Writer Cat Marnell shares her top 5 NYC spots

There’s really good consignment stores on the second floors of Madison Avenue: upstairs at Michael’s, for instance. Stuff like Comme des Garçons, $80. There are so many fashion people in New York, and they’re all selling their shit. If you’re young and a party girl, you can get designer clothes secondhand, and there’s no reason to spend too much. That’s what I was doing while I was interning with magazines. I needed designer clothes, but all the sizes are so skinny. I like Tokyo 7 in the East Village, and I get so much cool stuff and it’s cheap.

I love it underneath the FDR, between the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. You can sit there on the river on a bench, and it is the most magical view of New York. There is a whole, wonderful park along the East River.

I seem like the person who would never ride a Citi Bike, but I love it. I did it impulsively: I was on Vyvanse and just went. I was so into it, did it again, and then I got the whole membership. It’s good when your parents come to town. When my dad was here, I didn’t want to keep talking and talking to him, so we did Citibike, and we didn’t have to talk too much.

I like Lil’ Frankie’s. I’ve been going there for 15 years. I like anything that Frank makes. The best thing to get there is the salad with gorgonzola and pears and also pasta with baby meatballs—anything with the baby meatballs.

My favorite meal in New York is at Lucky Strike: steak au poivre, salad instead of fries and one glass of red wine. It’s just fucking amazing. I love all the McNally restaurants, but I don’t spend a lot of money on food, because I don’t have health insurance. I have prescription drugs to pay for! I’m on Medicaid, but I have to pay for narcotics out of pocket. So I don’t blow $100 on a meal.