No matter what the New York Post says, the smoking ban didnÂ’t really matter to bar-goers in its first, warm-weather months, when ducking outside for a butt was no big deal.

That shag carpet you've been coveting will look like one big mistake in a couple years (and will ruin stiletto heels). For a look that's just as hip and has a far longer shelf life, take a tip from the design mafia and check out the Rug Company.

It's a familiar scenario—your perfect pedicure gets an ugly scrape on the first day of vacation. A week of sandals lies ahead, with zero prospect of finding matching nail polish on some tropical island.

City cyclists have a lot to worry about—jaywalkers, cabs, bus fumes—so it’s a blessing that they can take care of all their bicycle needs, at least, in one stress-free stop.

If, as Gay Talese suggested, New York is a city of things unnoticed, then Tender Buttons is its chest full of hidden treasure.

Hats (the non-baseball-cap kind) seem to be perpetually on the verge of a comeback. But despite the best efforts of Kid Rock, it’s still rare to see anyone wearing a stately homburg or a ska-style stingy-brimmed porkpie.

The humble maki roll—raw fish and vegetables coated with vinegared rice and wrapped in the lightly toasted seaweed known as nori—is a staple of sushi menus. But it can also be a canvas for creativity, as the Rainbow Roll at Japonica proves.

Though it’s hard to believe, the Winter Antiques Show hasn’t always been the chic-est bazaar in town.

If you love the charm concept but can't get excited about a wee golden corgi jangling from your wrist, try Tenthousandthings, where "charm necklaces" (from $1,500) feature clusters of semiprecious stones.

Even though New York’s mean streets aren’t prime trick-or-treating territory (unless you mean something else by “trick”), we’re still better equipped for the holiday than anyplace else in America.