A friend once said New York's like the centre of the world. I'd never thought of it like that, but when you think about the genesis of the city, it's phenomenal. So many people made it what it is, and it's constantly changing — each area comes up and goes down.
Home was Newport, Rhode Island, but when I was 13, I went with my parents to New York for a summer. We stayed in the residential side of the Gramercy Park Hotel, and there was a private garden next door that guests were given a key to. I would go there every day and read a book. I remember walking all over the city, and it was so much fun. It's so full of energy and life. I love the mix of cultures, and the fact that every block you walk you see something new.
I moved to LA when I was 15, but I travel to New York at least four times a year. A couple of years ago I went back to the Gramercy Park. It was very touching. It was so different though — so hip and new.
When I'm in New York, I spend a lot of time walking downtown. It has an eclectic, rebel energy that's so creative and inspiring. I love the cobblestone streets in SoHo. I've often stayed at the Mercer, and they have a beautiful restaurant. In the Meatpacking District, you have Jeffrey's and all the high-end designers. I always visit the boutiques and designers you don't find anywhere else. There's an amazing store called Bess NYC just off Bond Street, which is an awesome street. In this district I stay a lot at the Maritime Hotel. They have a wonderful Japanese restaurant.
The Hotel on Rivington is really cool, because the Lower East Side is like no other place in New York — you get a lot of cool, artsy boutiques and vintage stores — and I like the fact that the hotel plays reggae in the elevator. When I stayed there, every morning I'd walk around the corner to a wonderful fresh organic juice place. It sells its juices in antique glass bottles, and when you're done, you return them to the store. In New York, a lot of restaurants and cafés are healthy and environmentally-conscious. I like that.
There's a vegetarian restaurant called Gobo that does really fantastic dishes. There are a lot of great restaurants in the Meatpacking District too. My friends always know what the newest thing is, so sometimes I just go with the flow. In LA I just go to the same places over and over, but in New York, there's always something new that's developing — that's what's so great about it.
Mena Suvari's latest film, Hemingway's Garden of Eden, was recently released in the USA
