Table Of Content“What makes New York unique is its
B history, tradition, culture, architecture,
What do well-known people love to do r
u and people. It’s unique on every level.”
n
during their free time in the Big Apple? n —Chris Noth, Actor
e
r
New Yorkers, even famous ones, have personal rituals and
favorite places that keep them connected to their city in special
ways. It might be watching tango dancers on Saturday nights
in Central Park or biking over the Brooklyn Bridge to get a slice
of Grimaldi’s pepperoni pizza. Perhaps it’s simply walking across M
46th Street and ending up at Joe Allen, the great Broadway
Y
hangout. Or maybe escaping to a hidden pocket of tranquility
that few know exists.
C
The places to go and things to do in My City, My New York I
are as varied and eclectic as the city itself. This book lets you T
experience New York as your favorite famous New Yorkers do Y
and get a rare peek into parts of New York they hold especially ,
dear. Much more than a guidebook, My City, My New York is a M
love letter to the greatest city on earth. But it’s also a guidebook
to the secret places you’ll want to experience on your own. And Y MY CITY, MY NEW YORK
you never know what you may discover.
N
Jeryl Brunner is a writer and journalist whose
E Famous New Yorkers Share Their Favorite Places
work has appeared in O magazine, People,
US Weekly, National Geographic Traveler, W
Travel + Leisure, Delta Sky, and InStyle, where
she was a staff correspondent. She has
interviewed scores of celebrities, including Y
Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and George Clooney. O
She lives in Manhattan and personally asked each celebrity in
this book for his or her favorite thing about New York. Visit her at R
MyCityMyNewYork.com.
K
Cover design by Bret Kerr | Front cover photograph © Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock.com,
Author photo © Rick Guidotti/Positive Exposure | Printed in the United States of America
US $12.95 / Canadian $14.50
®
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My City, My New york
Famous New Yorkers Share Their Favorite Places
Jeryl Brunner
®
Guilford, Connecticut
® globe pequot press
Guilford, Connecticut
www.GlobePequot.com
MCMNY_i-xvi-1-240.indd 1 8/10/11 4:21 PM
Copyright © 2012 Jeryl Brunner
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing
from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press,
Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
Editor: Amy Lyons
Project Editor: Kristen Mellitt
Cover Design: Bret Kerr
Text Design: Lisa Reneson, Two Sisters Design
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN 978-0-7627-7139-4
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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In celebration of my mother, Elinor Sara Drachman Helfman, who taught me
the joy of possessing both passion and compassion and so much more
And when [she] shall die
cut [her] out in little stars,
And [she] will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
—William Shakespeare
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I have books on all the great New York
skyscrapers, and I like to take my kids
to see all of them. There has never been
anything like New York on the face of
planet Earth. They can say what they want
about ancient Rome, but it wasn’t like this.
Wynton Marsalis
Pulitzer Prize– and Grammy-winning composer and musician
Empire State Building—
Emin KuliyEv / ShuttErStocK.com
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ShuttErStocK.com
CoNTENTs
Acknowledgments x
Introduction xii
Secret Gardens & Hidden Spaces 1
Gloria Steinem • John Cameron Mitchell • Philip Seymour Hoffman • Evan Handler
• Brad Farmerie • Tamara Tunie • Chris Boneau • J. Robert Spencer • Anthony
Mackie • Tom Otterness • Rick Guidotti • Luanne Rice • Hoji Fortuna • Bill
Pullman • Daniel Radcliffe • Charles Busch • George Whipple • Rick Newman
Central Park: Acres of Green 21
Jessica Lange • Francesco Antonucci • Tina Fey • Bill Ritter • Kevin McKenzie •
Meredith Vieira • Deborah Koenigsberger • Barbara Corcoran • Jonathan Groff •
Al Roker • Charlotte St. Martin • Geoffrey Nauffts • Dayle Reyfel • Glenn Close •
Donna Murphy • Julie Alexandria • Rob Thomas • Daniel Humm • Kelli O’Hara •
Padma Lakshmi • Jay Jay French • Alex Rodriguez • Liev Schreiber • Kerry Butler
• Tony Roberts • Bob Balaban • Bette Midler • Hugh Jackman • Douglas Blonsky
• Liza Minnelli • Shane Krige • Susan Stroman • Michael McKean • Aaron Tveit •
Calvin Wiley • Gretchen Rubin • Judy Gold • Kelly Ripa
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Contents vii
New York Eats 45
Vera Wang • Anthony Bourdain • Mario Batali • Paul Haggis • Julianna Margulies •
Harvey Wang • James Caan • Andrew Goldberg • Jessica Hecht • Anthony Malkin
• Salman Rushdie • Gayle King • Parker Posey • Hal Rubenstein • Nanette Lepore
• Steve Lance • Liz Smith • Heiko Kuenstle • Pam Nelson • Chaske Spencer •
Maria Sharapova • Chris Noth • Blanche Baker • Marlo Thomas • Gretchen Mol •
Raquel Bruno • Kristen Schaal • Chazz Palminteri • James Oseland • Scott Bond •
Terence Winter • Janet Carroll • Karen Schaler • Kevin Spacey • Josh Fox • Tom
McCarthy • Kyle MacLachlan • Cady Huffman • Bruce Morrow • Fred Armisen •
Ruth Reichl • Cat Greenleaf • Elisabeth Moss • Rachel Dratch • Kelly Cutrone •
Molly Shannon • Michael Stern • Sherri Shepherd • Katrina Bowden • John Legend
• Christine Teigen • Mario Cantone • Jason Sudeikis • Mayor Michael Bloomberg •
Amar'e Stoudemire • Harry Shum Jr. • Will Ferrell • Arianna Huffington • Bethenny
Frankel • A.J. Calloway • Paul Dano • Zoe Kazan • Brooke Lyons • Nina Garcia
• Robert Lopez • Henrik Lundqvist • Eddie Kaye Thomas • Mike Birbiglia • Petra
Nemcova • Russell Jantzen • Jon Stewart • Megan Sikora • Nick Adams • Sutton
Foster • Karen Olivo • Rick Newman • Hannah Yelland • Joy Behar • Bonnie
Hammer • Jeanne Adlon • Jonathan Cheban • Marci Klein • Kelsey Grammer •
Joe “Joey Pants” Pantoliano • Jean-Georges Vongerichten • Edward Norton
Nocturnal New York 101
Sarah Jessica Parker • Woody Allen • David O. Russell • Joan Rivers • Will Shortz
• Jason Sudeikis • Will Forte • Derek Cianfrance • Janet Carroll • Patrick McMullan
• Lee Zalben • Matthew Settle • Bill Ayers • Amy Sacco • Les Marshak • David
Wright • James Braly • Elizabeth Berkley • Zach Braff • Kate Shindle • Jim
Caruso • Muriel “Mickie” Siebert • Michael Urie • Colin Donnell • Ken Davenport •
Kathleen Marshall • Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar • Ron Delsener • Paul Shaffer
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viii Contents
Saunters, Strolls, Sails, Rides & Rambles 125
Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Candace Bushnell • Blake Lively • Edie Falco •
Matthew Broderick • Gay Talese • Rosie Perez • Edward Burns • Eric Bogosian •
Ally Sheedy • Sebastian Unger • Rosie Lani Fiedelman • Raquel Bruno • Carson
Griffith • Elettra Wiedemann • Kathleen Turner • Sam Champion • Jay Jay French
• Tom Kitt • Bunny Williams • Richard Kind • Jason Oliver Nixon • Orfeh • Bebe
Neuwirth • John Ortiz • Atoosa Rubenstein • Ana Gasteyer • Fred Armisen •
Abigail Disney • Eugene Pack • Donald J. Trump • Doug Liman • John Benjamin
Hickey • Wendy Diamond • Mark Ruffalo • Drew Nieporent • Michael Shannon
• Julian Niccolini • Rachel Axler • Norbert Leo Butz • Bill Irwin • John Oliver
• Steven Kroll • Sarah Rose • David Carr • Susie Essman • Elizabeth Swados •
Andy Cohen • Jane Rosenthal
Stores, Street Fairs, Boutiques & Bargains 165
Zoe Kazan • Nora Ephron • Alain Ducasse • Joel Derfner • Fran Lebowitz • Ted
Allen • Robin Williams • Vivienne Tam • Christian Siriano • William Ivey Long •
Simon Doonan • Mary Alice Stephenson • Mireille Guiliano • Peter Pennoyer •
Daniel Boulud • Carson Kressley • Iris Rainer Dart • Patricia Field • Elina Furman
Landauer • Kelly Killoren Bensimon • Lola Ehrlich • Rachel Bilson • Derek Lam •
Bruce Weber • Tracee Chimo
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Contents ix
Superstar Structures, Sexy Spaces, Beatific Bridges & Arty Pockets 185
Keanu Reeves • Kenneth Cole • Peg Breen • Judy Collins • Douglas Carter Beane
• Soledad O’Brien • Sidney Offit • Anthony Malkin • Rudy Tauscher • Dennis
O’Hare • David Ippolito • Mehmet C. Oz, MD (Dr. Oz) • Brad Anderson • Fisher
Stevens • Bryan Bantry • Richard Kirshenbaum • Spike Lee • Neal Shapiro •
David Cross • Keith Olbermann • Angelo Vivolo • Paul Gunther • Malcolm Gets •
John Patrick Shanley • Sir Clive Gillinson • David Hyde Pierce • John Leguizamo •
Tom Seaver • Nancy Novogrod • Dick Cavett • Jon Robin Baitz • Jay Jay French
• Maguy Le Coze • Lidia Bastianich • Joanne LaMarca Mathisen • Elise Finch •
Ana Gasteyer • Lillias White • Cynthia Rowley • Yigal Azrouël • Amy E. Goodman
• Alex Von Bidder • Sarah Jones • Karen Mason • Jenny Lumet • Stone Phillips
• Sally Jessy Raphael • Justin Gimelstob • Debi Mazar • Lainie Munro • David
Parsons • J. Elaine Marcos • Juliette Jeffers • Joy Behar • Michael Moore • Jane
Stern • Michael Urie
Index 232
About the Author 240
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