We all have meaningful places in New York City. 

We've all got parks we use to unwind, bars where we got a little wild in the bathroom, the restaurant whose chicken wings we just can't stop fantasizing about.

Whether its the first apartment you had on Amsterdam Avenue with the bathtub in the kitchen, that bar you loved solely because no one else knew about it, or the restaurant where you agreed to move in with your boyfriend, we all know these places.

We're talking about the places that jolt you with an intense feeling of nostalgia when you pass them on the street. The places you escape to when you have some time to yourself. The places that have had an extreme effect on your NYC experience.  

When it comes to these places we have to wonder, would our love affair with NYC have been the same without them? The resounding answer is, probably not.

Below, 8 spoiled NYC writers grappled with the question: what place in NYC means the most to you? Read on to discover to find out, and then ask yourself the very same question...

Where's your favorite, most memorable place in New York City? 

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Jackie: The 777 Theatre (8th Avenue & 47th Street)

"My best friend and I decided to get tickets for this off-Broadway show entitled, 'Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man.' We decided to make a night of it and went and got a couple beers before the show, then a couple at the theater. 

Unfortunately for us, we were sitting in the front row of this interactive show.

During the 'how to give a hand-job portion,' I was one of the lucky three ladies to be called up on stage. I had a pink silk blindfold put over my eyes as I was literally shaking and sweating with fear (I hate being center of attention and I really see no point to handjobs….they can do it themselves, you know?). 

Long story short. I apparently do not have decent handjob skills. Which we found out. On stage. In front of everyone. If you ever need to get over stage fright or social anxieties, try giving a ghost handjob while blindfolded on stage." 

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Liz: Abraco Espresso (86 East 7th Street)

"I had no idea Abraco, the coffee place across the street from my apartment, was a big deal -- as in known for some of the best coffee in the city. 

I just knew that every time I looked out my window, people were always congregated out in front of it. Sometimes the same ones for hours. And you can barely fit 5 people comfortably in this place. I was immediately intrigued.

After I bit the bullet and gave it a try, I immediately got it. For one, yes, it is the best coffee in the city (seriously), but more than that, it’s a little community that I’m now a part of. 

The owner makes a point to know everyone, and now because of this place, I not only know my neighbors, but random stuff like when the new cheese shop is opening and why there was a firetruck on the street for four hours. 

It’s my little New York family, and you need something like that here. I’ve become a little addicted to it, and now dread Mondays even more because they’re closed."

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Amber: Randall's Island

"Nature isn’t something that is overly accessible in NYC, so the first time I visited this beautiful island along the east river was eye opening to me. 

Before I moved to the city, a friend took me there to see his rugby game. Seeing several fields of people playing different sports, friends BBQ-ing on the river, and others going for an afternoon stroll— I realized there was much more to the city than I ever knew.

This island turned into the place that I walked with my parents after my move-in day, as well as a place where my friends and I have had some wine-fueled yet meaningful talks while watching the sun set over the city. It’s a perfect escape from the so-called 'hustle and bustle' of the city."

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Jamison: Coffee cart (37th Street & 7th Avenue)

"The corner of 37th and 7th Avenue is where I’ve gone almost every morning since our office opened. I don’t know the man’s name, and despite having never asked, he calls me, 'Sir.' He calls me, 'My friend.' 

He asks me how I’m doing, how my family is, how New Jersey Transit ran, how my work is, what I think of the weather.

Sometimes he forgets that I don’t like the cinnamon raisin bagels that he puts next to the everything bagels. Of course, other times I get there a little late, and I have no choice.

He remembers that I like my coffee black. 'No cream. No sugar. No junk in it,' he says. I pay him in exact change, and he says, 'I see you tomorrow my friend.' If I'm not stopping for coffee and a bagel (it's never either/or), I walk by there, wave, and walk on because that's what friends without names do." 

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Pete: Shed behind 169 Bar (169 East Broadway)

"There is a homemade shanty behind the infamous 169 Bar on LES that was my break room for about two years. It was designed as an air conditioned beer storage shed, but ended up being more of a hedonism zone, smoking area, enclave of all that must go without mention.

I have a strange relationship with that little hut; I’ve done some of my best 'city thinking' in there. I’ve definitely pissed in it more than once. 

It’s also good for incognito naps, discreet hookups, clandestine exchanges, boisterous behavior that aggravates the neighbors, and waxing poetic with whatever Chinatown weirdos find their way through the kitchen and into the back yard." 

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Isaiah: Lake in Central Park

"There’s a somewhat hidden spot on the west side of the Lake in Central Park where if you wander long enough through the Ramble and take the right turns, you come to a clearing of waterside rocks underneath a large tree. 

I discovered this place my freshmen year of college at Hunter on a really bad day when I just needed to find a spot to zone out.

I went back all the time throughout college to read, study, write, listen to music or just decompress. It has just the right amount of nature with still seeing skyscrapers behind the towering trees across the Lake. 

Even after graduation, I’ve brought my lunch there a number of times to just hang out for an hour and watch the ducks that sometimes congregate nearby, not to mention the people on the water pretending they know how to steer a rowboat." 

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Sara: Veselka (144 2nd Avenue)

"One night I met up with my camp friends at Veselka, one of whom brought her friend Liz. I sat in the corner with Liz and spent the whole night in enchanted reverie. I was in love.

Liz and I dated, and broke up, but Veselka is forever drenched in the gleam of spontaneous love. Plus, those latkes though.

Later that year I brought my girlfriend to Veselka after a concert where we’d gotten seriously twisted. My girlfriend was so messed up she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even order. So I ordered her the latkes, of course.

That same summer, I ran into Mary Lambert, of Same Love fame, outside. I blurted out, 'ARE YOU MARY LAMBERT?' She responded, '... Yes.' Then, I proceeded to recite one of her poems to her, to which she said, 'Wow, you’re legit.'

Mary and I got a picture together, and 102 Facebook likes later, Veselka has cemented itself in my mind as a restaurant where fairytales can happen. Plus, those perogies." 

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Catherine: Triple Crown Ale House (330 7th Avenue)

"The Triple Crown Ale House on 7th Ave and 29th Street. It’s not a particularly amazing bar, the food is just ok and it’s a bit pricey, but I performed improv there for the first year that I was in the city.

I’ve spent countless hours in the basement of that place (which they like to call 'underground theatre') rehearsing and performing, and grew so much as an improvisor and writer. 

I had many triumphant moments on that stage, as well as train-wreck moments that turned into learning experiences. I also met some of the loveliest and most talented people I’ve ever known, most of which are now my closest friends here." 

Check out 6 Late-Night Activities for Making Awesome Memories in NYC.