Every morning in New York deserves quality coffee, and these folks make the best.

It's cliche for a reason: The park is a serene oasis of calm and natural beauty in the middle of the city. Walk around and get lost beneath the tree canopies, then walk toward and the perimeter and check out the avenues of apartment buildings silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

At $38, this might be the best lunch in the city from one its most well-regarded chefs. It seems expensive for lunch, but trust me—it's a deal. A quiet two-course meal here might be the perfect way to conclude a walk through the Park.

Head downtown to the border of Chelsea and Meatpacking and make time to do a lap through Chelsea Market. Here you'll find everything from artisanal salt to handmade knives to live lobster hauled straight from the sea. Buy gifts for friends and sample some of the finest foodstuffs NYC has to offer.

Why is this so awesome? In a word: porky goodness. Okay that's two words, but a thousand more couldn't encapsulate how dazzling yet unpretentious this place is. The fare, which ranges from deceptively complex ramen to perfectly simple plates of house-cured pork, applies sophisticated techniques to preparing Asian comfort food. Order at least one serving of David Chang's legendary pork buns. Offer to share at your own peril.

Assuming you find the door, prepare to enter the most pristine, elegant example of a traditional Japanese speakeasy in New York. Order the drink called "Mack the Knife." Ignore the long list of ingredients and the dubious inclusion of things like thyme and orange-infused gin. It's quite simply the best thing ever poured over ice.

Not only does this place have a Daniel Humm-helmed restaurant and a swanky bar, it sits in a relatively undiscovered neighborhood away from the thrum of downtown. The rooms look like stylish apartments, which is to say they're sophisticated without being pretentious or chintzy.