Former Georgian president exiled in trendy New York

Georgia's former president is spending his self-imposed exile in one of New York City's hippest neighborhoods.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that Mikhail Saakashvili passes the days in the borough of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighbourhood.

The area along the East River boasts beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline and is home to dozens of cafes, trendy restaurants and moneyed hipsters.

Saakashvili says he takes the subway, rides his bicycle and visits street flea markets. He was also writing a memoir, delivering "very well-paid" speeches and helping start up a Washington-based think tank, he said.

Saakashvili led Georgia during its five-day war with Russia in 2008. Initially, he was heralded for instituting liberal reforms.

He now faces charges of illegally breaking up a protest, taking over a television station and seizing the property of a businessman. Saakashvili, who lectures at Tufts University, dismissed the accusations as groundless and politically motivated.