Livin’ in New York City Post 1: Do or Die

First NYC Slice at Broadway Pizzeria less than 6 hours after I first arrived in Bedford-Stuyvesant in The People’s Republic of Brooklyn.

I’ve never really written a blog before so I’m not sure what to include, what to omit and what to make up. So, keep that in mind as I rely on what it truly means to be a New-Yorker. 

I left my hometown of Farmer City, IL for good on July 17, 2022 after deciding to move to New York City, specifically Brooklyn. My dad and I drove a rented van across half the country and it seemed mostly uneventful. So uneventful that the only thing I could do to avoid passing out was by reading the book “Helter Skelter,” putting it down every so often because, and I cannot stress this enough, the Manson family was beyond screwed up. After hours of driving through rain with very little talking and no music, we managed to get a hotel room in Harrisburg, PA.

The next day proved to far more interesting as we finally got some music on and got to relive all of the musicians we’ve come to love over the years: The Statler Brothers, Glen Campbell, The Band, Merle Haggard, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Allman Brothers Band, Billy Joel and Elvis Presley. Once we were in New Jersey, inching towards New York, we decided to forgo the tunes and focus on the road. 

Before we left on our trip, my dad asked me how excited I was versus how nervous. I replied, “about 75 to 25.” He thought that was a solid answer. But as we drove up to New York and One World Trade Center emerged from the fog, that ratio went to 50-50 really quick. The closer we got, the close I got to having a serious panic attack. Then we got through the Lincoln Tunnel and we were there. 

Driving through Manhattan to get to Brooklyn had to be one of the most stressful experiences. Not because I was driving, but because I became paranoid that someone was going to do something stupid that would cause my dad to just snap. In a city with a population of 8 million, seeing a few people doing stupid things can’t be that hard to come by. I tip my cap to all of the taxi drivers and UBER drivers who have to drive through this, especially the old-time cab drivers who didn’t have any apps to navigate. I can’t imagine driving a few blocks from memory let alone all five boroughs. 

Finally, we got to The People’s Republic of Brooklyn and made it to my neighborhood, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the whole place seemed to be welcoming. All of the anxiety that I felt in Manhattan quickly washed away and I felt reassured being surrounded by the street art and friendly faces. 

One thing about New York is that it’s an “in your face” kind of city. When I first opened the door of the van, the smell just hit me. The salty smell of heat and sweat and all of these people mixed together is the first thing you have to adjust to. 

With my apartment on the third floor above a Chinese restaurant and no elevator or air-conditioning, getting all of my stuff to my room was a whole ordeal of lengthy rest breaks, swearing and sweat. While settling in has been easy enough, the lack of air-conditioning is something I’ll have to get used to. It's a cruel fate that the one week I move to New York is the week that we get a massive heat wave with terrible humidity. However, I do have a nice set-up in which I have a box fan at my open window along with two tall fans which help circulate air. 

Tagged with graffiti, my apartment building is pretty easy to spot on the block.

In the less than 48 hours I’ve lived in New York, I’ve already noticed a few things. First, crosswalks and signs don’t mean anything. Sure, we look both ways for cars but we are always looking to get somewhere quickly. We don’t care if the light is red, green, blue or whatever. 

Next, people just flood the sidewalks to hang out and engage with the community. They sit on benches, they go to parks, they hang out outside of buildings. When I was walking around, I saw a few guys with a card table, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer and playing dominos. I’ve even got someone named Mark  who hangs out on my stoop. Does he live there? Nope. Why does he hang out on the stoop? I don’t know but he’s a really nice guy. In fact, he was the first person to welcome me to the neighborhood. 

One thing I look forward to experiencing in Bed-Stuy is all of the diversity. Seeing different people, different languages and different stories is something that, as a filmmaker, I naturally gravitate towards. Packed in tight are people of different faiths, races, sexualities and we all have to live with each other and form a community. 

As soon as you get to New York, you have to get a slice of pizza. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, New York is incredibly well-known across the globe for three things: The Empire State Building, The Yankees and the pizza. My first slice of New York Pizza came from a joint down the street from my dad’s hotel on Broadway between Bed-Stuy and Bushwick. The Broadway Pizzeria was undoubtedly New York with a beautiful oven making pizza by the slice for on-the-go customers or whole pies. 

My dad and I had a slice of pepperoni apiece with the grease making it extra fantastic. As the great Jon Stewart said “you fold it and you eat it!” I can also safely say, as both a native Illinoisan and a disciple of Jon Stewart, fuck Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza. That is pizza that isn’t fit to live when compared to New York Pizza. Chicago can make a great hot dog and Portillos is amazing but NYC has got you beat in the battle for the best pizza and the battle for the tallest building. The Sears Tower can go drown itself in Lake Michigan. 

After being dropped off, to my room I had some drinks with my friend from film school, Mikayla, at the Bar Camillo down the street. I think what makes New York so fantastic is that there’s always something on every corner. At this point, I don’t go out looking for any specific restaurant or bar or store. I kind of just wait for things to come to me so I can get a better understanding of my neighborhood. 

One thing I found interesting was how so many people in Illinois constantly complained about the state. “The taxes are too high.” “Everything’s expensive.” Then, they’re shocked when they find out I actually decided to leave. “Wait, you can do that?” 

While I loved Farmer City and my time in DeKalb as a college student, I knew that I had to get out of Illinois because of how difficult it would be to make the films I want to make. When I was shooting footage in Farmer City, people didn’t quite get it. There was a disconnect between me as a filmmaker and the public. Fortunately, that disconnect has been fading since video technology is more accessible but I don’t think there’s that base for artists that there is in New York. I need to be where the young people are, the artists. Now that I’m in Brooklyn, I think I’m where I need to be. In Bed-Stuy “Do or Die.”

My parents both made it to Brooklyn without losing their minds despite Dad having to drive through Manhattan and Mom having to spend an extended period of time in a flying pressurized tube with wings.