Aw well, you need to get out of the city to experience New York. One of my favorite parts of the country is just right up the river (Hudson of course). Not so far, but just far enough to where the good stuff begins. Like you mention Chicago Pizza, yeah I have been to Chicago, OK, but the top pizza on earth was had up the Hudson. Wappingers Falls, about 67 mile up the river from the City, a place called Wally's Pizza! One of my favorite destinations for over 40 years. I took my son in law there, he is from Melano, to sample New York pizza. Then I challenge him to find a place that has better Pizza. I would love to go there. It ain't happened. Not in Milano, Chicago, Raleigh, Miami,... Ps Now that I think of it, it's over 50 years now.
May hey! My current plan for the MarAzul is Baja next winter, then over to Hawaii in April. Hilo to be exact, but perhaps I will hit Palmyra Island first. Anyway, I plan to leave Hilo in May, and see if I can scoot the MarAzul through a worm hole to get to SE Alaska. I say worm hole as that is what a low pressure zone with a counter clock wind flow, pressing up against the Pacific High with it's clockwise wind flow, seems to be rather like. It should be a fast shot from Hawaii to the Dixon inlet of AK.
Some people like thick crust, some people like thin crust. I like thin crust. There was this pizzeria joint in St. Louis that served excellent thin crust pizza. The guys in my office all went there every Friday for lunch. Damn, makes my mouth water just thinking about it. When I went there in '67 they were very abrupt and struck me as rude. When my wife and some of her family went with us in about 2010 they were incredibly polite. That was a terrific trip.
NY in Christmas is dope. People there are a SHIT TON nicer than people in LA. The Radio City Rocketts was amazing. Saw Jim Norton at Carolines. That was dope, he is so fucked up in the head its awesome. Ate Famous Original Rays a few times as it was 2 blocks from hotel. It was pretty good, but we got sick of it after a while. Meals are pretty fucking expensive there. At the hotel, waffles were $30. Had a $31 Burger too. First time in Central Park, it was really cool. Did one of those bike tours which was actually pretty worth it to be honest. Macys on 34th was a madhouse. The "Christmas Markets" were cool, but honestly, they were just like hipster craft fares. I would think the ones in Europe (which are on my bucket list) are a ton better. Walked like 10 miles each day holy fuck. People in NY are way more "weathered" than Angelenos and those on the West Coast. Like they've been beaten down by the city.
I went to a movie at Radio City Music Hall in 1967. I was impressed. I had a rancid tasting hamburger near my hotel in the Times Square area. It was expensive and the restaurant was dirty. Never ate at Original Ray's but I've eaten plenty of New York pizza by the slice and it was all excellent. Central Park is cool. I think I recall a zoo there.
