Photo: Anders Adermark

New Yorkers (as well as the rest of the U.S.) will probably always be coffee drinkers first and foremost, but tea, especially when it's delivered with a bit of Asian flair and with a minimum of fuss, is getting more and more popular every year. Teany, Moby's vegan teashop, was one of the first to ride this trend when it opened in 2002. There, it was just as quick and easy to get a good Assam as it was to get a cup of joe at a coffee shop. (Although Teany recently had to close due to a fire in its building, it's expected to reopen soon.) For my teashop picks below, I aimed for places that are fun and easygoing but that also take their tea seriously -- no plunking stale Lipton's teabags into lukewarm water at these spots. Have a cuppa tea at one of the efficient but non-schlocky joints below, and you'll be ready to face the rest of the day with a peaceful grin on your face.

Let me get this front and center: I love Christmas in New York -- the lights, the crowds, the church services, all of it -- even dealing with the horror of the airports in December. But even though the tritest parts are lovable, it never hurts to also search for things that are a bit more unusual.

Here's a shortlist of places and events that are either a little under the radar or underrated. Either way, you'll have  a better chance of fending off megacrowds and also soaking up a little more of true New York flavor.

Bushwick, which be fairly easily reached by the L line, reminds lots of people of Williamsburg in the early days, but that comparison can be misleading. For one thing, Bushwick makes Williamsburg look tiny by comparison, sprawling as it does across multiple subways stops and lines. To simplify things a bit, I'll stick here to some of the great places to be found around the Morgan subway stop. The area, technically called East Williamsburg but also known as Morgantown by some folks, has huge warehouses and windswept streets, but the many artists and art galleries give it a chummy, community feel you don't find many other places in NYC. (It's also, unfortunately, rough in some parts, so like anywhere else interesting in New York, be aware of your surroundings. Muggings and other crimes do occur here.)

To find out about more about what's going on in the area, including gallery openings and concerts, check out the highly useful BushwickBK and its culture calendar.

A couple weeks ago I exchanged the heat and crowds of Manhattan for another island -- one that's much more manageable, green, and, in some ways, surprising, at least on a muggy summer day. Governor's Island, strategically located in New York Bay between Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, was from 1800 to 1995 used as a base first by the U.S. Army and then the Coast Guard. Now it's been reborn as a National Monument as well as an arty, laid-back escape for New Yorkers and others looking for some great views and a little more space to relax in.

Go further:

New Yorkers Sunning Gotham-Style

Prost! - Beer and Bratwurst in the Boroughs

Braving The Other Boroughs I: Staten Island

Photo by Dominik Huber

Open since 1991, the East Village Bed & Coffee is now one of the area’s old-timers, but it’s still easy to walk past this guesthouse without even knowing what it is. There’s no sign—just two doors on the street, one painted bright red with the street number,the other one covered with stickers and graffiti but no handle.

The Mexican Room

Its 12 rooms, all of varying sizes but none of them enormous, are divided equally among three floors, with the top two reached by staircases narrow enough to be worthy of Amsterdam. The rooms, which have either queen or double beds, each have their own theme—for instance, the Mexico Room has Latin American knick-knacks on the wall, and that includes a sombrero that a guest mysteriously left there one day. Rooms all have their own air-conditioning—a must for late spring and summer in New York. All the bathrooms are shared—there’s one on every floor.

Obviously, it’s not the sort of place where you’ll get a mint on your pillow. What you will get are lots and lots of thoughtful touches to help you see as much of the city as possible. Every floor’s largish common area has a computer available for guest use, as well as free Wi-Fi and a dedicated phone line for receiving phone calls. Large subway maps are mounted on the walls to help with planning, and a long photocopied list of personally recommended restaurants is available for the taking.

Free-trade coffee and tea are available in the kitchens on every floor, as are filtered water and a refrigerator with food staples, for those who want to do a little cooking. There’s also a small backyard with a koi pond—this acts as the de facto smoking lounge when the weather’s good.

Rooms (double occupancy, with all taxes included) start at just $115 for the smallish 'Dutch room' on up to $140 for larger front rooms that look out onto Avenue C.  With prices like that, it’s not unusual for many rooms to fill up as long as eight months in advance. (There’s a waiting list available on the website for cancellations.) All in all, this low-key guesthouse is a great place for feeling a little more like a temporary neighbor and less like someone just passing through town.

EAST VILLAGE BED & COFFEE; 110 Avenue C, New York

Find more hotels in New York.