Weekends in Manhattan can be a nightmare. If you don’t make a restaurant reservation weeks in advance, you’ll find yourself in a familiar situation—walking around Soho or the West Village, feeling like a tourist, and then dropping back into your mediocre neighborhood spot for the thousandth time. Enter Astoria Seafood. It’s only a 20-minute drive from downtown, and you’ll almost certainly find the perfect table in the sun. It’s no frills—you pick your fish, and they grill it for you. The calamari and greek salad are to die for. It’s bring-your-own-booze, too; we suggest bringing a bottle of champagne. If you stay reasonably sober after lunch, head to the Isamu Noguchi museum, which is only a 10-minute drive away. The perfect Saturday afternoon. —Elena Clavarino

Elena Clavarino is the Senior Editor at AIR MAIL