Lily Lane City Guide

"New York is where my heart is, L.A. is where my work is," claims Lily Lane, the up-and-coming singer/songwriter whose rapidly growing music career makes her straddle bi-coastal lines.

Lane's claim to fame came back in January when ABC Family's hit show Pretty Little Liars aired her song "Nothin But Trouble" almost in its entirety. Seconds after its premiere, Lily's name was plastered all over the Twitter-verse. "Ashley Benson tweeted literally right after the song played about how she loved it and it got hundreds of thousands of retweets. And right after it became the number one song on Shazam. It changed everything for me."

But don't think she'll settle to be a one-hit wonder. Lane has been spending almost every day in an L.A. studio, working on the finishing touches for her debut album, which will heavily draw on Motown and, interestingly enough, early Kanye influences. If you can hardly wait for new tracks, don't fret—the PLL breakout singer gave us the 4-1-1 that she'll soon be releasing a remix of her single "I Get High," which infuses EDM into the original's sultry, laid-back track.

We caught up with Lane in a stairwell earlier this week, after her performance at Bar III Shoe's Launch party, where she gave us her best bi-coastal recs.

NYC

Eat: Forcella, it's the best New York Pizza of all time. And I love Beauty & Essex; the salmon is insane. 

Drink: Goldbar. It looks hidden and it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's a lot of fun. 

Listen: Irving Plaza is my favorite venue, I love it. It's just the right-size. 

Avoid: Times Square. I can't go near it. Except sometimes when I go there, the Toys "R" Us store is open late, so me and my friends will go on a Wednesday at midnight and ride the Ferris wheel. It’s perfect because at that time, all the tourists are gone.

Indulge: It's not under-the-radar, but I love Madison Square Park. It always gets overlooked because people either go to Central Park or Washington Square, but it has so much space. 

L.A.

Eat: Toast Bakery Cafe or Marmalade Cafe at the Grove, definitely. 

Drink:  For going out, I really enjoy Bootsy Bellows off of Sunset. 

Listen: The Roxy. It's like the same size as Irving, and it’s big enough, but also small enough that you can actually connect with the people you're singing to and vice versa. 

Avoid: CityWalk in L.A. I just avoid it like the plague unless me or my friends have a show there and I have to go. 

Indulge: Wasteland! It's the best thrift store ever. It has lots of vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces that are incredible.