Susan Lucci grew up in Garden City, Long Island, but she fell in love with Manhattan when she got the job of a lifetime in 1970: playing the iconic Erica Kane on the long-running soap opera “All My Children.” Lucci would study her lines in the car on the way to the show’s Upper West Side studio only putting down her script to gaze at the skyline through Central Park. Today, she’s back living in Garden City and filming in Manhattan — her Investigation Discovery series “Deadly Affairs,” which just premiered its second season. This is her New York.
1. Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave., between 85th and 86th streets
“My husband is Austrian, so when he’s feeling a little homesick, we go here, and it’s like being in Vienna for the afternoon. The quark is very authentic — it’s like a cheesecake, but that does not begin to do it justice. It’s so light and has a lemon taste to it. Last November, we were trying to squeeze in a trip to Paris, but we had so many commitments and we couldn’t get away. So we checked into the St. Regis — we didn’t tell anyone except our children. We went to a French restaurant to feel like we were in France and Cafe Sabarsky to feel like we were in Austria. It was like being in Europe for the weekend, and we had the best time.”
2. The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302. W. 45th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
“We try to see a Broadway show a couple times a month. We mostly go to musicals. I grew up loving Broadway musicals. I’d put on my parents’ cast albums and stand on the stool and sing in the mirror. One of the first ones was ‘Damn Yankees.’ I was about 3 years old. The last show I saw was ‘Kinky Boots.’ Oh, I thought it was fabulous.”
3. Central Park, 110th Street and Central Park North
“For most of my adult life, I drove through Central Park every morning going to work. I’d enter at the North Drive, at 110th Street. I was always studying on my way in, but the minute we turned into the park, no matter where I was in the script, I’d put it down. Central Park is one of the treasures of this country — the light, the landscaping, the people. I just can’t say enough about it. My very favorite season there is spring. After the long winters in New York, you see green buds and weeping willows, forsythia coming out and daffodils poking through. I’ve also filmed in the park, and my husband and I have gone on a gondola ride in the lake. It’s just magical.”
4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street
“I have great memories of taking my children to the Met. They would say, ‘Can we take a later train home?’ They love the Egyptian wing and all the mummies. And I love the café. I’m looking forward to going there for jazz nights this fall.”
5. Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave., at 58th Street
“Bergdorf’s has it all! I go to the seventh floor for inspiration. I just walk around and look at the table settings and accessories — they’re so beautiful. I bought a fabulous black-and-white photograph there for my husband for our anniversary. It’s from a Harper’s Bazaar layout in the ’60s. It’s a man and woman, and he’s lighting her cigarette with his. I thought it was sexy and fabulous. It reminded me of when we first met.”
6. Campagnola, 1382 First Ave., at 74th Street
“If a Martian came from outer space and wanted to experience a real New York Italian restaurant, they would go to Campagnola. You’ve got Freddie (below) playing the piano when you walk in, they’re four deep at the bar, there’s a wooden floor — it’s so cozy. We’ve taken our son, and now he takes his friends. For us, it’s more of a dinner place, and they serve late, so we’ve gone after the theater, on the way home. There are so many colorful characters there: politicians, ballplayers, Wall Street bankers and actors.”
7. Barneys, 660 Madison Ave., at 61st Street
“There’s a very New York vibe, and you feel that the minute you’re in the store. They curate their collection of jewelry so well. Everything is cutting-edge, and I love that about Barneys. I have done some damage in that shoe department, too — my husband will tell you! He is not a shopper, he hates to shop. So he ushers me through as quickly as possible, then we go for lunch at Fred’s.”
8. The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues
“I went for the first time two years ago with my college roommate and her husband when they came up from Washington, DC. The fact that it was a private home, it feels so accessible and personal — you get to see the Monets and the Rembrandts in an environment that feels like a home. We had the best time and then, after that, we went Christmas shopping for our daughters and stopped at a pashmina cart, and bought a bunch of them.”
9. Gramercy Tavern, 42 E. 20th St., at Park Avenue South
“When I was getting ready to appear in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ in 1999, my voice teacher was on 16th Street. After my lessons, my husband and I started going to Gramery Tavern quite often, and we just love it. The pastry chef is fantastic. I try everything she makes!”