Film programmer Emily Rose Apter sees New York through the lens of its independent cinemas, neighborhood diners, and unexpected encounters. Currently leading the curatorial program at Roxy Cinema, she spends her days championing adventurous filmmaking and her free time exploring the city’s cultural corners. From obscure screening venues and Yemeni restaurants to public art glimpsed from the subway and afternoons at Fort Tilden, here she shares the places, people, and rituals that make up her New York.

What can’t you travel without and why?
I have an addiction to Chapstick brand original and truly never leave home without it.

What’s your favorite travel destination?
Last summer I spent some time on a ranch in Casper, Wyoming while working on a film project. The high desert landscape and Salt Creek oil fields were unlike anywhere else I’ve been, and I’m really hoping to get back there.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon in NYC?
Before my car broke down, I loved driving out to Fort Tilden and Breezy Point. These days I like to read, cook, see movies, or swim at the public pool in Sunset Park.

If you could choose one person to show you “their New York City,” who would it be and why?
One person is so hard! Maybe Claudia Jones? Or Sidney Lumet? Or I’d go to a Brooklyn Dodgers game with my grandfather, who was from Midwood.

What or who has inspired you recently and why?
I’ve definitely had Wallace Shawn fever these days. Two of his plays, What We Did Before Our Moth Days and The Fever, finished their run at the Greenwich House Theater in May – I saw both multiple times. Metrograph also played a bunch of his film works recently. A Master Builder and Marie and Bruce are amazing and totally bizarre.

What are your favorite NYC restaurants? What do you order there?
I love getting Yemeni and Palestinian food in Bay Ridge. Recently I’ve had some pretty ecstatic eating experiences at Yemenat and Tanoreen, in particular. My local fave is Hainan Chicken House on 8th Ave for Malaysian curry.

What’s your go-to spot in NYC for drinks?
Judy’s in Sunset Park is a perfect neighborhood bar for Lambrusco and BYO tacos.

What are some of your favorite NYC brunch spots? What do you order when you go?
I’m not  a *huge* brunch person and tend to prefer a true diner breakfast or deli lunch. Tina’s Place, Lexington Candy Shop, Zafi’s Luncheonette, Little Poland, and B&H Dairy are all great.

Where do you get your art fix in NYC? Do you have a favourite artist?
I don’t see a lot of art art in NYC, but I do see a lot of movies – I love discovering new film/makers at Spectacle, Light Industry, BAM, and Anthology Film Archives. One of my favorite works of public art is Bill Brand’s Masstransiscope (1980), a hand-painted zoetrope installed in the subway tunnel between DeKalb Avenue and the Manhattan Bridge. I’ve always loved how the light passing through subway cars resembles a strip of film running through a projector and, if you’re not looking for it, Brand’s installation almost feels like it’s part of the subway machinery.

What are some of your favorite late-night hangouts in NYC and why?
I never get tired of seeing Slavic Soul Party at Barbès (a brass band that blends klezmer, funk, Balkan, and Romani music) – though to truly dance the night away, I occasionally shlep out to Ridgewood/Maspeth/Glendale.

What are some of your under-the-radar must-do recommendations for NYC visitors?
This might be the opposite of under-the-radar in that it’s an extremely common and popular activity, but I love getting (cheap, delicious) Korean food at Woorijip and then renting a private karaoke room with friends in Ktown.

What are some of your favorite NYC stores and why?
There’s a clothing store in Bed-Stuy called Lagoon that I love. It’s run by two friend-collaborators who design and make their clothes in-house, while also showcasing handmade clothing and goods by other local artists and designers.

What music are you listening to these days? Who are some of your favorite musicians?
This has been a pop country summer.

What album or song would you consider your personal soundtrack to NYC?
For some reason Suzanne Vega’s album Solitude Standing (1987) is what’s coming to me right now so I’m gonna go with that.

When you think of NYC, are there any particular emotions or memories that immediately come to mind?
Every day in NYC I experience at least one thing I wasn’t expecting—good, bad, strange, or otherwise. Living here is an exercise in surrendering to these kinds of endlessly unpredictable encounters.

PHOTOGRAPHY Lucas Kane