[Flickr/foodforfel]

Five boroughs spread over nearly 470 square miles of diverse architecture and remarkably distinctive neighborhoods make New York City a pedestrian's wet dream. As the busiest, most densely populated city in the States, it's no wonder The Big Apple offers an array of food made for those on the go. Though it's home to some of the finest white-tablecloth dining in the world, New York's street food has never been better or more varied. From an overflowing cone at Ample Hills Creamery to the Peking duck bun at Corner 28 in Flushing, The City That Never Sleeps is also The City That Never Stops Stuffing Its Face, especially when in transit.

- Zachary Feldman

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The mallification of Manhattan becomes more apparent when a person does something like take a close look at her shopping habits, and realizes that she goes into the city mainly for…. chain stores and international luxury brands. When it comes to women’s clothing shopping for styles that are unusual, have personality and are in the middle range of expensiveness (or are sometimes just downright stupidly expensive, fuckyouverymuch, Bird) my go-tos are all in Brooklyn. The following women’s clothing boutiques in Brooklyn skew towards girlie, geeky, boho, vintage, floral-ish, casual, and other modifiers for the style from a borough where the girls are sexy wearing sneakers, sundresses and weird eyeglasses. Selection of neighborhoods is based entirely and randomly on personal familiarity.

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In Eater NY series Dining Confidential, chefs, restaurateur, and restaurant world big wigs share their favorite off the beaten track, sometimes secret, sometimes far-flung restaurants. To best make use of their suggestions, we've compiled 15 of them into the following map, from Sara Jenkin's go-to homey Italian to George Mendes' favorite restaurant in Newark and the Torrisi boys' hidden gem in Chinatown. Because even the most famous of New York food world luminaries aren't eating at the at the new hotness all the time.
- Eater NY

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Thanks to the popularity of NBC's Parks and Recreation, Parks Departments the world over seem to be a feeling a renewed sense of pride. And New York City is leading the charge with the development of Floyd Bennett Field, which will be turned into the nation's largest urban campground. However, until that project is completed, the city's Parks Department runs a summer-long urban camping program aimed at families throughout the five boroughs. Given the program's focus, solo campers are discouraged, but couples can join in on the outdoor fun. Here now, the best spots in the Big Apple to pitch your tent.

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It’s a positive sign for humanity that this is a Frequently Asked Question over at Gridskipper H.Q. The kind of sex getaway we are talking about isn’t to sample the city’s sex clubs or hookers or sleazy hotels (for that, see this post), but the kind when you come to NYC to meet a lover—or you live in NYC, and for whatever reason you’re putting your lover up in a hotel—and while you may be planning on getting out some to enjoy the city, you’re mainly planning on staying in to enjoy the company.
—Valerie Stivers-Isakova

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It is that time of year when New Yorkers without beach houses start wondering what went wrong, how some modicum of joy can possibly be salvaged from the summer, and if it is not entirely too late to at least make a hotel reservation in a Hampton. Because even if though NYC’s beach destination is crowded or ‘too fashionable’ or whatever, the beaches there are some of the world’s most beautiful, with grassy dunes, tawny sand and exhilarating, cold, rough water. Anyone in the city or coming anywhere near it in the summer months owes it to themselves to spend a weekend here. In recent years Montauk, the formerly most laid-back, furthest-out town (two-and-a-half to four hours from the city by car, depending on traffic), has emerged as the hip place to stay. See below for the best beds on the East End.
- Valerie Stivers-Isakova

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Does New York have the most attractive people of any city in the world? Hard to say. But, one thing's for certain: the following 12 restaurants are where the hottest people in New York like to eat. Check them out on your next visit, if that's what you're into.
- Greg Morabito.

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Jean-Luc Naret, Bibendum, and Daniel Boulud [Photo: Facebook]

Now that the restaurant world has seen and debated the somewhat controversial Michelin New York 2011 list, how about viewing it in map form? Now, it's easier to see how the choices are distributed across the city and which starred restaurants are in your neighborhood. The anonymous Michelin inspectors were in charge of the restaurant descriptions on this one, so keep that in mind when perusing.

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Had a rough night? Not to worry, New York is one of the best cities in the world for hangover dining. Like any other culinary experience in NYC, you have options galore. Below is a map of twelve restaurants that serve exactly the kind of food you want to eat when you're hungover, in friendly, comfortable dining rooms that will appeal to you in your sensitive state. And if you spent a lot of money the night before, have no fear — most meals are under $12.

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Welcome to Mort Maps, a new column in which "street-style photographer and man about town" Mordechai Rubinstein lets loose. For this installment, he's chosen to single out three NYC shops that have caught his eye.

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Welcome to Mort Maps, a new column in which "street-style photographer and man about town" Mordechai Rubinstein lets loose. For the third installment, he's chosen to single out three shops across the USA that have caught his eye.

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Welcome to Mort Maps, a new column in which "street-style photographer and man about town" Mordechai Rubinstein lets loose. For the second installment, he's chosen to single out three shops in NYC that have caught his eye.

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Not long ago I found myself at the The Chocolate Show in New York, which is also held in Paris and Cairo. I decided that the Chocolate show was the perfect excuse to have a virtual tasting of sorts to compare French and American chocolate. Could American chocolate possibly hold up to the spectacular French chocolate I was partial to? I felt as if I would be biased, so I brought in two consorts, Karen and Kathryn -- hardcore Francophiles and fellow bloggers -- to help me out. Karen brought in an entire team of tasters, and we had ourselves a little chocolate party.

We tested 6 chocolates on a scale of 1-10 based on taste (most important of course), packaging, inventiveness and artistry. If you can't get to Paris anytime soon, this is the way to go.

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Let's say you're not really feeling the Ozu retrospective at Film Forum. That David Byrne bicycle talk with the Swedish urbanist? Not so much, either. My friends, it means one thing and one thing only: time to start shooting stuff. Here, now, from our cold, dead hands, a guide to some of the places to shoot a firearm in and around New York City. Some of these establishments cater to a more seasoned (and licensed) clientele, while others will be happy to let those of you who are a bit more clueless fire away.

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