Categories: Local & Entertainment; Eat & Drink

New York Nighthawk

By mattfriedinNY
updated 3 months ago

There are, in fact, two New Yorks. The one I know best is the one that shows up around 10:30 at night. The vibe of late night New York is incredibly different and you either love or you fear it. For me, my entire first year in New York was checkered with late night run-ins, long subway rides home to the 'hood, and becoming part of a world that was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I miss those days. Thankfully for all of you, I've yet to forget them.

My life in comedy began after 11:00 on Monday and Wednesday nights. When I started doing improv, the only game to play for a beginner was Improdome and Beyond Improdome at The PIT, two free open mike jam shows. You show up at 11:00 p.m., form a team with two other people, and get five minutes to perform. Afterwards everyone would go out to the bar to get bombed and talk about comedy. I worked at nights and set my own audition schedule, so these late night jams were awesome. I definitely had my fair share of nights stumbling out of the bar at four in the morning, hailing a cab, and then trying to fall asleep as the sun came up. On those choice nights I was buzzing, you would look outside to the streets: Canal, Lafayette, 6th Avenue – everything was different. This was my New York for a year.

Blue Ribbon Brasserie

97 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

What? You never get a sushi craving at two in the morning? Though on the pricey side, Blue Ribbon is some of the best for those looking to sober up on tempura. Count on Blue Ribbon until 4:00 a.m.

Yaffa Cafe

97 Saint Marks Place, New York, NY 10009

You can always depend on this East Village staple to get your Mediterranean grub on. Yaffa is open 24 hours and you can drop in for a cup of coffee or a plate of berber chicken. The breakfast menu is pretty awesome, also. Don’t forget: tip nicely, you are half-drunk/delirious/insominiac, do you think you’d want to serve you?

I was fired from my first day job after barely four months. In a desperate move to start making money, I went back to my old job at Starbucks. The best way to make it work around my acting and my comedy career was to take the morning shifts… at 5:00 a.m. Being that I lived in Brooklyn and opted to work in Midtown, this meant waking up at 3:00 a.m. and being on the train by 4:00. I always ran late and often, I cut through Times Square rather than make a transfer. If you ever want an eerie experience, show up at “The Center of The World” at 4:30 in the morning on a Wednesday. The veritable tourist nest is a ghost town; several times I would walk straight-up Broadway in the middle of the road because there was no traffic. It’s a weird reminder that certain parts of New York do close. It’s also extremely sobering to know that without it’s commerce, Times Square can just be a big empty place with bright lights.

A little tip if you find yourself heading to the outer boroughs late night: don’t tell them where you’re going until you’re in the cab and the door is closed. The standard policy for NYC Cabs and car services is that they can’t refuse a fare once you are secure inside the car. Hacks, in general, hate driving to the outer boroughs. If you’re going to Queens, they can at least charge you extra for tolls, but Brooklyn? Forget it. Do yourself a favor. Stay quiet until the door is closed.

Around the Clock 24 Hour

8 Stuyvesant Oval 1, New York, NY 10009

The only place I know downtown where you can get an open-faced turkey club, a plate of fries, three cups of coffee, a burger, spaghetti and meatballs, and a sundae at three in the morning.

Slipper Room

167 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

You can always expect a great late night party at L.E.S.’s premier burlesque venue of the people. It’s not going to break your wallet like The Box and, word on the street is that you can get whacked-out of your skull on absinthe here… or, you can just show-up that way, as I do.

Wo Hop Restaurant

17 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013

New Yorkers across Manhattan swear by this dingy, disgusting filth hole. Despite appearances, Wo Hop has some of the best food in all of Chinatown. Just don’t show up at any hour on the day of the Chinese New Year – it’s the only day off for it’s staff.