One of my closest friends here in New York is moving to LA tomorrow and I am pretty bummed about it. This move has been in the works for a couple of years now, but it still feels surreal to know that Janice will no longer be here anymore. Who will I hang out with?!

Well, a few weeks ago I asked Janice what she wanted to do for our last one-on-one hangout. I was surprised when she texted back “I wanted to do a pizza crawl.” She confessed that even after so many years in the Big Apple she never had that amazing New York pizza slice that everyone always raves about.

Honestly, I was not too thrilled about doing a pizza crawl as I am usually full after just one slice – how would I be able to chow down on three or four? I replied with a noncommittal answer and let a few days pass. But, the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I should plan this crawl. Fulfilling my friend’s simple wish was more important than me worrying about my stomach’s capacity.

So the planning began, with me combing through pizza lists on sites like Eater and Thrillist, watching pizza reviews on YouTube, mapping out locations on My Google Maps to figure out the best route and just letting my creative juices flow to bring this crawl to life.

First, I designed an evite featuring this perfectly-themed illustration I came across on Pinterest. I just found out while writing this post that it is by an Mexican-born artist Ilse Valfré based in LA – if this is not a sign I do not know what is!

It was nearly impossible to choose just five spots as there are hundreds of pizza places in the city. I reluctantly decided to stick to places that sold slices as it would be impossible for us to eat a whole pizza at multiple locations. Hence, sit-down restaurants like Lucali, Emmy, Roberta’s and L&B Spumoni Gardens were crossed out. I tried to have a good mix of classic spots and a couple lesser known hidden gems. Once, I decided on the locations, I designed a pizza-shaped card with a short description for each place we would hit up.

And, what is a pizza crawl without some score cards? We would rate each pizza from one to five in the categories of crust, cheese, sauce, appearance and value.

I inserted each description card and two score cards, one for me and one for Janice, in a brown paper envelope that was a nod to the color and texture of a cardboard pizza box.

Before arriving at each location, I gave Janice an envelope that she would open to reveal where we were going. Here are the spots and the descriptions that were on each card. Let the drooling begin!

Location One
Di Fara Pizza

82-year-old owner Dom DeMarco has been making pizzas in this Midwood spot since 1964. These pies come slathered in a San Marzano tomato sauce, generously topped with parmesan, a leaf or two of fresh basil, and a heavy drizzle of olive oil poured from a silver can.

1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LOCATION TWO
NY Pizza Suprema

It is fair to be skeptical with the storefront banner proclaiming they have the #1 pizza slice in Manhattan. But, this no-frill spot near MSG is turning out cheap slices that have impressed even the most hardened pizza aficionados. The crust is stiff enough for folding yet oily enough to stay moist.

413 8th Avenue, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Location THREE
L’INDUSTRIE PIZZERIA

Located in Williamsburg, L’industrie is a cash-only shop owned by Florence native Massimo Laveglia. With a perfect five score on Yelp, you can expect the use of high-quality ingredients to dish out classics like the Margherita and fancier options with proscuitto and truffle sauce imported from Italy.

254 South 2nd Street, Brooklyn, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Location FOUR
Prince Street Pizza

This Noho shop took over the space of the oldest Ray’s Pizza — another iconic New York City pizza brand. The Spicy Spring is the signature here, a Sicilian style square topped with fra diavolo sauce, fresh mozzarella and spicy pepperoni that curl up into little grease-filled cups of pure heaven.

27 Prince Street, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Location FIVE
Joe's Pizza

Joe’s is home to the quintessential New York slice, compromised of a crust that is equal parts thin and crispy and even layers of cheese and tomato sauce. The shop was opened in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli, who is originally from Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza. Beware of copycat locations.

7 Carmine Street, New York, NY

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

You may be wondering which was our favorite. Both of us absolutely loved DiFara. My theory on why it tasted so good was because the pizza was made fresh and not reheated in the oven like the others…but who knows. I will definitely go again – I did not realize that it is a quick train ride from my apartment.

I was worried that we would be done with the crawl really quickly so I had some activity fillers in my back pocket like watching a movie, walking the Manhattan Bridge, going to the Renegrade Craft Fair or the Mermaid Parade. But, just visiting the five pizza spots was a full-day adventure. We started at noon and finished around 8pm, with a pitstop at Sister City for a drink.

This was such a fun experience, trying some really delicious pizza, encountering random characters on the street and sketchy train (woman who asked for my seat) and making wonderful memories with my dear friend while being reminded how special and diverse the city of New York City is.

In closing, a note to Janice: Thank you for coming into my life in my early years of living in New York when I was trying to find some solid girlfriends who I could have meaningful connections with. I am really debating if I should get back on Hey! Vina now that you will be gone.

Growing up, my dad had a framed poster hanging in our house with various life lessons on it. One I always remembered is ‘do not hold back those who are leaving.’ (가는 사람 잡지 마라) As I said at the beginning of this post, I am really bummed that you are leaving New York City and wish you would stay. But, my excitement outweighs my sadness as you step into the next chapter of life in LA where you will really be able to grow into your fullest potential and shine as an artist.

All the best Tree Neck…I cannot wait for the day I am watching a show or movie and see your name in the end credits and can scream, “Yesssssssh! That’s my girrrrrrrrrl!” Love you.