Lana Del Rey finds NYC inspiring

American Singer Lana Del Rey says living in New York was her "sole source" of inspiration for her work.

The "Born to Die" hitmaker loved living in the city for eight years and it was a big influence on her songwriting until she found fame.

"I loved New York. When I was there it was almost my sole source of inspiration, more than any other man, writer or rapper, but it's harder for me to get around now," contactmusic.com quoted Del Ray as saying.

"I used to take late night walks over the Williamsburg Bridge, go to all the 24 hour diners with $5 and beg the waiters to let me stay all night in exchange for the purchase of one giant slice of chocolate cake.

"I would sit for hours and read about interesting people like Karl Lagerfeld and listen to books on tape by Tony Robins to keep me company. I would take the D train to Coney Island, take the D train back to the Bronx where I lived on Hughes Avenue," she added.