The best month to visit is April, before it gets too hot. The daffodils are blooming and there are beautiful new leaves everywhere. Start the day with dim sum at Dim Sum GoGo (5 E Broadway, tel: 1 212 732 0796). It has really inventive food, including lovely pea-shoot dumplings. Or have brunch at August (359 Bleecker Street, tel: 1 212 929 4774). You could spend an entire afternoon browsing through the vintage modern furniture at Wyeth (315 Spring Street, tel: 1 212 243 3661). Check out R 20th Century Design (82 Franklin Street, tel: 1 212 343 7979; www.r20thcentury.com) too for great little items such as corkscrews and kaleidoscopes. Then drop in to Neue Galerie (1048 Fifth Avenue, tel: 1 212 628 8200; www.neuegalerie.org). It houses German and Austrian art, and has incredible exhibitions. High tea at Arium (31 Little West 12th Street, 212 463 8630) is next - they approach tea with such seriousness there. A favourite hotel also has one of the best bars; the Carlyle (35 E 76th Street, tel: 1 212 744 1600; www.thecarlyle.com) is home to the Bemelmans Bar which has gorgeous murals. Dinner could be at Wallse (344 W 11th Street, NY 10014, tel: 1 212 352 2300; www.wallserestaurant.com), an Austrian restaurant that has fabulous spaetzle. Another option is Omen (113 Thompson Street, tel: 1 212 925 8923) for its Japanese food and wonderful taster menu. Then go to Sant Ambroeus (259 W 4th Street, tel: 1 212 604 9254) where it's nice just to sit outside and sip prosecco.