A Design Insider's Guide to New York City

New Yorker faves, hidden gems, & other can’t-miss recos to enjoy an unforgettable trip to the Big Apple

[Last updated June 25, 2025]

People ask me all the time for my New York recommendations, and I’m always happy to oblige. I take pride in giving people the real New York experience and sharing all my secrets accumulated across (almost) two decades living here. Typically, I shoot over a rambling list of tips and links, so this guide is my attempt to formalize that and (admittedly selfishly) make it easier to share.

I’m not putting things on here just because you’d expect to see them (or if I do I’ll provide my honest thoughts). If you’re looking for what’s trendy, this isn’t it. I want to share the places that stylish, in-the-know New Yorkers frequent IRL, not random people on Tik Tok. That might include some so-called ‘tourist traps’, but only if the hype is real. And I’ll try to share the perspective that you might not get as a visitor.

Read it in email (you’ll have to ‘click to expand’ to see the full post because there’s a lot to get to) but then be sure to save and refer back in Sub…