A New York day from a West Village café to a High Line sunset

The Greenwich Village espresso bar that's been open since 1927, claimed to be the first place in America to serve a cappuccino. Order a cappuccino and a slice of ricotta cheesecake at the marble counter.

The Village's living room. Chess players on the southwest corner, buskers under the arch, a semicircular fountain in the centre. Sit on a bench for fifteen minutes and watch New York walk past.

A 2.3-kilometre elevated park built on an old freight rail line. Enter at Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District, walk north to 34th Street. An hour at an easy pace, longer if the planting holds your attention.

A converted Nabisco factory below the High Line. Los Tacos No. 1 for a quick counter lunch; Lobster Place for a richer option. The exposed brick and pipes and old factory machinery are themselves the attraction.

Renzo Piano's 2015 building overlooking the Hudson. American art only; Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Warhol. The outdoor terraces on floors five through eight are the unadvertised secret.

The old Greenwich Village lane of pizzerias, record shops, and tiny theatres. Walk west from 7th Avenue. John's of Bleecker is no reservations but a twenty-minute queue is typical for dinner.

Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's West Village trattoria. Impossible reservations but they keep half the room for walk-ins; put your name down at 19:00 and come back. Svizzerina, the kale salad, a glass of Dolcetto.