Livin’ in New York City Post 12: When Will It Get Cold Here Already?

It may seem like fall, but it’s still very warm in New York. Is it that difficult to change the temperature?

It’s November already but where was the fall weather I was promised? I mean, I know that Mid-Western winters are, on average, colder than New York’s but I didn’t expect 70 degree days after Halloween. In spite of the weather refusing to cooperate with my desire to wear sweaters, there is still much to be thankful for in the city of New York. 

For example, only in New York can you go to a multitude of pizza places just for a slice instead of a whole pie. Yes, we New Yorkers pride ourselves on being able to just grab a slice and scarf it down whilst watching a bunch of pigeons fight each other over a discarded pretzel. But what is the perfect New York slice? Well, I made it my personal mission to go to all five boroughs and see what pizza they had to offer. 

During my travels, I finally got to see The Bronx and Staten Island as well as much more of Queens and Brooklyn. If you’re thinking of visiting New York, don’t do it for a weekend. It’s insulting to both yourself and this city. There’s so much to see and do that can’t be summed up in a day or two in spite of what the 1949 MGM musical “On The Town” would suggest. I live here and I’m still very much an explorer.

While I plan to write in great detail of my quest for the best slice, I can safely say that Joe’s on Carmine Street is the absolute best. If you could only choose one slice to have in this city, it’s got to be Joe’s. It’s just so perfect. However, just when it looked like an open-and-closed case, there was another slice of pizza that proved to be the equal of Joe’s. L’industrie Pizza in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was fantastic. The crust, the sauce, the cheese, the fact that they grated a small amount of fresh parmesan on the slice, it was a heavenly triangle to ingest. During my journey, I had 22 slices over three days and it was worth it. Although, my heart might beg to differ in about 40 years. 

In terms of my normal, everyday schedule, things have yet to become dull. As a barista in Long Island City, there’s always interesting people coming into the LIC Corner Cafe. Just a week ago, a woman asked us if it was okay for her to work in here on her laptop for the next few hours while she drank coffee. We told her of course because that’s the only reason why cafés have seating in the first place. They’re for the readers, people working on their spreadsheets, awkward first dates and hacks who are working on a screenplay. I should know, I’m a hack myself. 

But as she walked over to her table, I was feeling a bit clever and I said to her “Before you begin, is what you’re working on illegal?” She said “No.” I then asked, “Does it violate the Espionage Act of 1917?” She said, “No. It’s work for the United Nations.” My coworker Andrew started laughing because that was the absolute best answer she could have possibly given. We felt honored that she decided to work here in our café. For all we know, she could have been working on the most important measure towards world peace that the U.N. has ever come up with. This is why, as a barista, you should ask your customers questions. You never know what you might find.

Another interesting turn of events involved a guy coming to the café for a simple cup of coffee. By the way, the reason why I never go to Starbucks is because they don’t have drip coffee. For all their cappuccinos and frappes and whatever they feel the need to put so much whipped cream on, they don’t have a regular coffee. I’m not a complicated man. All I need is a coffee with lots of cream and lots of sugar and I’m good to go. 

A view of a pretty famous statue from The Staten Island Ferry which I took to get a slice of pizza from Joe and Pat’s during my five borough pizza journey.

Anyway, the guy orders his coffee and Andrew, who went to film school at NYU, instantly could tell that he was from a film crew. He asked the guy what he was working on and the guy just casually replied “Law and Order.” He said it in a cool way, as if “Law and Order” isn’t one of the highest rated shows on television and is beloved by millions. When I told him that I wanted to be a part of the industry and maybe work on a crew, he told me to swing by the set which I did immediately after I got off of work.

When I got to the set just down the street from the café, it was clear that they were shooting a lot of exteriors that day because there were multiple trucks at various points in the neighborhood. At this particular moment, members of the crew were removing pieces of equipment from one set and taking them to another. I asked for the head Production Assistant and was quickly pointed in her direction. I asked if they would be hiring anytime soon and they said that I was welcome to leave my information which I did. 

When they asked me about my work experience and ethic, I told them about my work making videos and short films. I also told them that, in regards to my work ethic, I have shoveled pig shit for free so I was up for anything. I think, from now on, I will make sure that pig shit will be a topic of conversation for all job interviews I have for the rest of my life. It just sounds memorable. 

But enough about my daily life, what about Halloween? Well, it turns out that New Yorkers absolutely love it. Trick-or-treating is big in Bed-Stuy as many in the neighborhood band together to make a great Halloween for the kids. There’s also a Halloween parade and so many people walk about their normal lives in New York dressed in costumes.

On October 30th, while I was working at the café, I decided to dress up as Dipper from one of my favorite television shows “Gravity Falls.” I wore a red flannel, my gray vest and Dipper’s hat for a whole day and no one recognized me. I felt so discouraged because I thought “Gravity Falls” was a pretty mainstream series. It’s from Disney for crying out loud. I felt like Sheldon in an episode of “The Big Bang Theory”' when he’s dressed as the Doppler Effect and no one gets it. But then, right before I was going to close the café, a guy shouted as he was leaving “Nice Dipper costume” and it made my whole fucking day. 

One of my favorite slices of the journey was Lenny’s Pizza in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Besides having great slices, the pizzeria is immortalized as the choice slice of John Travolta’s Tony Manero in “Saturday Night Fever.”

As I got off that day, I was immediately planning how I was going to cook when I got home because I was going to host a small Halloween party at my apartment. As a matter of fact, it was the first time I’ve hosted anything at my apartment. But I made a big pot of grape jelly meatballs that my nana makes in the fall as well as her recipe for spiced tea (a combination of tea, cranberry juice, apple juice and an assortment of spices) and did my very best to make this apartment, which I’m still trying to furnish on a budget, a homely space. 

When my friends arrived, who I all know from NIU, it was a great party where we watched some films and hung out eating pizza and meatballs and mixing the tea with wine to make a delicious mulled mixture. It was a great relief to be a host and have my friends gathered because I do so many things alone in this city. I go to the movies a lot, I write, I walk, I shop, I ride the trains and, yes, I eat a slice of pizza often in solitude. Which is odd because I’m not a solitary person. So, when I can gather my friends and have fun with them, it always means a great deal. 

On Halloween itself, I decided to put a bit more effort in my costume and dress up as Bert from one of my favorite films of all time “Mary Poppins.” Why? Because it was a costume I could put together with items I already owned. I also made sure to bring a broom with me when I went out for the evening so that I wasn’t confused for something else like a paperboy or a really tall Oliver Twist. Fortunately, many passersby understood my costume although one thought I was the Fiddler on the Roof from the classic Broadway musical. 

Nothing to see here, just a chimney sweep and one of cinema’s greatest directors.

While other New Yorkers were going to parties on Halloween night, I elected to first walk through Central Park at dusk. As the sun set, the fall atmosphere exploded and there was such loveliness that can’t be described. The trees were changing colors, the lighting was soft and there were still so many people taking in the air with me. 

I left Central Park with the goal of going back during the day, which I intend to do, and went to the Lower East Side to see a screening of “Psycho.” Besides being one of my favorite films, I also count “Psycho” as one of those films that I will always try to see on the big screen. I just love seeing how other people react to the film and how, despite the shower scene being pretty famous, it can still surprise people. Not only did the film not disappoint, but I also had a pleasant conversation with some college students who saw the film for the first time. When I told them I’ve seen “Psycho” in theaters four times, they just had this look which said “this man must really love movies.” 

But it’s not just movies I’ve been indulging in. I’ve also found a lot of time to read in New York whether it be on the subway when I commute to work, in the park on a nice day or at home when I wish to take a break from screens. I’ve been reading a lot of iconoclastic literature lately which is only appropriate given how many people in our country want to regress LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, the legalization of marijuana and even democracy because the “good old days” were so damned jolly. What good old days are you talking about?

So, in protest, I have been reading books like “Fahrenheit 451,” “Hells Angels,” George Carlin’s memoir “Last Words,” “Persepolis,” pretty much any book that people have been trying to ban from schools and local libraries. I think in the coming weeks, I will read “Gender Queer: A Memoir” just to see what all the fuss is about. Because what a book burner doesn’t understand is that they’re actually attracting more people to read the books that they want banned. Of course, they might understand this if they ever read a book but literacy just isn’t for everyone. So see you in the midterms you fascist bastards and please remember to vote while you still can. I now leave the soapbox to the next speaker. 

As for me, I plan to vote this week as well as to keep living my best life in New York. Sure it may be expensive and maybe the smell takes a couple of weeks to get used to, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

While the weather isn’t up to what fall usually offers, the foliage is still looking amazing in all of the parks, especially Central Park.