A Taste of New York

So I had a taste of New York this evening in two very different ways.

First, we helped move a friend into his new apartment. It was very reminiscent of the 90-square foot microstudio that has been flying around via emails and Facebook lately. My friend's studio is closer to 200-square feet, however, so it is obviously much larger. But, it does have a very similar feel. The bed is lofted, the bathroom is tucked into a corner, and the neighbors are close. The biggest difference is that this version has a 3/4-fridge, a full stove/oven, and a kitchen sink that doubles as the bathroom sink. It unfortunately does not come with quite the same view. No view of Central Park here. Just the house next door. The upside is that my friend's rent is no where near the famous YouTube girl's rent, and he gets nearly twice the square footage!

My other taste of NY took place closer to midnight. A new pizza location has recently taken up residence in town. Its location is one of the few things local about it. Their pies do not taste like any other pizza made in town. According to my friend who spent a few years living in NYC, their pizza tastes like NY. And it should. Apparently, the ingredients all arrive with a NY accent. The water itself hails from Brooklyn. We got their all-meat (minus the pepperoni) to go, and the resulting pizza lived up to its ingrediental heritage. As I carried the boxed pizza out the door and to the car, I felt like I was balancing an awkwardly large masterpiece in my hands. It was weighty, and I couldn't see my feet, but it smelled magnificent. The box itself--a minimalistic wrapping for this monumental meal--barely fit into my car; the hazard lights began flashing as I struggled to climb in, and once I got the box into the passenger seat and onto my lap, I had to keep an eye on the corners to avoid hitting any other dashboard buttons. (Granted, I do have a miniature car, but this was one large box!) As the meaty scent wafted out, the windows began to steam. I wouldn't allow the defrost to be turned on in fear that it would rob the pizza of more of its heat before we got home. When I finally got to dig in, I went against the NYC grain and used a fork and knife. Fortunately, I don't think it ruined any of the imported flavor. One bite, and I was hooked. It was by far the best pizza/date food/midnight snack I have ever had. I was slightly grieved that I could only eat one piece...one very large and extra meaty piece. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to enjoying it again for dinner tonight.