NYC: Pizza date & Manhattan sunset

Happy sunset!

One of the best memories of our time in New York was being able to see how the lights turn on in the city’s skyline by the Brooklyn bridge.

Since we were going to watch the sunset by the Hudson river in Brooklyn Heights, we seized the opportunity to eat dinner at Juliana’s, one of the best pizzerias in New York City that also happens to be just around the corner, double yay!

Pizza always sounds as the best date, doesn’t it?

Do you know the funny story behind Juliana’s? Patsy Grimaldi, the gentleman in the last pic, is a pizza legend from New York. He built the highly reputed Grimaldi’s pizzeria back in 1990, and became an institution with his coal-fired brick oven pizza. At one point Patsy sold the imperium to an investor that built a pizzeria chain with the same name, and moved the original location just two doors away to a bigger local. Patsy was a little upset that things were not done exactly as he would like to, and decided to part ways with the newer pizzeria chain.

After a few years, when he discovered the original place was vacant, and when he was already 81 years old (yay for that big spirit!), he decided to make a come back. Named the new restaurant after his mother’s name and installed again his own oven (which never got sold to the chain). Now both restaurants are considered the best pizza in New York, and the food fight is specially interesting as the large lines to get to both restaurants are just one by the other (remember that they are only two doors apart?).

We chose the bigger size that makes for a complete dinner for two, no need for starters or desserts.

We have never tried Grimaldi’s, but I can tell Juliana’s is completely amazing! The only downside is that it’s in New York City, so I can’t eat it on a regular basis, ha!

Another bonus of the visit to Juliana’s is to see how admired Patsy is, people talk with him with respect and ask to have a picture taken with him. Quite amazing too to see his vitality, he is non-stop taking care of the customers.

The couple was taken with the beautiful light or… maybe they were taken with each other? cute!

With fully bellies and happy smiles we watched the second part of the sunset, when the night came over and the lights steal the show. I specially love how the historic Jane’s carousel fits in the scene.

We took a cab back to our hotel which crossed the Brooklyn bridge, a perfect ending for this sunset date. Which are your favorite dates? I was about to ask if you do love pizza, but… it’s that really an acceptable question? ha!

Night night!