Some New York Favorites

The best way to discover out of the way places in the city is to walk around -- you never know what you'll stumble across. Some of my favourite little spots were found this way.

Quick Tips:

If walking's not your thing, check the listings in Time Out magazine (.99 at all newsstands), sign up for the daily email send outs from , a great website for finding out what's new and opening soon. Another good on-line snapshot of what's on in New York (and other US cities) is (for shopping, restaurants, clubs and the like). You can also get a quick and snappy lowdown on restaurants, clubs and hotels at . Better yet, buy the quarterly Black Book magazine and yank out the convenient pocket size (and black) address book containing a printed version of the site listings to carry around with you. It's inserted in the magazine and is a great investment at .95.

Best Way To Get Around:

It was the old fashioned store sign outside this diner that first drew me to it. When I got closer I realized the windows were full of 1950s and earlier items like toy trucks and old Coca Cola paraphernalia.

It turns out this diner -- it is a diner, not a candy shop -- has been around since the mid-20s -- and trust me, it looks like it. Inside, there's a long counter with puffy stools and six or seven vinyl booths with formica tables and, best of all, an efficient, snarling waitress who I have seen in bobby sox on occasion.

I figured the place was going to be extremely expensive: not only is it in the Upper East Side, but usually you have to pay to sit in this kind of decor. But the prices are totally reasonable -- around $10 will get you typical diner food (eggs, bacon, grilled cheese and the like), and a serving of the restaurant's signature malteds, egg creams, and sodas (whipped up in a vintage Hamilton Beach blender). They're not cheap -- costing between $4-$6 apiece, but they come in huge stainless steel pourers -- one is enough for two people -- and are decadently thick and rich.

There's no better way to start off a weekend day.

Subway 4, 5, 6 to 77th St.

One of the few places in town were cigar smoking is encouraged rather than frowned upon, this gorgeous lounge tucked away on Grand Central Station’s West Balcony is so profoundly Old Boy club in its décor it’s hard to believe women are allowed in. They surely weren’t back in the day that these tony digs served as the private office and salon of one John Campbell, a wealthy New York Railroad Trustee, from 1923–1941.

It’s since been carefully restored, leaving the intricate wood panelling, painted plaster ceiling, leaded glass windows and floor to ceiling exposed brick walls intact, with some plushy additions like deep wingback chairs and sofas for lounging. The fireplace is always stoked – in the winter months anyway – the wine list is top-notch and the service impeccable. In fact, the only drawback is the button-down shirt corporate clientele that often invades the place after work on Fridays.

Ah well, surely there were some duds in Campbell’s entourage back then too.

Subway: 4, 5, 6 lines to Grand Central Station/42nd Street. Phone:

I love the Guggenheim's rotunda--it's worth the visit alone. The Kandinskys are phenomenal. In fact, so is all the permanent collection, which includes some lovely Picassos. Serious budget cuts are forcing the museum to rethink its special exhibits, but still, the building itself is a work of art.