"Katz’s Deli is the greatest sandwich joint in the city, period. New York City is a place that's always changing, but one of the great things about the city is that the greatest places tend to stick around. Katz's is one of those institutions that earned its place on the map. Order a hot pastrami sandwich, and you'll get five inches deep on rye bread, with the greatest pickles you've ever had in your life. You pick up a Dr. Brown soda and sit in the corner and eat until your stomach hurts."

"I lived in Hell's Kitchen for a few years when I first moved to the city. Ariana Afghan was a joint on Ninth Avenue. It’s a great little family-owned place. I went in there as a guy from upstate New York, and I didn't know that type of food at all. But in New York, you can travel with your taste buds and explore all these different cuisines. They have great rice dishes, different types of herbs and spices, lamb, and yogurt-based sauces. The food here is just out of this world."

"This is another neighborhood joint where I used to go. I'd pick up my Gatorade, bag of Doritos, and a sandwich on the way home from a long night. I'd go to a place like Rudy's, which was just a real true neighborhood watering hole, with six bucks in my pocket, five bucks for the beer, and a dollar for the tip, and I'd go by 7 Brothers Famous Deli after, and I'd ask them if they could spot me till tomorrow to pay 'em back for my midnight sandwich. It's a real New York thing."

"Doc Holliday's is another watering hole of mine as I moved around town. At one point I was living deep in the East Village, living above a funeral parlor, S&M bar, and a cabaret place called Lucky Charms. I'd often hit up Doc Holliday's to have a drink. They have a great jukebox here. It was all cowboy culture, all very classic country and outlaw county. So yeah, it’s just a cool neighborhood spot right at the cusp of Alphabet City, which was as lawless as it could be at the time."

"Red Lion is part of a series of bars and venues on Bleecker Street. It’s an area of Greenwich Village where a whole circuit of musicians play all the time. I knew I could stroll down there day or night and bump into guys that I knew. We'd play music or I'd help move gear, or do whatever it was. Red Lion is just one of those beautiful local scenes in New York City where everybody is friendly and you’d quickly make new friends. The best thing about living in the city is to partake in that scene."

"I have so many memories about playing the Bitter End. I played here for the first time in 1997. Even when there wasn't a budget, they would have me and say 'Hey, kid, here’s 30 bucks, take a cab home, and here’s a couple of free drinks.' The Bitter End is such an integral part of me coming up. It means a lot to me to play here again to celebrate the release of my new album. It’s very nostalgic. I think it's so important to keep the music scene alive in New York and support live venues."

"This is another great live spot on Bleecker where you get to see some talent from across the globe coming to New York to get on stage, strut their stuff, and impress you. Compared to the other places on Bleecker, they specifically focus on blues. It’s a blues bar and live venue."

"I have so many memories here! I had to put it on my list because this is the spot where I worked when I first moved to New York City. It’s a part of my life story. They gave me a job to sit at the kiosk and sell cigarettes, magazines, and postcards to tourists. My brother worked here at the same time as a bellhop. I’d bring my old guitar and sit behind the counter on a stack of magazines writing songs. I’d just ask the customers to leave their coins on the counter when they came in to shop."

"Rudy's was the greatest Hell's Kitchen neighborhood bar at the end of the nineties. It was the best neighborhood joint, period. That’s where you'd meet the folks who grew up in the neighborhood. You'd stumble onto that very specific Hell's Kitchen, Irish accent. It was a very beautiful culture where you’d meet people from this small section of New York. You can tap into real local culture like that across the city, and that's what makes New York City so unique, especially back then."

"I used to go to Don’t Tell Mama all the time. It’s a piano bar, and they'd always have a great player performing. Everyone who worked there—the staff, the bartenders, the servers—they were all Broadway performers. It’s in Hell’s Kitchen, so right on the edge of the theater district. There were times I’d put down my drink, grab the microphone, and sing show tunes with the piano player. It was just a great New York place."