This was put together for us by Greg Tate, a dear friend of ours (family, really), and our go-to guide for all things food & culture in NY. He recently moved to the West Coast for a job, and now visiting the city will never be the same without him and his wife, Hannah, to give us an excuse to live it up while we're there.

There really isn't much to say about New York that hasn't been said. Frankly, from the time I learned I didn't have to live in the same place as my parents all my life, I knew I wanted to live in New York. It's a frustrating place that will hand you what feels like your lowest low, and you'll still feel grateful for the privilege to get to be there. You're not special just because you live in New York, but you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Everyone who has gotten up that day and made it to work or a restaurant or a show or a museum is playing a part in the experience of making the best city in the world happen. I don't know who did the math that living in New York for 10 years makes you an official New Yorker, but I made it 12. I'll wear my "Official New Yorker" badge that I'm sure got lost in the mail with pride.

I recently left the city for life on the West Coast. I'll miss the city most likely every day. But I'll be back whether it's to visit or to live permanently again some unforeseen time in the future. No true New Yorker ever leaves. Regardless, if you're visiting for the first time or the hundredth -- welcome. New Yorkers are nicer and more understanding than they get credit for, and sharing the city with others is part of what makes this place so special. Now, will you please walk faster or get out of my way?

eats

I am convinced that eating in New York has probably taken years off my life, but in a good way. When former New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells retired because his health literally couldn't take it any more, I related to that probably more than I should have. However, I do believe there is no better way to get to know a city than through its food (an insight only I and Anthony Bourdain am brave enough to share with you) and New York is the best there is in that regard.

Have some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket? Maybe head to Monkey Bar, an old school midtown haunt that's been around since 1936 and has recently been revitalized from the team behind 4 Charles Prime Rib (which you can't get into anyway). Let the martinis flow, get a Prime Rib and let the good times flow. You've earned it. An absolute non-negotiable is the crab rangoon as well. You'll stumble out of their old time Hollywood style dining room a lot lighter in the wallet, but also very satisfied.

If you must go to Brooklyn, and these days you must, you'll find a wealth of great restaurants new and old. If you venture out to Ridgewood (which is technically Queens but spiritually East Bushwick), you'll find Rolo's. At Rolo's you'll find house made polenta bread, a two layer wood fired lasagna that sounds like not enough layers but very much is (minimalism!), and one of the best burgers in town if you can get there early enough (they usually sell out before 7PM). Up in Williamsburg, you'll find the Four Horsemen still firing on all cylinders. A wine bar with bar-raising food, this Michelin-starred staple isn't content to rest on its laurels.

drinks

The cocktail scene remains very much alive and well in New York. While the days of Please Don't Tell-style speakeasies are (thankfully) mostly a thing of the past, you have no shortage of hard to get into places on a weekend night.

Double Chicken Please is a Lower East Side staple that specializes in off the wall cocktails inspired by things like Cold Pizza or Red Eye Gravy, two things you'll need after a night out drinking. If you can't get a reservation, be prepared to wait if you're not going on a weekday.

Interested in something more theatrical? Head to Paradise Lost, a new tiki bar in the Bowery where every drink is a show in itself. Be sure to check out the bathrooms...you'll know what I mean when you go.

Cocktails not your thing? Head to Old Town Bar near Union Square for a pint at one of the oldest bars in the City. After you've had a few, make it a few too many at Pete's Tavern a hop and skip away on Irving. Allegedly, O. Henry wrote "Gift of the Magi" there, and maybe you'll write the great American novel after polishing off an Irish Whiskey or a Guinness.

coffee

You can be as much or as little of a coffee snob as you'd like to be in New York. Want the full weighed-out-beans pour-over experience? Check out La Cabra in either the East Village or Union Square. As a bonus, they also happen to make some of the best pastries in the city. Can't live without your daily Starbucks? It's okay, plenty of New Yorkers feel the same, and they're about as frequent as rats on the subway, which is to say...very.

playlist

You could really name any genre (except maybe country, I guess), and someone would name five New York artists who are definitive kings of their craft. That's all well and good and, with respect to everyone's personal favorite New York artist, to me, nothing sounds more New York than "Marquee Moon" by Television. An A+ album to have on in your headphones while you wander around aimlessly.

good to know

Don't worry about buying a metro card these days -- all subway stops and buses now accept tap to pay from your credit card or wallet on your phone. Be sure to let people off the train before you get on, or you'll look like a real mensch. Also please, I am begging you, don't stop to text on top of the stairs.