The subway station is packed with a sardine can (that's the correct collective noun, by the way) of edgy, post-work New Yorkers. As you reach the top of the exit steps, an Arctic wind whips across from the Hudson down the endless corridors they call streets over there, chilling you to the bone.

With a city this occasionally unrelenting (and the Summer can be even worse), it's no wonder NYC does the 'dive bar' better than anywhere else in the world. The closest we can offer is probably that little Guinness pub off Soho Square.

So, when it comes to seeking shelter - whether figuratively or physically - two new joints are here to satisfy your fugitive cravings.

Slim Jim's is the real deal. With its 'liquor store' self-styling, minimal capacity, narrow bare-brick walls, '50s bar stools, and inviting yet anonymous attitude, it's almost like a small slice of the LES has come to N1.

TODAY'S EVENT PICKS

Doyens of disco decadence Hercules and Love Affair wrap up November at Matter. 10pm - 5pm, The 02, Peninsula Square, SE10. £14.

Get up close to the moon herself in these stunning photographs. 10am - 6pm, Atlas Gallery, 49 Dorset Street, W1U, Free.

Audio-visual artists respond to Rothko's paintings. 7pm, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Free.

Set your dark side free with burlesque, fetish and free cake. 9pm, London Stone, 109 Cannon Street, London, EC4N. £5.