Pierre Loti

In keeping with the original nautical theme from the 1960′s, each room in the hotel has a porthole window and is decorated with teak wood. In 2014, the hotel’s restaurant La Bottega closed to make room for La Sirena by Mario Batali. The Cabanas, open in the spring and summer, is on the rooftop and offers a welcome reprieve from the city streets when the weather permits.

Many bars and restaurants are open every day of the week, but how many are open every single day of the year? McManus was founded in 1911 and moved to this location in 1936, and four generations of the family have operated this warm and welcoming Irish tavern since. Today it is Peter McManus’s grandson and great-grandson who stand side by side serving beer. The bar has a real neighborhood feel, with regulars stopping in at all hours to watch sports on one of the several TVs, listen to music on the jukebox, or play video games. A room with shiny vinyl booths and red and white checked table cloths is available for anyone who would like to grab a bite from McManus’ simple American menu. We were taken with the original features of the building, especially the Tiffany stained glass windows and the two classic wooden telephone booths.

Trendy and filled with beautiful people, the Dream Hotel has created quite an aura around it. Sitting in the lobby is certainly entertaining at any hour of the day, but in the evening the action really kicks in. There is a DJ in the lounge area right off the lobby and not far from the entrance is Bodega Negra, with a Mexican menu. Also attached to the hotel is a restaurant called Fishbowl, with a 5000 gallon fish tank behind the bar. On the rooftop, the PHD Club tends to play top 40's music, and downstairs is the Electric Room, which is described as a rock club.

The store is a mosaic in itself. Denes Petoe, CEO, and Graham Barr, president, have laid out their showroom to facilitate the nearly 1,000 varieties of natural stone, as well as to capture the eye of each customer. Style here is in the eye of the beholder, not in the hands of the retailer.

“I really want families to play together. That’s my goal in the store,” said Christina Clark, who has been wowing parents, grandparents, and, most importantly, children for decades with her wonderland of toys and games.Christina worked in a toy store as a young mother and realized she had found her calling. She opened Kidding Around on Bleecker Street, followed by several other locations. Today, it is the 15th Street shop that has survived throughout the years. “I love going to work every day, so it was a good choice for me.”In the shop’s beginnings, its selection of toys and games leaned toward the traditional — “no batteries, no remote controls, and everything that just uses your imagination.” Over the years, however, Christina chose to grow with the times and introduce more modern, automated items into her inventory. Her own children later helped her bring new options into the store. Today, Christina feels lucky to work with her daughter, Kasey Coyle, who uses her background in applied behavioral analysis to stock plenty of books and toys for younger children and those with special needs. Interestingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Christina found that her clientele went back to the basics — the demand for puzzles and classic board games was revived. “I hope that trend continues,” she said earnestly. “I hope that people remember how much fun they had playing games with their family so it brings us together and off our devices.”

On any given day when passing by, there are legions of young, hopeful actors hanging around outside this building in between classes. Lee Strasberg, known to moviegoers for his role as gangster Hyman Roth in The Godfather: Part II, founded his institute in 1969, almost forty years after he participated in the formation of the Group Theatre (an ensemble of actors that were committed to putting on productions representative of "the life of their times.") As artistic director of the Institute until his death in 1982, Strasberg continued to train his students through Method Acting - a technique that has been recognized internationally. Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Barbra Streisand, and Marlo Thomas are only a few of the actors who were taken under Strasberg's wing and taught to fly. Today, the Institute continues to flourish as it turns out many fine actors both here and at its Hollywood location. For those who would like to watch some of this training in action, there are two theaters (The Marilyn Monroe Theater and the Lee Strasberg Theater) connected to the Institute where students perform.

Enter through the looming stone archway and immense wooden doors and walk inside the Horseman, where the gloomy interior is an aesthetic rather than dreary. The exposed brick, recycled wood from new England barns, and flickering natural gas lamps conjure a communal vibe. In the dark warmth, one can almost imagine a massive stone fireplace roaring with pots of stew simmering over open flames, or moors lying in wait just on the other side of the smoked windows. This rustic, colonial gastropub is one of the latest additions to 15th street. When we asked the bartender why the pub was named after Ichabod Crane’s spooky pursuer, he gestured toward the door and asked us what street we were adjacent to: Irving Place - and local legend claims Washington Irving lived at 122 East 17th Street. His famed character’s namesake bar is anything but sinister. The rotating seasonal beers and atypical comfort food could warm anyone's bones.

Olive oil and wine are dominant in this stunning restaurant and bar. Over the years, I had eaten in the uptown Fig & Olives, but had not been to the meatpacking location until I met a friend for lunch recently. Each of the vegetarian dishes that we shared were excellent - various crostinis, the fig salad, zucchini carpaccio and the truffle mushroom croquette. Fish and meat are well represented on the menu, but it is always a thrill for me when I have so many choices as a vegetarian. I cannot say that this is a hidden gem, as it cannot be missed in this trendy area of 13th Street, but I can suggest that if you have not been, it is worth making a reservation for lunch or dinner, or just stopping by for a nice glass of wine.

One weekend, my husband was kind enough to join me for some great eating, drinking, and walking. By the time we got to Sotto, we were already feeling quite stuffed, but what the heck, we indulged ourselves just a bit more. First, I must comment on the interior which began with a long marble topped bar upfront, and an open kitchen midway with a large brick oven. Farther back was the contemporary full dining area with a skylight. Quite an attractive place. Everything is meant to be shared at this "Social Italian" restaurant - so we did - Chickpea fries with sundried tomato pesto, crisp shoestring zucchini, and butternut squash cannelloni with melted parmesan across the top. All three were winners. I thought we were stopping there, but my husband was enticed by the pizzas so he ordered a small, thin crust pie with arugula and bresaola. The chef was very kind and surprised us by making the pie with one slice that had no meat on it for me. A lovely way to end our day together.

Located in a charming, quiet area of the West Village, Cafe Cluny is a perfect setting for a ladies lunch, as I can attest to, having eaten here on several occasions with friends. The menu is American, but with a nod to the French. The breakfast menu is also quite impressive, with a selection ranging from granola with sheep’s milk yogurt and different styles of organic eggs to cured salmon served on a bagel and brioche French toast.Over the years, I have also dined at the other restaurants owned by partners Lynn Wagenknecht, Judi Wong, and Steven Abramowitz – neither the Odeon nor Café Luxembourg have disappointed.

Our senses all perked up as we experienced the exotic scents in this Mediterranean café where the Arabic name translates to welcome and peace. Bassam Omary came to New York thirty-five years ago as a student and worked at his cousin’s Greenwich Avenue Syrian restaurant. With his wife Joan, he bought and moved the restaurant to 13th street, where they have been cooking traditional Middle Eastern dishes and satisfying culinary cravings for fifteen years. The food is superb. After a long day of interviews, we stopped back at Salam for a late lunch. We were served a platter with an array of food: hummus with a lemon flair, babaganouj with fresh pita, grape leaves stuffed with cheese, crispy falafel, a filo dough spinach pie, and a cup of sweet Arabic coffee to perk us up. Bassam, Joan explained, has a stake in the restaurant both as owner and chef. He is constantly experimenting, returning to the traditional dishes his mother taught him how to cook, and using the freedom he has as owner to explore the spices, ingredients, and flavors he is passionate about. Thank you, Joan and Bassam, for genuinely welcoming us into this lovely restaurant.

Olive oil and wine are dominant in this stunning restaurant and bar. Over the years, I had eaten in the uptown Fig & Olives, but had not been to the meatpacking location until I met a friend for lunch recently. Each of the vegetarian dishes that we shared were excellent - various crostinis, the fig salad, zucchini carpaccio and the truffle mushroom croquette. Fish and meat are well represented on the menu, but it is always a thrill for me when I have so many choices as a vegetarian. I cannot say that this is a hidden gem, as it cannot be missed in this trendy area of 13th Street, but I can suggest that if you have not been, it is worth making a reservation for lunch or dinner, or just stopping by for a nice glass of wine.