Famous Original Ray’s Pizza from “Sex and the City”

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The Grim Cheaper and I used to visit New York at least once a year.  Prior to this recent trip, though, we had not been to Manhattan since October 2009!  Being separated from my favorite city for almost seven years was quite a hard pill to swallow.  During that time, I accumulated a ridiculously large list of must-see Manhattan filming locations that were chronicled in various files in my office and on my computer.  Because our recent trip was booked very last minute, I did not have much time to plan my itinerary, which was especially frustrating to someone as hyper-organized as I tend to be.  Adding to the haphazardness of my planning was the fact that some of my files seemed to be missing.  One locale that I vividly remembered tracking down was a pizza parlor that appeared on Sex and the City.  I couldn’t find a mention of it anywhere in my notes, though, nor could I for the life of me remember the name of the place, what episode it had appeared in, or even what the scene involving it entailed.  So I went back to the drawing board and began the hunt for it all over again.

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I cannot tell you how many Google searches I did using the terms “Sex and the City,” “episode” and “pizza” to try to stir my memory.  After what seemed like days of scouring the internet, I finally came across a mention of a scene in Season 2’s “The Caste System” in which Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) grabbed a slice of pizza with then boyfriend Steve Brady (David Eigenberg).  So I popped in my SATC Season 2 DVD and, sure enough, it was the right episode!  I was even further floored to discover that a logo reading “Famous Original Ray’s Pizza” was visible on a cup in the scene.  From there, despite the fact that there are several “Famous Original Ray’s Pizza” locations dotted throughout the city, finding the right one was a snap.

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In “The Caste System,” Steve treats Miranda to two large slices of pie at Ray’s, which they then eat while sitting on a bench outside.  I had been mesmerized by the size of the pizzas upon originally watching the episode way back when, which is why I had wanted to track down the restaurant so badly the first time around.  Walk-up pizzerias aren’t commonplace in California, nor are humongous slices that require two hands to eat, so I was dying to not only stalk the place, but to sample a slice of my own.

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I mean, look at the size of those slices!

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My wish finally came true during our third day in the city while hanging out with my friend/fellow stalker Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog.  And the experience was everything I’d hoped it would be.  Ray’s serves up some fabulous two-hands-required slices of pizza!

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I was most thrilled, though, to see that despite the passage of 17 years (Seriously, 17 years!  How is that possible?), the restaurant still looks very much the same today as it did when “The Caste System” was filmed in 1999.

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Both the interior . . .

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. . . and the exterior were featured in the episode.

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Ray’s has quite the interesting – and confusing – history.  At one point in time, there were countless iterations of Ray’s Pizzas dotted throughout the city.  So many, in fact, that their presence was a running joke among Manhattanites – and even figured into a Seinfeld storyline.  In Season 9’s “The Maid,” Kramer (Michael Richards) gets lost in downtown New York and calls Jerry (who played himself) for help.  Kramer tells Jerry that he is standing in front of a Ray’s Pizza.  The rest of the conversation goes like this – Jerry: “Is it Famous Ray’s?”  Kramer: “No, it’s Original Ray’s.”  Jerry: “Famous Original Ray’s?”  Kramer (on the verge of hysteria) : “It’s just Original, Jerry!”  You can watch the segment by clicking below.

The very first Ray’s – or should I say “original”? – which was dubbed “Ray’s Pizza,” was opened in 1959 by a Sicilian named Ralph Cuomo at 27 Prince Street in Little Italy.  When asked why he didn’t name his restaurant “Ralph’s Pizzeria” while being interviewed for a 1991 The New York Times article, he told reporter John Tierney, “Ralph’s might have sounded, I don’t know, maybe too feminine.  Besides, nobody ever called me Ralph.  My family took the Italian word for Ralph — Raffaele — and shortened it to Rayfie or just Ray.  All my life I was addressed that way.”  A few years later, Cuomo opened a second Ray’s Pizza at 1073 First Avenue, which he subsequently sold in 1964 to another Sicilian named Rosolino Mangano.  Rosolino quickly turned that single pizzeria into a virtual industry, establishing several additional eateries under the name “Famous Original Ray’s Pizza” in a short period of time.

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The story doesn’t end there, though.  In 1981, Mangano sold one of his outposts to New York native Gary Esposito.  Gary went on to open five additional pizzerias under the name “Original Ray’s.”  It was around that time period that copycat parlors, all using some variation of the “Famous Original Ray’s” name, began popping up across New York like a virus.  To stop the insanity and to keep the integrity of his own chain intact, Gary tracked down the true original Ray (or should I say Ralph?), Cuomo, who sold him the rights to the Ray’s name.  Esposito and Cuomo wound up joining forces by establishing a new company together in order to franchise additional Ray’s outposts.  After some legal hassling, Mangano also joined the team and became vigilant about shutting down all non-licensed Ray’s sites.  His efforts were largely successful and today there are eight licensed Famous Original Ray’s Pizza branches dotted across New York.

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The Ray’s Pizza epidemic was also mentioned in the 2003 comedy Elf.  Upon learning that Buddy (Will Ferrell) is to heading to New York City to find his father, Santa (Edward Asner) advises him on all things Big Apple.  One of his tips is, “There are, like, thirty Ray’s Pizzas.  They all claim to be the original, but the real one’s on 11th.”  That’s actually incorrect, though.  The 11th Avenue spot, formerly known as “Original Ray’s,” was an unaffiliated parlor opened by brothers Mario and Lamberto DiRienzo in 1973.  That site was shuttered in 2011, thanks in large part to lawsuits filed by Mangano.  Though it later re-opened under the name Famous Roio’s, the eatery closed its doors for good in 2013.  The space that formerly housed it is now the site of a Chinese food restaurant.  You can read a more in-depth history of the Ray’s Pizza battles here.

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Famous Original Ray’s Pizza was also featured in the Season 6 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit titled “Identity” as the spot where Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) interrogated two teens about the death of one of their fellow gang members.

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For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Famous Original Ray’s Pizza, from “The Caste System” episode of Sex and the City, is located at 204 West 9th Avenue in Chelsea.  You can visit the pizzeria’s official website here.

Jefferson Market Garden

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Another Sex and the City  location that I re-stalked while in New York last month was Jefferson Market Garden, the spot where the series’ ever-present cynic Miranda Hobbs finally married long-time boyfriend Steve Brady in the Season 6 episode entitled “The Ick Factor”.  I first stalked this location back in December of 2006, but at the time had absolutely no idea that it was a filming location and from one of my favorite television shows, no less.  My fiancé had dragged me to the garden and it’s adjacent library due to the place’s historical significance, and, while I enjoyed visiting it, I took virtually no photographs while there.  So, this year, I vowed to return, camera in hand!  And return, I did!  Thank goodness my family scheduled this year’s New York trip in early October, though, as I had not previously realized that Jefferson Market Garden is only accessible to the public seasonally, during the months May through October.   

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Jefferson Market Garden’s name is derived from the fact that in the early 1800’s a produce market, named after former president Thomas Jefferson, existed on the site where the garden and library now stand.  In 1873, that market was torn down and a courthouse built in its place.  Jefferson Market Courthouse, which opened in 1877, was designed by Calvert Vaux, one of the men responsible for designing Central Park, and architect Frederick Clarke Withers.  In 1885, the Gothic-style building (pictured above) was voted the fifth most beautiful in the entire country.  In 1931, an eleven story detention center for women was constructed on the lot directly adjacent to the Courthouse.  And while the Courthouse served the Third Judicial District of New York from 1874 to 1945 and the detention center even housed a certain famous prisoner named Mae West at one time, by the 1940’s, both structures had fallen into serious disrepair and were threatened with demolition.  Thankfully New York preservationists stepped in and convinced the City of New York to renovate the Courthouse and turn the space into a Public Library.  They also petitioned to have the dreary detention center torn down and a garden created in its place.  Which is exactly what happened.  The library opened to the public in 1967, the detention center was destroyed in 1973, the garden was planted in 1974, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Jefferson Market Garden, which measures one third of an acre, opened to the public in 1975 and, while owned by New York City Parks & Recreation, remains a community project, cared for by local Manhattanites.

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Today’s garden consists of a central lawn, a koi pond, a rose garden, beds of various annuals, and several benches upon which to sit and enjoy the view.  It seems like the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon.  In fact, while we were stalking the place, quite a few people were seated on the benches talking and enjoying the warm Autumn weather, while several artists stood nearby and painted the scene on portable easels.  It looked like something straight out of a movie.  🙂   Jefferson Market Garden is a truly beautiful place, and not surprisingly, has been the site of numerous nuptials ever since Miranda and Steve tied the knot there back in 2004.

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On Sex and the City, the garden first showed up in a beginning scene of the “Ick Factor” episode, in which the recently engaged Steve and Miranda have some issues while walking home after doing their weekly shopping.  Not only do Miranda’s shopping bags explode during the scene, spilling their contents onto Greenwich Avenue, but Steve also steps in a wad of chewing gum, causing Miranda to proclaim “We should get married right here in this mess!”, to which Steve replies, “We’re gonna have to if I can’t get this gum off.”  LOL LOL LOL   Ahhh, I so love Steve!

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It is then that Miranda looks up and notices the picturesque garden setting situated right in front of them and announces to Steve that she thinks it might just be the perfect spot for the two of them to get married. 

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And get married there, they do, in a beautiful ceremony which took place later in that very same episode, which, as I’ve mentioned before, has to be one of my favorite episodes of all time.   Carrie’s closing line of “For better or for worse, we were all ourselves that day, just the way Miranda wanted it.”, which she utters just after Samantha’s announcement that she has breast cancer, never fails to bring a tear to my eye!

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On a sad side note – Jefferson, the restaurant where Miranda and Steve held their wedding reception in the “Ick Factor” episode (pictured above), has since been closed.  🙁   Such a bummer, as I had so wanted to stalk that place.   You can see photographs of the former Jefferson restaurant here and here, though.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  : )

Stalk It: Jefferson Market Garden is located on Greenwich Avenue, in between Sixth Avenue and West 10th Street.  The garden is open every afternoon, except Mondays, during the months of May through October.  You can visit their website here.  Miranda and Steve’s wedding reception took place directly across the street from the garden at the now-defunct Jefferson restaurant, which was formerly located at 121 West 10th Street. 

Pete’s Tavern

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Yet another Sex and the City location that I stalked while in New York last month was a spot that touts itself as New York’s oldest continuously operating bar and restaurant.  And while there are actually quite a few watering holes claiming to be New York’s most long-established, Pete’s distinguishes itself thanks to the fact that it first opened up in 1864 – when Abraham Lincoln was in office! – and has never closed since.  Like not ever!  Not in the 30’s during Prohibition – when it was disguised as a flower shop – nor more recently during the city-wide blackout of 2003.  No, the small tavern on the corner of East 18th Street and Irving Place has been in existence as a drinking establishment of some sort or another for over 145 years!  And because it’s also a frequent filming location, I just had to stalk the place! 

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Beginning in 1852, the space which Pete’s now occupies contained a small grocery store, so while it’s entirely possible that liquor was sold on the premises as far back as that year, the place didn’t officially become a tavern until 1864.  The original bar was named the Portman Hotel and it enjoyed a 35 year run, until 1899 when brothers Tom and John Healy purchased the establishment and re-named it Healy’s Cafe.  In 1932, a man named Pete Belles came on the scene and changed the bar’s name to Pete’s Tavern, as it has remained to this day.  And, thankfully, despite a high rate of ownership turnover, aside from the name, little else at the establishment has been altered since 1864.  Even the decor and the original rosewood bar have been left largely untouched since the drinkery’s opening almost a century and a half ago!   And I’d say chances are pretty good that a hundred and fifty years from now, Pete’s will still look very much the same as it does today.  Love it!

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Pete’s Tavern has long been something of a celebrity hotspot.  In fact, the watering hole’s walls are absolutely covered in photographs of its many rich and famous clients. I so love it, by the way, when restaurants display pictures of their celebrity patrons on the walls!  🙂   Just a few of the celebs who have dined at the tavern include Ben Stiller, Mike Meyers, Bruce Willis, Natalie Portman, James Gandolfini, Zack Braff, Ed Burns, Harvey Keitel, Jeremy Sisto, Julia Stiles, Johnny Depp, and Tom Cruise (pictured above).  The Kennedy family has also long had ties to the tavern. Joe Kennedy was the one who provided the place liquor during Prohibition, JFK dined there with Jackie on more than one occasion during his presidency, and their son, JFK, Jr., also became a regular patron years later. 

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Pete’s has also appeared in countless film and television productions over the years.  Robert Mitchum grabbed a drink there in the 1962 movie Two for the Seesaw and it was also at Pete’s that Kramer set up a sting operation involving Jerry’s nasally accountant in the Season 5 episode of Seinfeld entitled “The Sniffing Accountant” (pictured above).  

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And while the real Pete’s was used for the establishing shots shown in that episode, the bar’s interior (pictured above) was actually a set that was built on the CBS Radford lot in Los Angeles where Seinfeld was filmed.  You can watch Seinfeld’s Pete’s Tavern scene here.  Pete’s also popped up in the movies Ragtime, Endless Love, Across the Sea of Time, The Guru, and in an episode of Law and Order

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Pete’s Tavern is probably most famous for its significance in literary history, though. Not only did legendary author O. Henry set his short story “The Lost Blend” at the bar, which he called “Kenealy’s” in the tale, but in 1904 he wrote the “The Gift of the Magi” while sitting in one of the eatery’s booths.  That very booth is still in existence to this day and even boasts a plaque commemorating the occasion.  Children’s author Ludwig Bemelmans also penned the first Madeline book at Pete’s – on the back of one of their menus, no less!  🙂

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Aside from the celebrity patrons and historical significance of the place, I actually wanted to stalk Pete’s Tavern for one reason and one reason alone – because it was there, on the restaurant’s front patio and over $3 beers, that Miranda Hobbs proposed to longtime boyfriend Steve Brady in one of my very favorite Sex and the City  episodes of all time – the one entitled “The Ick Factor”.  I honestly cannot say enough about that particular episode!  It’s just simply one of the series’ best!  In fact, I just got sucked into watching the entire thing AGAIN while making screen captures for this post.  LOL  Sadly, though, because Pete’s front patio was absolutely jam packed while we were stalking the place, we weren’t able to sit in the exact spot where Sex and the City  was filmed.  But even though I had to settle for indoor seating, I still could NOT have been more excited to finally be dining at Pete’s! 

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I honestly cannot recommend stalking Pete’s Tavern enough!  The food was excellent, the staff was super-friendly and also quite knowledgeable about the bar’s filming history, and the ambience was one hundred percent old New York!  I absolutely loved the place!  My only beef with the establishment is the fact that their chicken fingers meal is only made available to those patrons sitting at the bar, which I, unfortunately, wasn’t.  🙁  Being that chicken strips are my favorite food, I was pretty bummed out that I couldn’t order them from where I was seated.  So much so, in fact, that I almost made our entire group of seven move over to the bar.  LOL  Memo to Pete’s staff –chicken fingers are not just a bar food.  I mean heck, I’m even serving them at my wedding, for Pete’s sake (and yes that pun was intended LOL)!   So, do us all a favor and please, please, please put the chicken fingers on your regular menu for all of us lowbrow foodies to enjoy.  🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: Pete’s Tavern is located at 129 East 18th Street, near Gramercy Park, in Manhattan.  You can visit their website here.