like millions of mamas used to make.

Best Cupcakes/Sweets
Sant Ambroeus
259 W. Fourth St., 212-604-9254,
santambroeus.com
An oldie, but a goodie, Sant Ambroeus constantly delivers the most exquisite sweets in New York City. While there are a number of New York City spots to pick up butter-cream-heavy confections of delight, none melds sweet perfection with refined sophistication the way that Sant Ambroeus does. Whether you’re going for chocolate mousse cake, a hazelnut sponge finished with hazelnut butter cream, gelati, a selection of cookies or one of their fruit tarts, it’s impossible not to be completely at peace knowing that every calorie was well worth it.

Best Diner
Coppelia
207 W. 14th St., coppelianyc.com
New York City’s diner tradition is a grand one, from the 20th-century invention of the “quick lunch” restaurant to the wave of Greek immigrants who took over the scene in the ’50s and forced an institutional diversity in an era of less-than-tolerant Anglo-Saxon homogeneity. While there are still hundreds flourishing (many with the same Greek owners) across the five boroughs, many are now trying to do it different and better. Unfortunately, fancying up diner classics doesn’t make the cut; the only new diner worthy

of the name is the 24/7 Cuban-American Coppelia, where Latino comfort food meets New York classics in mac and chicharrón, burgers with yucca fries and all-night steak and eggs with rice and beans. Oh, and a dulce de leche milkshake. Bonus: Cubans know their coffee—none of that weak diner stuff here.

Best Deli
Katz’s
205 E. Houston St., katzsdelicatessen.com
Sometimes the classics are classics for reasons that are no longer relevant: institutions that have coasted on their reputations for decades, buoyed along by tourists who visit once, are disappointed, but tell all their friends about it anyway. Those friends go when they’re in town because they don’t know they have options, and so on for years. Katz’s is not one of those places. Yes, the lines are atrocious. The When Harry Met Sally sign is kitschy at best, and the celebrity photos on the walls are from a heyday that hasn’t heyed in about 20 years. But there’s no arguing with the pastrami. Or the chopped liver. Or the pickles (full sour, half sour and green tomatoes, of course). Take a friend, sit at a table-service spot along the sides, order a Dr. Brown’s, a reuben and a chopped liver, and forget you’re surrounded by Meg Ryan enthusiasts.

Best Destination Wine and Liquor Store
Warehouse Wines & Spirits
735 Broadway, 212-982-7770
For over 30 years, Warehouse Wines & Spirits has been the ultimate liquor store to get the most bang for your buck. The store is stocked to the rafters with a dizzying selection of wine and liquor, with prices as enticing as the selection. They always have several great multi-pack promotions on the shelves. The staff knows their stuff and will always point you in the right direction. Stocking up is the thing to do there. In this economy, Warehouse Wines is the go-to shopping spot.

Best Dive
The Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge
543 Eighth Ave., 212-244-9045
The word “dive” gets thrown around a lot these days. Too often, people use it to describe a bar that doesn’t serve anything fancier than Heineken, is poorly lit or has some ripped upholstery. A real dive bar has an element of danger to spice up the cheap, crummy drinks and dirt—the term, after all, is said to have originated from bars where patrons had to dive under the tables whenever trouble broke out. That’s where Wakamba wins. Not only are the beers cheap, there’s a good possibility that the next bottle the bartender pulls out of the ice could be broken. Not only is the place dingy, it’s decorated with the remnants of the ancient tiki fad, moth-eaten thatch hanging over the bar and red lighting adding that “Satan’s grotto” touch. You will get stared down and sized up by everyone in the room when you walk in. But they’ll leave you alone if you observe proper dive etiquette: Keep your head down, keep drinking and always be prepared to hit the floor.

Best Dumplings
Lam Zhou HandMade Noodle
144 E. Broadway, 212-566-6933
This subterranean hole-in-the-wall in the deepest recesses of eastern Chinatown seems like it doesn’t pull any punches. The name, after all, appears to say it all. And the noodles are great; in varying thicknesses, either pan-fried or in soup. But that’s not, in fact, all they do. The minute you walk in the door, the first thing you’ll likely see is not the eponymous noodles (those are pulled in the rear kitchen) but a woman seated at one of the Formica tables, filling dumplings and laying them out in ranks on an enormous sheet pan. And the waitress, before you order anything else, will make sure you’re ordering dumplings. They come in one variety (pork and chive), and you want them fried, the underside seriously crispy while the top of the wrapper stays supple and the filling stays juicy. It’s a standout above all of the single-minded dumpling shops in town.

Best Expanding Restaurant
The Smith
55 Third Ave., 212-420-9800,
thesmithnyc.com
There are few spots in Manhattan that can deliver a killer scene minus exorbitant prices, so it’s little surprise that East Village favorite The Smith is continuing its expansion. After opening a Midtown sister location less than a year ago, the downtown hot spot has announced that it will be taking over the Upper West Side spot formerly known as Josephina. It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and is expected to be as large as its Midtown location. Expect the same mild prices, comfort-food classics and bar snacks (think fish and chips and chicken and waffles). And, no trip to The Smith would be complete without a slice of their Birthday Cake, a yellow cake served with fudge frosting, vanilla ice cream and a candle.

Best Food Trend
Small plates
Tapas-style eating has been getting a lot of flak recently, with New York Times critic Sam Sifton leading the charge against “the myth of small plates meant for sharing.” We love Sifty, but this is one point on which we’re going to have to disagree. For the chronically indecisive, the miniature of appetite or the purely gluttonous, the wealth of new restaurants who put just as much care and attention into small, three-bite plates as oversized entrees is an answered prayer. Can’t decide between the lamb terrine and the prawns? Get both! Want to have both a salad and a pasta but don’t want to have to leave most of both on the plate? No problem! Want to try one of everything because each dish looks better than the last? Do it. Finally, a cause both overeaters and undereaters can get behind.

Best French Fries
The Harrison
355 Greenwich St., theharrison.com
When all you want is a serious bowl of fries, The Harrison looks like the absolute wrong place to be. The elegant Tribeca restaurant is candlelit and twinkling, all cozy nooks and white tablecloths. Steered there by a friend, your first thought is likely to be “I’m going to have to order a steak to get these fries, aren’t I?” But never fear. The Harrison is run by Jimmy Bradley, of Chelsea’s Red Cat, a longtime gallery-goer’s favorite for intensely friendly, comfortable fine dining. And those fries are featured all by themselves—“schmaltz fries with malt aioli,” to be precise. They’re double-fried in duck fat and canola oil; thicker than we usually like, the process makes them as dark and crispy as shoestrings, with an added creamy potato interior. And the side sauce is an unholy marriage of the best in European accompaniments—British malt vinegar and Dutch mayonnaise—that is intensely sweet, tart and complex. Sitting at the bar with these and a beer from their surprisingly extensive list is the absolute right place to be.

Best Frozen Yogurt
16 handles
2600 Broadway, 646-422-7022
16 Handles is the ultimate frozen yogurt shop with a social consciousness, serving the best yogurt with delicious toppings and sauces. It’s a great place to hang with friends, family or on your own, and with 16 flavors and over 50 toppings, the options are endless. Plus you can flaunt your yogurt creation and feel good about that huge dish of deliciousness by knowing that every purchase supports their mission of being green and giving back to the community. They also do private parties!

Best Italian Restaurant
Dopo Teatro
345 E. 62nd St., 646-484-6548
With so many Italian eateries in New York City, it can be difficult to find an “authentic” one—offering 100 percent home-cooked food and an ambience that transports diners to Italy, if only for an hour or two. Dopo Teatro East, which opened on East 62nd Street between First and Second avenues at the end of June, does just that. The manager, Albi Mecaj, and chef, the Italian-born Salvatore DiBella, are very attentive to diners and help them to pick the exact kind of meal they are looking for, from the main course to the beverage to the dessert.

Best Line Worth the Wait
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
328 E. 14th St., 212-228-2004, brandonlinker7.wix.com/artichokepizza
No city has people more time-crunched than New York, so if you’re going to give a spot that’s playing hard to get your time and money, you best be sure it’s worth the wait. Artichoke Basille’s Pizza is one spot that’s sure to never disappoint. Even in a city where pizza places are a dime a dozen, this frill-free joint’s mouthwatering pizzas are worth the wait, which can often stretch down the block. Luckily given that celebrities like Sophia Vergara have been known to queue up alongside us plebeians, waiting for that delicious slice of artichoke pizza can be all the more worthwhile.
Best Meal for $10 or Less
Kalustyan’s
123 Lexington Ave., kalustyans.com
The curry hill spice shop has been the stuff of legend for years. Need a pound of Thai bird chilis? They’ve got it. Looking for black garlic, red quinoa or fresh green turmeric? Easy. While it’s easy to get lost in the main-floor cornucopia, carry on upstairs, where behind a deli counter sit buckets of olives and fresh cheese, piles of samosas and six trays of some of the best Middle Eastern food around. There’s always mujadarra, an intensely flavored pilaf of caramelized onions, lentils and rice; depending on the day you’ll also find buttery eggplant salad, stewed curried chickpeas and more. A platter of three choices plus salad, pita and olives will set you back $7—grab a mango lassi from the fridge behind you for dessert and perch at one of the tin tables by the window, looking down on the neighborhood like its king. You’ll be eating like one.

Best Pizza
Patsy’s Pizzeria
2287 First Ave., thepatsyspizza.com
People will tell you that the only real New York pizza is found in Brooklyn, in the outer reaches of Staten Island or in Queens. Manhattan, they say, has been overrun by upstart Neapolitan-style restaurants, where toppings like arugula and burrata trump pepperoni and mozzarella; where a small pie feeds one, not six, and costs twice as much. We will contend that this is not necessarily a bad thing, and that there is room in our hearts and our borough for many different pizzas. But when you want a simple slice, big enough to fold in half with a crust supple enough to bend without snapping, there’s nothing like Patsy’s. It’s the coal oven that does it, delivering spots of deliciously bitter char without baking the crust to a crisp, countering the sweet tomato sauce and slightly salty dry mozzarella just right. There are no bad slices of pizza, but this one is better.

Best Place to Become a Wine Expert
Casa Oliveira Wines & Liquors
98 Seventh Avenue South, 212-929-0760
Located in the heart of the West Village, one block south of the Christopher Street/Sheridan Square subway station, Casa Oliveira offers free tastings on Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. The store carries a full selection of wines and liquor. All white wines, champagne and other sparkling wines are available chilled. They open daily at noon (1 p.m. on Sunday), and are open on Friday and Saturday night until 11:30 p.m.

Best Place for Breakfast with the Crew/Best Fried Clams and Calamari
Jeremy’s Ale House
228 Front St., 212-964-3537
Jeremy’s has the coldest beer and freshest seafood, at prices everyone can afford. Its fried clams and calamari have consistently been voted the best in town. When you’re there, you also have to try the seafood stew. The bowl is big enough for two and is only $12.95. Early risers or all-nighters can try their Monday-thru-Friday eye-opener from 8 to 10 a.m. The staff is friendly, and the informal atmosphere and nine flat-screens make it the perfect place to watch your favorite sporting event.

Best Place for Late Night Snacks
H-Mart
25 W. 32nd St., hmart.com
So you’ve been lured into another K-Town Tuesday night of boozing, karaoke and self-esteem destruction. You’ve finally found your way out of the bar, skipping one last round of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and are tottering unsteadily toward the Herald Square subway station when you realize you’re going to need some starch in your system now to avoid another hungover commute in the morning. That’s where H-Mart comes in. Going to a restaurant is too daunting a task; besides, most of your friends are still at the bar communing with their inner Bonnie Tylers. At this, the only Manhattan location of this Korean supermarket chain, let your inner 8-year-old revel in the wide variety of insanely flavored snacks and sodas, plus a small but well-done selection of prepared foods like kimbap, sticky rice cakes and japchae, stir-fried clear noodles. Take your tako chips (yes, that’s octopus flavor) on the subway and start soaking up the soju. Just don’t fall asleep and miss your stop again.

Best Pub Food
Peter McManus Café
152 Seventh Ave., 212-929-9691
This Classic New York Institution has been slinging food and drinks the same way since 1936. Great cheeseburgers and corned beef sandwiches highlight the menu, all with the same smiling service. Open till 4 a.m., it’s a great place for lunch, last call and any situation in between. A must visit in Chelsea.

Best Whole Pie
Lombardi’s Pizza
32 Spring St., 212-941-7994
In 1905, Lombardi’s became America’s first pizzeria, and to this day it is regarded as not just culturally significant but one of the best pizzerias in the country. Their traditional pie is a mouthwatering blend of fresh mozzarella and a special San Marzano tomato sauce topped with romano and basil, spiced to perfection. You can’t buy a slice here, but that’s OK, because when you taste it, you will want to eat the whole thing!

Best Wine Store on the Upper West Side
Martin Brothers
2781 Broadway, 212-222-8218
In 1985, brothers Orlirio and Roberto Martin converted Las Antillas Market to Martin Brothers Wines and Spirits. After 26 years, Martin Brothers still resides on the corner of Broadway and 107th Street, managed now by second-generation Martins, daughters Carrie and Elizabeth. They offer outstanding customer service and a selection that has not been matched on the UWS, plus loyalty to their neighborhood and all who shop there.

Best UES Wine Shop
Vinyl Wine Shop
1491 Lexington Ave., 646-370-4100
Vinyl Wine features an extensive selection of off-the-beaten-path wines and craft spirits that you won’t find at most other shops. They’re known for a laid-back atmosphere where wine geeks and newbies feel equally welcome. So stop by, taste some wine, and listen to whatever they’re spinning on our old turntable that day. Free deliveries go out daily to most areas of the Upper East Side and East Harlem.

Whether it’s pounding the pavement for the best slice of pizza or highlighting the most promising up-and-coming artists, “Best of Manhattan” has been an indispensable guide to city dwellers for the past 25 years.

A quarter of a century also seems like a good time to look back at where we’ve been and forward to where we want to go. Starting with this issue, readers will no longer have to wait a year to find out the best that our city has to offer. We’re launching an ongoing feature that will pick everything from the best places to grab a warm cup of joe to the most luxurious spa services in our neighborhoods.

By doing this, we hope to keep readers better informed than ever and to search out the best and brightest of the greatest city in the world.
Readers with “Best of” suggestions that they would like to see us cover in a future issue can e-mail the editor at ahouston@manhattanmedia.com.
We hope you’ll find something unexpected within the pages inside.

Here’s to another 25 years.

Sincerely,
Allen Houston
Executive Editor

Best of City Living

Best of Eat and Drink

Best of Arts and Entertainment

Contributors to the Best of Manhattan issue: Nancy J. Brandwein, Wickham Boyle, Thomas Chan, Shoshana Davis, Leonora Desar, Sharon Feiereisen, Danny Gold, Matt Harvey, Andrea Hilbert, Regan Hofmann, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Layla Khoury-Hanold, Amy Kraft, Roland Li, Aspen Matis, Sherry Mazzocchi, Beth Mellow, Lorraine Duffy Merkl, Evan Mulvihill, Chris Opfer, Mark Peikert, Josh Perilo, Adam Rathe, Robby Ritacco, Josh Rogers, Max Sarinsky, Miral Sattar, Hilary Snell, Doug Strassler, Colin Weatherby, Tracy Weiss, Ashley Welch and Noah Wunsch.  All illustrations by Evan Soares.

Recently, GQ named Brooklyn the “Coolest City on the Planet” for foodies. While we agree that the borough is first-rate in a number of things—hipster watching, finding a cheap apartment with antique molding—we are inclined to believe that Manhattan is still king. Brooklyn isn’t a cocktail that people in Idaho can order. Woody Allen has yet to direct a film named after that borough. And there is one distinction that Manhattan will always hold: It’s the birthplace of New York City, an urban metropolis that captivates our collective imagination to this day.

Manhattan is the best mix of the old and the new, the elegant and the seedy, the popular and the obscure. This borough, the smallest of the five in terms of geography but the third largest in population, presents every flavor of society—if you know where to find it.

“Best of,” a tradition started here by the New York Press, is meant to inspire an air of wonder in New Yorkers, some of whom may be more ground down by their daily haul than others. Though “discovered” over 400 years ago, Manhattan still retains a sense of mystery and the same excitement of discovering a new land. This is the borough where you can find wares you didn’t know you needed, experiences you weren’t aware you were lacking and foods you never imagined were edible.

After a year in which Manhattan has survived an earthquake, a hurricane and a freak snowstorm in October, it’s time to put your stamp on this borough and claim it as the best in the universe.