New York Dearest
The guide, $35
About · Antonina Pattiz, writer and photographer

I’m Antonina. Glad to have you here.

New York Dearest is where I keep everything I’ve learned about this city over the years. I’ve lived here, photographed it in every season and eaten my way through most of it.

  • 2,000+places I’ve been
  • 15,000+photographs of the city, mine
  • 400+guides
  • 10M+readers of my guides

How I got here

The short version
“I’ve always dreamed of living in New York (this is no secret, everyone in my inner circle knew that about me).”From my letter, March 2025

I started writing professionally in 2018. Two years later I left my office job to write full time, and that spring I moved to New York. I’ve been writing about the city ever since.

New York Dearest is where all of it goes, the writing, the photographs, the food and the corners most visitors walk right past. My New York runs from the best tables in the city to a bagel counter on the Upper West Side, and every place gets my own photographs and a plain verdict, worth it, only if, or skip.

Ask me about your tripPress and invitationsInstagram

Antonina Pattiz at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Five years on, still feels like a dream.”On New York, in my letter, 2025
Press, brands and invitations

Have something I should see?

Openings, hotels, events and interviews go through the press desk at press@haldenreed.com. My bio and my photographs are ready to use on the press page.

Pitch meInterview me

Me, around the city

Yes, I’m the one in the picture. Scroll on
A woman eats noodles with chopsticks from a plastic cup while standing at a Chinatown street corner.
ChinatownWhere to Eat Near the Brooklyn Bridge. Both Sides
A woman smiles from the doorway of a vintage subway train on a station platform.
New York Transit Museum Vintage TrainVisiting NYC During Christmas with Kids: 2026 Family Guide
A woman sips a martini at an outdoor cafe table with green trim.
DanteBest Cheap Drinks in NYC. Where to Go When Your Wallet Says No.
A woman eats a slice of pizza in front of Joe's Pizza storefront.
Joe's Pizza18 Best Pizza Joints in New York City (Definitive Guide)
A woman in a denim jacket poses on the street in front of a colorful mural and a café storefront.
David's CaféWhat to Wear in NYC in Spring (It's Trickier Than You Think)
A woman poses in front of the Banksy stencil mural near Zabar's on the Upper West Side.
Zabar's25 Fun Things to Do on the Upper West Side (Local's List)
A woman sits at the bar sipping a drink beneath whimsical Central Park murals at Bemelmans Bar.
Bemelmans Bar15 Iconic Bars on the Upper East Side (You Can't Afford to Miss)
A woman sits at an outdoor table outside Hoptimist holding a glass of beer.
HoptimistWhat to Wear in New York City in the Winter (2026 Guide)
A woman poses on the sidewalk in front of the pink Bon Bon storefront.
Bon BonWhere to Stay in NYC With Kids: A Neighborhood Guide (2026)
A pregnant woman in a blue floral dress holds a navy umbrella while standing on the Mall in Central Park.
The Mall, Central Park24 Fool-Proof Rainy Day Activities in New York City
A woman poses on the steps outside The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art16 Days in NYC: The Ultimate New York City Itinerary for First-Time Visitors
A woman poses in a plaid coat and sweater along a waterfront railing with the Manhattan skyline behind her.
Manhattan skylineWhat to Wear in New York City in the Winter (2026 Guide)
A woman in a camel coat stands on a park path lined with yellow autumn trees.
Central Park10 Picture-Perfect Photo Spots in Central Park (You'll Adore)
A woman sits at an outdoor cafe table under an umbrella in front of Ralph's Coffee window signage.
Ralph's CoffeeUpper East Side vs Upper West Side. An Honest Comparison

Where I send people

The Best of New York

These are the places I send people to most, the ones that keep landing on list after list.

How this works

400+ guides · 2,000+ places

Neighborhood guides across the five boroughs, where to eat and drink near the places you’re already going, what to do in every season, a deep bench of Christmas in New York guides, and the practical side of living here for anyone new to the city. Every list carries the month I last went through it.

Antonina Pattiz

Writer, photographer, the one who went

Every place on this site is one I went to. The verdicts are mine, worth it, only if, or skip, and when I change my mind the page changes and the date moves. I answer the questions readers leave on the guides myself. Businesses can’t pay to be here, and if a place ever hosts me, the guide says so up front. How I decide.

The desk

Checks, dates, corrections

New York changes weekly and no one person can keep up with it alone. So readers write in the minute somewhere closes, moves or slips, and I go back and look for myself. If something here is wrong, it won’t be wrong for long. Send a correction.

The readers

Questions and answers

The questions under every guide are the best part of this site. Ask on the guide it belongs to, or on the ask page, and the answer lands where the next reader can find it.

What readers told me

Tell me yours

The letter

One short email a week with what’s new in the city and which guides I went back through. No small talk.

One a week at most. Unsubscribe in one click.