Browser History's Guide to New York
The people and places that make it a city worth living in.
If you’re going to live in New York, you need a stable of reliable people and places to help you get by. When you find them, you’re ride or die for them. They save the day more than once. No, I’m not talking about friends or family, though these people can become friends and family. I’m talking about the people and places who help you be you.
Now, some New Yorkers have a whole host of people that include bodyworkers, facialists, accupuncturists, psychics, and anything else you can imagine. It’s a city of excess, after all. But I can count my most trusted experts on one hand (the best tailor, the best hair person, and an astrologer I trust implicitly). To round it all out I’ve thrown in in some of my favorite stores and restaurants for good measure. Everything is also visible in a google map link for subscribers.
Sarah Mills Hair: I moved here in 2007. After a few failed visits to some well-known and supposedly reputable hair spots, I found Sarah Mills. Like so many neophytes in this city, I found her through New York Magazine’s annual “Best of New York” series. Sarah is the antithesis of the barber shop craze* that still grips the city. She thinks of hair in the long term and has serious chops from some of beauty and grooming’s biggest names. Everybody I’ve ever sent to her has thanked me and stuck with her. I trust nobody more with my hair.
She’s actually the oldest friend I have here now. Currently, she works out of a private room in a Tribeca salon. Book in advance and understand that you’re paying for expertise, precision and quality. DM her to get her number. Very underground energy!
For women’s haircuts, my wife is a huge fan of Teddi Cranford and the whole team at White Rose Collective. Teddi came from recommendation of hair luminary and Crown Affair founder
, so you know it’s good.Karen Chinchilla, Tailor & Seamstress: There are some common names when it comes to tailors in the city. I’ve been to a bunch of them but found that more often than not, they weren’t willing to work with me on what I wanted. And that’s fair, it’s part of their job to offer guidance and expertise — many people go in blind. But, I know exactly what I want out of my clothes and how I intend to wear them. When Alex and I got married, we found Karen Chinchilla through legendary stylist Julie Ragolia who recommended her.
The best thing about Karen aside from her well honed skills, sense of humor and charm, is that she comes to you and your closet. She pinned my tux and Alex’s dresses in our living room while teaching us how to dance. Find me another tailor who would do that, I dare you. (She’s currently scrambling around the UES working on Met Gala looks just in case you need proof.)
Jeff at Boerum Frames: Framebridge has to be stopped. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, but the execution is very meh. (We’ve had multiple things framed upside down with no resolution from them outside of a discount on our next order, so, be warned.) Jeff, however, is the framing king of Brooklyn. He operates an appointment-only shop on Atlantic and I have trusted him with some of our most valuable pieces. He truly cares about the quality, walks you through everything and is very real about whether you need museum glass or not.
Big Ross, Trainer: I’ve had a lot of trainers since I made a commitment to fitness over a decade ago. They’ve included some pretty impressive characters, from Protein Founders to Olympic Gymnasts but Big Ross was, by my estimate, the most effective. (I owe him my thights.) He has a deep love of the game and cheers on all of his clients from the sidelines. He’s on my list to call for a checkup and to get some new programming. Like everybody here, I’ve sent a lot of friends his way and heard only great things back.
From here on out, we’re looking at people and places I very much respect, admire, follow or patronize. These are less personal relationships and more surface-level, I guess.
Alice Bell, Astrologer & Writer: If you want to go deeper on astrology than the typical Refinery29 post, you need a resource who knows what they’re doing.
knows what she’s doing. Her work has appeared in every place you love, but her Substack is really where it’s at these days. There is intense work and thought in every post and Alice does a great job of demystifying “your big three” and other aspects like your midheaven and the various houses. The subscription fee is well worth it, IMHO. If you’re very lucky you can grab a reading from her when they become available on occasion. (I myself haven’t been able to get one but it’s on my bucket list.)The Atlantic Ave. Corridor: I’d made some trips to Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn before we moved to Fort Greene, but now that it’s just outside our door, I’ve gotten better acquainted … mostly because Crumb and I walk it each day. Atlantic feels unlike the more trampled shopping neighborhoods, with only a few chain stores lining the sidewalks, including a Barnes & Noble and an Anthropologie.
Those more common stores aside, there are some gems. Bright spots on my list for interiors: Michele Varian, Porta, Humble House, Collier West, Sterling Place, and Assembly Line. For clothes, I recently stepped into Indi & Ash because there’s always a dog hanging out there and wanted to buy a lot of their stuff, including what might’ve been the perfect “beach sweater.” Consignment Brooklyn is also a nice alternative to those who feel deflated after scouring The Real Real. (I know many stylish women who bring their stuff here instead of there.)
You can browse Salter House as well, which is full of interesting things and clothes from Pride and Prejudice. But it’s uncomfortably warm in there and I honestly can’t recommend that kind of climate for you unless it’s winter.
Where Atlantic meets the BQE onramp, you’ll also find two more of my favorites. Antik, which rotates their in-house selection of antiques and homewares ever few weeks. And the Art of Play — a well-appointed toy store that’s as much for adults as it is for kids. There is a secret theater in the back with magic shows, too.
Coming Soon: When I tell you guys that 80% of my holiday shopping and gift giving happens here, I am not joking. It is full of homewares and trinkets that are so crowd-pleasing I often find myself buying multiples. Mercifully, their website is always well stocked, too.
A. Mano: Similar to Coming Soon, this is a great place to shop for gifts and has a wide selection of artsy books, ceramics and bric-a-brac. It’s somewhat hidden between Barclays Center and the vibey strip on Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights. Around the corner, there’s also BKLYN Clay which has its own unique selection of pottery.
The Strange Delight, Margot Double Whammy: As Fort Greene livened up after lockdown, a host of new restaurants came to the neighborhood. While most of them, like the middling Sailor made their homes on DeKalb, Strange Delight and Margaux are on Fowler Square. Margaux is stark but chic and sometimes offers a surprisingly good ice cream sundae. Strange Delight has more soul and my Southern wife thoroughly approves of all of their dishes. If you find yourself unable to get a table, neighborhood standby Paulette is just a block away. (If that’s booked, try your luck on Dekalb past the park.)
Corridor: I don’t often get to Corridor, which is shameful since we live quite close, but there is always something in there worth seeing, touching, or trying on. It’s quiet in a way that encourages a restful shopping experience — the kind you used to be able to find in Nolita but has since disappeared. Every menswear guy will tell you to go here, and there’s a reason why.
Clark’s Diner: There’s a lot of fuss about Montague Diner, which took over the Happy Days Diner in Brooklyn Heights. It’s great for ambiance and the food is classic diner faire. But, Clark’s on the corner of Henry and Clark is the money diner of the neighborhood. Their long lines melt with efficiency and their status as a neighborhood institution is untouchable.
Union Square Café: Not to be annoying, but we grew up visiting the original Union Square Café when we were kids. When I first moved here I would sometimes eat at the bar between restaurant shifts or classes. Sure, there are better dining experiences and food to be had in this city, but it is too convenient and reliable to pass up. I would choose there over Balthazar any day of the week.
Locanda Verde for Bloody Marias: A lifetime ago, we used to Airbnb our apartment whenever we’d leave town. It was such a good hustle that basically paid for all of our travel. Check-in and check-out times for our guests didn’t always align with our plans, so we’d find ourselves wondering where to go, luggage in hand. Eventually we ended up at the bar at Locanda Verde pounding Bloody Marias (tequila, not vodka). Honestly my favorite in the city and I have had a lot. Paired with the porchetta sandwich…it’s all heaven.
Gardel’s Fort Greene: This is perhaps a bit of neighborhood bias, but as spring and summer come about, some of you may want some plants to liven up your space, your pots, or yard (lucky you). You’re going here for the help and experience above all, but the plants are also great. Gardel and his son will set you on the right path and remember you season after season. He gave me a hug the other day.
The Rockwell Place: I’m not a huge bar person. I spent most of my twenties waiting for my peers to grow out of that whole scene. But, I do like a drink. And an ambiance. The Rockwell Place which is actually on Rockwell Place stands in the fringe of Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn. The drinks are very good and the food is surprisingly good, too. It’s dark, rarely packed and the soundtrack is sublime. Bonus points for its unassuming front, too.
Saffron Flowers: Once upon a time, when we had a little more cash to burn, we would order a flower arrangement for every astrological season. We’d give the crew at Saffron free reign and a budget and they absolutely never let us down. In fact, I trusted them so much that I sent these to any celebrities I cast for campaigns or editorials, too. (Around the corner, though, there’s Fresh Garden which has an incredible selection of bodega flowers.)
The Piers in Brooklyn Heights: I was once a dawn treader on the West Side Highway. I would run it every morning from our old apartment in Nolita. Both the West Side Highway and Nolita are now insufferable and packed beyond reason. But, if you need a more civilized place to stroll, the piers and paths in Brooklyn Heights are the closest thing to what the West Side Highway once was and offer more picturesque views of Manhattan instead of New Jersey. Steer clear of the DUMBO stretch, though. It’s chaos.
Morgenstern’s Ice Cream: It really is just the best. I’m sorry, but it’s true. Hardly a well kept secret but I couldn’t not mention it.
Greenlight Books: I know there is a deep love of Books Are Magic around these parts, and for good reason! I love them. But, Greenlight on Fulton has my heart. Dough once ran out of our apartment and straight to their door in a blizzard and they let him right in. They treat Crumb and Daisy so kindly and are generally just the best. There’s a stationery shop next door too called Yours Truly to poke around in afterward.
Coming Soon! Saint Street Cakes: I am very excited that Morgan Claire Knight’s Saint Street Cakes will be opening up a spot in Brooklyn. They’re taking over the old Dinner Party space which is the old Pequeña space in Fort Greene.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means and the intent here isn’t to send you flying off to Via Carota or Bemelman’s but to give you a more inside look at some of my most favorite spots in the city. I’ll do my best to update you as more spots come to mind. For now, you can find all these spots on my Google Map.
* No disrespect to this movement, it’s just not for me!