Jake Paltrow,dentist. That just doesn’t sound right. But with his genes, it was inevitable that Paltrow become a filmmaker. The son of director Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner makes his feature debut Friday with “The Good Night,” a comedy starring Martin Freeman and Paltrow’s sister, Gwyneth. Born in L.A., Paltrow lived in New York from 7 to 16 and returned again at 19. He currently lives on 14th Street. Here’s a view of his New York:
1 Yankee Stadium
“Watching the Yankees play is one of the few times when I feel I live in the present. I wish I could get better seats though.”
2 The Paltrow Family Home
Paltrow lived on this 92nd Street block until age 16. He says he doesn’t visit much now and doesn’t have fond memories of the apartment. In his youth, Paltrow was a loner, spending most Saturday nights watching B horror movies. “I didn’t really make friends until high school.”
3 Video Room, 1487 Third Ave., at 84th Street
“My friend was a member. We would go and get a lot of the movies. I was about 14. By then, my choices were more director-driven: De Palma, Kubrick, Scorsese.”
4 JG Melon, 1291 Third Ave., at 74th Street
“They have the best cheeseburger in New York. That’s a trip I take very often. I don’t know how they do it. It’s not like the burger is a certain percent filet mignon or a certain percentage of sirloin, it’s very simple. It’s absolutely perfect.”
5 Tony’s Cart, 62nd Street and Madison Avenue
“That’s a real special kind of New York thing. If you go at lunchtime, the line goes really, really deep. I like the chicken and rice, because I’m usually eating it on a park bench or a stoop somewhere, and if you get something like a gyro, you’ll get it all over. The chicken and rice comes in a little tin.” At 62nd Street and Madison Avenue.
6 U.N. Church Center, 777 United Nations Plaza, at East 44th Street
“A tiny, perfect, midcentury space dedicated to the pan-religious. It’s my favorite room in New York.”
7 Di Fara Pizza, 1424 Avenue J, at East 15th Street
“That’s worth making the trip. I think it’s the best I’ve ever had by far. It’s only underrated because it’s out of Manhattan, but I think the general feeling from people who know far more
than I do is, Di Fara’s is the
best pizza in the country.”
8 Omen Restaurant, 113 Thompson St., at Prince Street
“Omen is one of those mainstays in my life. I eat there at least once a week. They have great food, and the room has this glazed dark brick. It’s a nice feeling.”
9 Tenth Avenue, by the Lincoln Tunnel
“That’s one of the last nowhereslands left. That’s the kind of stretch I wanted to show in [“The Good Night.”] It’s under-photographed New York, which is such an over-photographed city. People always start films with a shot of the Empire State Building. I wanted to stay away from that.”