Situated in the heart of industrial-cum-art-space Gowanus, you ring a bell to first enter the Film Biz Prop Shop. Walk through a courtyard and into the long brightly-lit warehouse corridors to find a space larger than most NYC flea markets which sells anything (really, anything) you can think of. The stock in Film Biz was destined for industrial waste, until the non-profit organisation stepped in and salvaged what they could for re-sale or rent in the prop shop. A whole wall covers items categorised ‘in a box’, such as ‘London in a box’, and you can even view things for rent only, such as an electric chair, a fake leg of ham or the largest disco ball ever seen. Stock changes every week, so you never know what you might find!

DIRECTIONS: D, N or R to Union Street

After months of trying to make it to Dough, a tiny bakery in Bed-Stuy selling humongous homemade doughnuts and French-pressed coffee, it was certainly worth all the hype, and some. The tiny shop has an only slightly larger kitchen which can be seen through big glass windows surrounding the counter, where bakers place dough on trays, whip up chocolate glaze and sprinkle coconut, chocolate nibs or hibiscus flowers. Try the Blood Orange glaze or the Chocolate Earl Grey, but be warned: it only takes one to induce a day-long sugary stupor.

DIRECTIONS: G train to Classon Ave.

With a white-tiled ceiling which recalls a 1940s London tube station and a metallic-gold bar which reflects your glass as you sip your cocktail, Weather Up has perfected the speakeasy vibe. The lack of signage outside and heavy curtain on entering make you feel like part of a secret club, which knew where to take you in the days of New York prohibition. Try the Roman Highball, which comes with a tangy segment of crystalised ginger that hides the alcohol content but not the ‘bittersweet’ spicy taste of Amaro Averna.

DIRECTIONS: 2, 3 or 4 to Bergen St. and walk two blocks east.

“It was fat and red and jolly”, according to Hildegarde Swift in her beloved tale The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. And it was this story which saved the Little Red Lighthouse in 1951, which stood obsolete after the construction of the George Washington Bridge and would have been torn down were it not for the public outcries of the fans of Swift’s book. The lighthouse is occasionally open to the public, and as the books instructs, you should go “see for yourself” this beautiful red beacon against a bright blue winter sky.

DIRECTIONS: A train to 181st St, and head west to the water.

Once known as the Earle, and also as a porn house, the Eagle theater changed its name and did away with its old reputation when it switched to showing Bollywood blockbusters in 1939. Sadly, nothing remains of the last Bollywood stronghold in Queens - allegedly the movie theater closed in 2009 due to a strike at the film production studios in Mumbai. It’s hard to believe in this thriving Indian community, but the wonderful art deco concrete facade and of course the tasty samosas at Dehli Palace just up the road make this derelict landmark still well worth a visit.

DIRECTIONS: 7, E, M, F and R trains to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave.

Behold the Robert Moses Administration Building, the headquarters of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and the New York base from which Moses led his Empire. The toll plaza for the bridge, connecting the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, originally stood next to this art deco building, and toll revenues amounted to tens of millions of dollars a year. At the time, Moses also controlled the island and made it into parkland, as it is today. And if the interchanging usage of Randall’s vs. Wards Island has ever been a mystery to you, well, that was Moses too - he used landfill to connect the two together.

DIRECTIONS: M35 bus from Harlem to Wards Island

Since September 2011, the new landscaped swathes of parkland on Brooklyn’s waterfront have been the proud home of Jane’s Carousel. For almost two decades, Jane Walentas has painstakingly repainted and restored every minute detail of the historic carousel (1922) from her DUMBO studio, and the end result placed it on the National Register of Historic Places. The pavilion of course also deserves special mention - when Jean Nouvel’s steel-framed and acrylic box lights up at night it resembles a lantern in a fairy tale, a perfect setting for the magical ride awaiting inside.

DIRECTIONS: F train to York St. Brooklyn

Although barely renowned compared to its successor, the Guggenheim just up the road on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Mercedes Showroom still displays the unique geometry and efficient design which the Guggenheim is famous for, just on a smaller scale. The white-plaster sloping ramp curves into the space to hold only five cars, but the mirrored ceiling and wall paneling alter your perception so that this international-style ‘automotive museum’ feels light and airy, just as Wright intended.

DIRECTIONS: 430 Park Avenue, E or M train to 5th Ave./53rd St.

Completely hidden on the notorious corner of Five Points in Chinatown, the cocktails at Apotheke are a delicacy well worth discovering. The graffiti-covered door looks like nothing from the outside, but once inside the swanky furnishings still manage to capture the feel the of Chinese opium den which once filled this space. Don’t be put off by the thought of edamame puree, ginger, wasabi and salt all in the same cocktail - the end result was sublime.

DIRECTIONS: 6, N, Q, J or Z train to Canal St.

Head to Veselka in the East Village early (or any time for that matter - the Ukrainian diner is open 24 hours) to slurp down a bowl of delicious borscht before starting your day. This East Village landmark restaurant serves up piping hot bowls of the stuff for just $4.75, and their challah bread is homemade. This entire neighbourhood used to abound with Ukrainian and Slavic food spots since post-WW2 refugees migrated here in the fifties, but this is one of the last still standing, and still a local institution. Fun fact: Veselka means ‘rainbow’ in Ukrainian.

DIRECTIONS: F or V train to 2nd Ave., or R or W train to 8th St., NYU