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.
Every place I’d send you, on one map.
Yellow is where my lists agree- Upper West Side139 guides
- Upper East Side114 guides
- Midtown157 guides
- Chelsea103 guides
- West Village108 guides
- Greenwich Village59 guides
- East Village95 guides
- SoHo68 guides
- Tribeca40 guides
- Lower East Side89 guides
- Chinatown36 guides
- Financial District108 guides
- Williamsburg93 guides
- Greenpoint41 guides
- DUMBO70 guides
I’m Antonina. I walk this city with a camera and a notebook, and I write down what’s worth it.
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
- 439guides
- 15,677photographs of the city, mine
- 310reader questions answered
Start with these
What I’d read first this month- Best Halloween events in New YorkOctober is three weeks out
- Best things to do in New York in Octoberthe month people are booking now
- Best fall foliage spots in New Yorkpeak color in four weeks
- Best things to do for Christmas in New Yorkthe flagship, and December bookings start in October
- Best Thanksgiving dinner restaurants in New Yorkreservations open now
- What to see at the Metthe most-read guide all year
- Best things to do in New Yorkthe first-timer's list
- Best bagels in New Yorkthe question every visitor asks
- What to Wear in New York City in the Winterclimbing in search from October
Where I’d go in the next few weeks
Christmas in New York in 95 days. Pumpkin Keg at Loreley Beer Garden September 25, announced.- FriSep 25Pumpkin Keg at Loreley Beer GardenLower East Side · freeon my halloween map
- SatSep 26Boo at the ZooThe Bronxon my halloween map
- SatSep 26The Headless HorsemanUlster Park, NY (Hudson Valley)on my halloween map
- SatSep 26Twisted TrailsAnnadale, Staten Islandon my halloween map
- SatOct 10The Rink at Rockefeller Center opensMidtown · freeon my christmas map
- On nowthrough Nov 1Pumpkin Patch at Queens County FarmGlen Oaks, Queenson my halloween map
From the thread
Ask me anythingCan 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…
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…
- What readers told me
“Used the rooftop bar pick for an anniversary and it could not have been more perfect. Thank you for this.”
Eric, Apr 2026“The layering tips saved me. Went in January and was comfortable the whole time because I actually dressed right for once.”
Laura, Apr 2026“Your site has helped us plan well!”
Nina, Nov 2025
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.