With the recent ballyhooed release of Sex and the City, the trendy hotspots featured in the film are now brimming with New York tourists, couture devotees looking for true love or just enjoying a night out on the town. But what if your expectations veer more towards the timeless rather than the shameless?

Whether you embark on your metropolitan adventure by foot or vicariously through Netflix, this cinematic tryst with the city provides a portrayal of quintessential New York.

Being the classic movie lover that you are, it is mandatory that you start off your day as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – pick up a cruller and stroll through 5^th Avenue whilst gazing at all that dazzling jewellery (727 5^th Avenue, www.tiffany.com). Then it’s time to decide the screenplay of your day: will you experience New York as a local, a struggling producer, or a romantic?

To enjoy New York as a true New Yorker, look no further than to Woody Allen. Perhaps one of the city’s fondest admirers, his movies – Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors, to name but a few – truly explore the city’s gems. Pick up groceries at Zabar’s (2245 Broadway at 80^th Street). Catch a cab to Greenwich Village and grab a quick pizza, as did Mariel Hemingway and Woody, at John’s Pizzeria (278 Bleeker Street ). Enjoy the view of the East River from Sutton Place or the Riverview Terrace. Complain to a friend over a shared meal at Elaine’s (1703 Second Avenue), before a jazz-filled evening at the Carlyle Hotel’s Café Carlyle (1703 Second Avenue).

If Woody Allen’s New York is beyond your budget, consider The Producers’ Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom’s afternoon out on the town. For far less than a pair of Carrie’s Manolo’s, Max and Leo soak up the atmosphere at Central Park, enjoying hot dogs from a park vendor, a boat trip through the lakes and a ride on the carousel. Finish the day – al fresco – by taking in the view from the Empire State Building (350 Fifth Avenue) and the splendour of the Lincoln Centre fountain (132, W 65^th Street).

Finally, for escapades more romantic than Samantha Jones’ fiery rendezvous, Katz’s Delicatessen (205 East Houston Street) and The Boathouse Café (E 72^nd Street and Park Drive North) both provide brilliant backdrops for romantic chemistry, as the fated pair learned in When Harry Met Sally. Unleash your inner Marilyn Monroe on the 52^nd and Lexington subway grate from The Seven Year Itch. For something glitteringly special, consider an evening at the Oak Room and Bar within the legendary and recently opened Plaza Hotel (768 5^th Avenue at 59^th Street). Cary Grant and Dudley Moore frequented these landmarks in North by Northwest and Arthur respectively. Dramatically conclude the evening by ascending the Empire State Building as in Sleepless in Seattle or as so romantically planned in An Affair to Remember.

So leave your Manolo’s behind and learn to discover New York through a fresh – yet timeless – lens. It will certainly make a difference to your summer.

Text © Margaret Rusch