Crime writer Jeffery Deaver on the unexpected side of New York City

Thrilled by Manhattan on a first visit as a young man, the author still relishes New York’s unexpected side, from folk music venues to hole-in-wall diners

• The concierge’s view of New York

I was 25 in 1975 when I first went to Manhattan and was utterly enthralled. I watched the sunrise from the top of the Commodore Hotel (now the Grand Hyatt) above Grand Central station, and thought, I’m moving here. Two years later I did, and I stayed for 20 years.

The city never sleeps although I’ve had trouble getting a steak sandwich after 4am. Years ago, I had sushi in a place full of Japanese businessmen and only three westerners, and I remember approaching sushi bravely, never having had raw fish. Was that puréed cheese? No, wasabi! It told me New York was a place of exotic cultures.