1. Miss Lily's, SoHo and East Village:
Go for: the gorgeous staff.
Stay for: the happy vibes, the delicious jah-garitas, and the Radio Lily reggae radio station next door.
2. The lobby at the Bowery Hotel, Lower East Side:
Go for: the impossibly chic hipster crowd.
Stay for: that point in the night at which you look around and wonder if you will ever look as ~effortlessly cool~ as these people look, and come to the conclusion that no, no you will not. And that is OK.
3. Bembe, Williamsburg:
Go for: the fact that you will inevitably dance with a really hot person.
Stay for: the insane caipirinhas.
4. Any bike lane, ever:
Go for: the visuals.
Stay for: the inspiration. And by inspiration, I mean more visuals.
5. And basically any rooftop, too:
Go for: the simple fact that everyone just looks hotter when they're on a rooftop.
Stay for: the skyline views, which often lead to a much-needed reminder that, no matter how shitty of a day you just had, you still live in NYC, and sometimes, that is enough.
6. Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, Gowanus:
Go for: the "competition," because competition = built-in flirting.
Stay for: the food trucks.
7. The coffee shop at Saturdays, SoHo:
Go for: the hot Aussie sightings.
Stay for: the lusciously-green patio in the back that's so chill, you can't help but feel a little bit not stressed for like an entire minute.
8. The bench outside of Balthazar Bakery, SoHo:
Go for: the strange truth that somehow, in some way, every person who sits down on that bench happens to be gorgeous.
Stay for: all of the pastries.
9. Mr. Fong's, Chinatown:
Go for: the fashionista sightings and, thereby, the lack of douche-y bros.
Stay for: the pork buns, and/or the drunken quest for late-night Chinatown noodles.
10. Prospect Park on a sunny day:
Go for: the MILF and DILF sightings.
Stay for: lazy Saturday blanket time. And BLANKET SNACKS.
11. Maison Premiere, Williamsburg:
Go for: the straight-out-of-Amelie crowd.
Stay for: the oysters and the absinthe.
12. Stone Street during happy hour:
Go for: all of the suits, if you're into suits.
Stay for: the cute cobblestone streets.
14. On the G train, generally:
Go for: questionable service, but unquestionably delicious eye candy along the way.
Stay for: nothing, unless you drunk fall asleep and end up in Kensington. At which point you may as well get some pierogies...just sayin'.
15. The Highline, Chelsea:
Go for: the distinct feeling that you may or may not be sitting in the front row of an NYC fashion show.
Stay for: post-Highline tacos at Los Tacos No. 1 in Chelsea Market.
16. Madiba, Fort Greene:
Go for: the joyful customers.
Stay for: the curries, and the chance to honor Nelson Mandela and all that he stood for.
17. The Lower East Side in general:
Go for: the incredible street style moments happening all around you.
Stay for: the excitement of knowing that you definitely don't know what's next, but it's probably going to be cool.
18. Sky Ting Yoga, Chinatown:
Go for: the spiritually in-sync crowd, and the fact that everyone there treats their (very, very, very hot) bodies with kindness, love, and respect.
Stay for: the zen-like whitewashed walls, the abundance of refreshing green plants, and the bizarre stuffed-giraffe placement in the corner.
19. Dimes, Chinatown:
Go for: the health-conscious, beautiful-people clientele.
Stay for: the peaceful way the light hits the tables just so. And the avocado everything.
20. Mo's during DJ nights, Fort Greene:
Go for: the reggae nights, when everyone brings their A+ dancing game.
Stay for: the eclectic record wall behind the DJ stand.
21. Radegast Hall & Biergarten, Williamsburg:
Go for: the sexual thoughts you will undoubtedly have while watching hot hipsters shove sausages in their faces.
Stay for: those same sausages, because they are delicious.
22. Chelsea Piers Rock Wall, Chelsea:
Go for: the muscle peeping.
Stay for: the beautiful skyline views.
23. Dover Street Market, Midtown East:
Go for: the impossibly fashionable fashionistas.
Stay for: the confirmation that you do, indeed, live in New York City, and even though you may not be able to afford its legendary high fashion, it does, in fact, exist.
24. Woodwork during a soccer game, Prospect Heights:
Go for: the hot soccer fans, because can we please all agree that soccer is the hottest sport out there, period?
Stay for: the picklebacks. The delicious, numerous, and probably-unnecessary picklebacks.
25. Roberta's, Bushwick:
Go for: the hope that you could find your happily ever after in a quintessentially Brooklyn hipster foodie.
Stay for: ALL OF THE PIZZA.
26. Acme, NoHo:
Go for: the trendy people you can either watch or hate watch, your call. Plus, the celeb spotting.
Stay for: the espresso martinis.
27. Washington Square Dog Run, Greenwich Village:
Go for: the hot pet owners.
Stay for: the potential new friends (furry or otherwise).
28. Output, Williamsburg:
Go for: what your parents would call a ~hip~ crowd.
Stay for: the epic rooftop views that remind you that you are still young and wild and free in NYC, so you better make it count.
29. Equinox SoHo:
Go for: watching hot people get hotter.
Stay for: those eucalyptus-scented towels, man.
31. Café Gitane, Nolita and West Village:
Go for: all of the hot French people.
Stay for: the legendary avocado toast. Because you could make it at home, of course, but this one's just SO YUM.
33. Locanda Verde, TriBeCa:
Go for: watching rich, glamorous people be rich and glamorous.
Stay for: the dope bread and cheese situation (above).
34. Cask, Murray Hill:
Go for: watching the manicured, pedicured, perfume-smelling Murray Hill people interact in their natural environment.
Stay for: the craft brews and cocktails.
35. Steep Rock Bouldering, Upper East Side:
Go for: the brawny people who probably have brains, too, but it doesn't really matter if they don't, tbh.
Stay for: the fantasies. Plural.