It's great to start the day among New Yorkers and their off-leash dogs around the beautiful Pond at the South Eastern corner of Central Park before 9AM. You can calibrate your brain to experience the city as a local while remembering that as a visitor you can take your time to savor the city at your own pace.

The great thing about the Russian and Turkish Baths is that I can show up in my street clothes, store my valuables in a safe deposit box, change into the provided robe and shorts, grab a towel and step back 100 years in time to experience an authentic slice of New York's Lower East Side just as my great-grandfather lived it.

I was going to suggest this as an alternative treat to the Bath House, but in fact a perfect day would include both a bath and a massage. Both are "working man affordable" so why not treat myself.

Cuban food and mojitos just taste better than other cuisines and cocktails and Cuba Restaurant in the Village on Thompson Street has just the right vibe to make everything go down just right. I eat early to avoid the crowds and get a head start on the jazz scene at night, which starts earlier than anyone would expect.

There's no place like Harlem and there's no better way to experience its charms than with an insider (me) who knows which side streets and basement clubs have the best musicians jamming the night away far from the touristy places that guide books and hotel concierges are familiar with.