Worth getting out of bed for
Walk to Bowling Green Park – the site of Manhattan's purchase – where you can get cheap tickets to a Broadway show, and lunch near professional number crunchers. Head to South Street Seaport to grab a coffee, watch the ships dock and learn about its history at the namesake museum (www.southstreetseaport.com). Go to SoHo for big-name shopping, restaurants and cool cafés.
Local restaurants
Fresh pasta is teamed with seafood, meat and heady herbs at Locanda Verde (+1 212 925 3797; www.locandaverdenyc.com) at The Greenwich on Greenwich Street, under the watchful eye of chef and cookbook author Andrew Carmellini. Another Robert De Niro co-owned joint is of course Nobu Matsuhisa's Nobu (+1 212 219 0500; www.noburestaurants.com), which offers his world-famous modern Japanese eats at his flagship restaurant. New American cuisine at Michelin-starred Restaurant Marc Forgione (+1 212 941 9401; www.marcforgione.com) includes a chili lobster on toast points, whole halibut with hazelnuts and pureed cauliflower and orange-scented torta with blood orange syrup and topped with crème fraiche. Creative cocktails and decadent desserts round out the menu. Stop by for their boozy Sunday brunch. Tamarind (+1 212 674 7400; www.tamarinde22.com) serves incredible Indian cuisine with fine-dining flair. Aromatic curries, smoky braised meats and garlic-studded rice is served in polished silver dishes. The tearoom menu features assorted cakes, pastries and sandwiches and imported herbal tea infusions.
Local bars
Reade Street drinking den, Ward III (+1 212 240 9194; www.ward3tribeca.com), has a menu of bespoke cocktails such as the classic French 75 and their namesake drink made with bourbon, apple puree, egg whites and bitters.
Local cafés
Kaffe 1668 (+1 212 693 3750; www.kaffe1668.com), a neighbourhood java joint, serves up single origin brews made to order, organic teas and sandwiches. The Peace and Love Café (+1 212 349 8500; plcafe.com) makes sandwiches, salads and smoothies in a super-casual setting, plenty of veggie options, too.
Nightlife
Flag a cab to the Meatpacking District to be in the thick of the club scene. The city’s only eco-friendly nightclub, Greenhouse (+1 212 807 7000; www.greenhouseusa.com), is a vast, crystal-hung two-storied space on Varick Street, with a strict door policy and a slinky clientele.
Diary
17 March St Patrick's Day Parade, when thousands flock for the big Irish celebration. April If you’re bonkers for OTT bonnets, get involved in the Easter Parade on Easter Sunday. April–May The Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, takes place in Lower Manhattan. June–August Free alfresco screenings at Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. October Costumes and music bring the streets alive for the Columbus Day Parade, which celebrates the time Chris first stumbled across this land. November The Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on the fourth Thursday. 30 November Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
