Nick Ede: my New York

Nick Ede is an award-winning PR and Lifestyle expert. He has been a regular judge on Project Catwalk and host of EEK or Chic in the UK as well as being a regular style expert on LK TODAY and GMTV. In 2009 he won Communicator of the Year at the Scottish Fashion Awards with Vogue magazine and this year will once again be hosting London Fashion Weekend for the British Fashion Council. Nick will also be reporting for MSN on all the catwalk shows at New York Fashion Week, so it only seemed fitting he gave us his guide to the Big Apple.

My favourite place in New York to eat is...

I love SoHo House New York, it's a private members' club and hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District and an old familiar to me. When I'm in the Big Apple it really is a home from home. The food is consistently great and the atmosphere is always buzzing. "

My favourite place to drink is...

"For the views of the city, my favourite spot has to be The Standard Hotel's La Bain rooftop bar - it has full-circle views of Manhattan and its favourite river and is always full of beautiful people. You can really test the barmen's mixology skills- trust me, the cocktails are lethal..."

My favourite hotel is...

"I recently stayed at the Gramercy Park Hotel on Lexington Avenue and loved it. The rooms were very dark and decadent and despite its location you don't feel like you're in the heart of the city. The service is also second to none and the bar staff loved my accent so I'll definitely be going back there!"

My favourite open space is...

The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues. It really is my favourite place to run, chat to friends and take in some air. A truly unique way of seeing the city."

To escape from the city, I go to...

"I have to say that if I want to get away from the city, there is only one place to go and that is The Hamptons on Long Island. It might sound like a New York cliché but it is everything you read and dream about. It doesn't feel real - and that's what makes it a perfect getaway. "

For my beauty treatments, I go to...

"Sephora is probably the best place in the world to get grooming products and there are stores all over New York - whether it's Ciaté's sell-out Caviar Manicure that my girlfriends are raving about or a new aftershave for me it's the perfect beauty emporium. If I have an event to go to then I'll pop into Nickel Spa, a men's only spa in the West Village which has state of the art treatments guaranteed to make you look about 10 years younger."

My best bargains and shopping splurges usually happen at...

"I head to Century 21 on Long Island for the best bargains and also Bloomingdales Black Friday sales for amazing discounts. If I'm feeling flush then I take a trip to SoHo's shopping grid which runs from Broadway west to Sixth Avenue, and Houston Street south to Canal Street, the boutiques are amazing there."

If I was a tourist, I'd avoid...

"I'd avoid Times Square on a Saturday - especially near M&Ms world. There are far too many people and it can really stress you out."

The one place I would recommend to anyone is...

"You really do need to see a Broadway show. The audiences are more enthusiastic, the performances infinitely better and the sensations are more than exciting."

What I really love about the city is...

"I love NYC because it truly is metropolitan. Whether it's a night at the opera or a run in the park, a coffee downtown or a naughty night in SoHo - every corner feels like you're in a movie - and if I can relive Cagney and Lacey well into my senior years, I'll be a very happy man."