New York Dearest
The guide, $35
New York Dearest · from someone who lives here

Welcome to New York, dearest.

Let me show you around. 2,280 places I went to myself, a verdict on each, and this year’s dates the day they land.

The mapHalloween, my trackerPlan your daysAsk me anything

Every place I’d send you, on one map.

The ones my lists agree on
On three or more of my listsA neighborhood opens its guide
Open the mapPlan my tripHalloween, 45 places
Antonina on a West Village sidewalkAntonina on the Upper East Side in winterAntonina at the Met
Who’s writing this

I’m Antonina. I go to all of it myself, and I’ll tell you when something isn’t worth your time.

Every guide here is a place I went to, photographed and graded myself. When a reader asks, I answer on the guide where the next person can find it. My husband and I split our time between New York and Portland, and the Christmas itinerary I hand my own family is the one readers have bought for six years.

  • 2,280places I went to
  • 442guides
  • 15,677photographs of the city, mine
  • 310reader questions answered

More about meAsk me anything

Start with these

Two ways in
New York right nowHalloween in New York45 places I went to myself, and this year’s dates the day they land.Open the tracker First time hereWhat I Actually Tell Friends When They Visit NYC for the First TimeWhat I’d do, what I’d skip, and the things nobody tells you before the first trip.Read it

Where I’d go in the next few weeks

Christmas in New York in 94 days. Pumpkin Keg at Loreley Beer Garden September 25, announced.
My trackerHalloween in New York45 places, the parade, the patches and the bars, with this year's dates. Every pin is a place I went to. Save the ones you want and they follow you into the planner.Open the map
  1. FriSep 25Pumpkin Keg at Loreley Beer GardenLower East Side · freeon my halloween map
  2. SatSep 26Boo at the ZooThe Bronxon my halloween map
  3. SatSep 26The Headless HorsemanUlster Park, NY (Hudson Valley)on my halloween map
  4. SatSep 26Twisted TrailsAnnadale, Staten Islandon my halloween map
  5. SatOct 10The Rink at Rockefeller Center opensMidtown · freeon my christmas map
  6. On nowthrough Nov 1Pumpkin Patch at Queens County FarmGlen Oaks, Queenson my halloween map

Ask me anything about New York

Everything readers have asked
I read every one. The answer goes up on the guide it belongs to, and into your inbox.

Can you comment on Our Daily Bread & The Gluten Free Bakery , Chatham NY please? showed up on my feed . Looks great but no reviews. thank You for a quick response!

Hi Sandy, thanks for reading! I haven't made it up to Chatham yet so I can't vouch for it personally, this list sticks to the five boroughs. A dedicated gluten free bakery in that part of New York sounds promising though. If you try it, come back and tell me…

Gluten-Free Bakeries in New York

Thank you Antonina! Do you recommend one Dante location over the other for predinner drinks and after dinner drinks? The type of happy hour drinks not that important more for the classic evening date night vibe. Love…

Great question, Erin! For a classic evening date I'd go to the original Dante on MacDougal, that's the one with all the history and it's pure magic after dark. The West Village location on Hudson is bigger and easier for walk ins, so it's my pick for pre…

A Very Helpful Guide to Visiting the West Village
Christmas in New York City, my 4-day itinerary and helpful tips, 2026
The guide, 2026 edition

My four-day Christmas itinerary, hour by hour

The same four days I’ve handed my own friends and family for six years, updated for 2026. Every day hour by hour with the brunch, the lunch and the dinner I’d book, what’s worth the crowds and what to skip, the Christmas-themed restaurants ranked, the markets and rinks with prices, my Central Park route, three neighborhood walks, the subway and the JFK taxi explained, and a winter packing list. Thirty-two pages, and I answer every question from a buyer myself.

Get the guide, $35Sold here. Buyers get the updated file the morning the 2026 dates land.