Six Seconds With: The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr.Under that cool rocker exterior lies a secret crossword fan.

Photo: Lionel Moreau/Abaca USA

“On the weekends, the East Village can be overrun with undesirables,” says Albert. “But I love Manhattan. I’ve been around the world and it’s my favorite city.”

Though L.A. transplant Albert Hammond Jr., rhythm guitarist for the Strokes, says his upper-crust Swiss boarding school experience was nothing like the UES teen soap Gossip Girl, he was still happy to lend his song “Hard to Live (In the City)” from his 2007 solo album to the addictive show. “I’ve seen all 18 episodes,” Albert, 28, says. “People aren’t that rich and that good-looking, but I love watching it.” The enthusiastic fan even deejayed the show’s wrap party, thanks to his friendship with star Ed Westwick (“That’s Chuck, for people who watch,” says Albert). But the East Villager, whose second solo effort, ¿Cómo Te Llama?, comes out July 8, is happier when he has a guitar in his hand rather than a TV remote. This summer he’ll play a few dates to support the album, which is inspired by the Kinks and the Clash.

1 What’s your favorite place to people watch? The Gracefully deli on Avenue A between Second and Third. You can see the whole spectrum, from crazies to beauties, walk by.

2 Where’s your favorite bar in the city? In the 10 years I’ve been here, I haven’t found one. I’d like someone to build a nice one that’s not behind velvet ropes and filled with pretentious people.

3 What’s the first thing you do when you get back to NYC? Sleep! Then I play with my dogs (Violet, a mini daschund, and Lola, a daschund-shih tzu mix) and do crosswords. People think I’m this big partier, but I’m really a homebody.

4 What New Yorker would you like to meet? Woody Allen. I love all of his movies — especially [2000’s] Small Time Crooks. I’ve seen him play clarinet at the Carlyle Hotel, and he’s amazing at that, too. I’d love for him to direct a music video for me.

5 If you were mayor of Gotham, what would you change? I’d lower the rent for stores so all of the cool, small shops could afford to stay afloat. The huge chains are making the city start to lose its personality.