Shake Shack, Madison Avenue and 23rd (
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Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery, at Great Jones Street (WireImage)
Katz’s Deli, 205 E. Houston St., at Ludlow Street (Alamy)
Tompkins Square Park, Seventh to 10th streets between Avenue A and Avenue B (Freelance)
Crif Dog, 113 St. Marks Place, between First Avenue and Avenue A (
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Comedian Jim Gaffigan lives with his wife and four kids — ages 8 months to 7 years — in a two-bedroom, five-story walk-up on the Bowery. Why do they stay in such cramped quarters? “I love Little Italy, and living on Bowery is right next to there,” says Gaffigan, 45, who only had one child when he first moved into his current apartment six years ago. While he and wife, Jeannie Noth, hope to find a larger space soon, moving to Brooklyn is not on the table. “Manhattan is the lazy man’s heaven. You’re a five-minute subway ride to anywhere,” says the funnyman whose newest comedy special, “Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe,” will be released on April 11 as a $5 download. “I like the Manhattan simplicity.” This is his New York.
PHOTOS: JIM GAFFIGAN’S NEW YORK
1. Shake Shack, Madison Avenue and 23rd Street
“People always debate whether to suck it up and wait on the line. They know how good the Shake Shack burger is, but whether to suck it up [and wait] is always on their faces.”
2. La Mela Ristorante, 167 Mulberry St., between Grand and Broome streets
“We go with another family. They have five kids, and we have four. We always go there on Mother’s Day or Easter, because trying to find a place that can hold 13 people is virtually impossible. So we go to La Mela and take over the room. You pay, like, $60, and the kids do $100 worth of damage to the restaurant.”
3. Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery, at Great Jones Street
“Watching Fashion’s Night Out around there really late at night, and watching drunk women in highly uncomfortable fancy dresses, is like the largest prom ever. It’s one thing to wear a nice dress, but this is like a prom when you’re 25, and you’ve been drinking for six hours.”
4. Times Square
“I love the contrast of New Yorkers’ faces when they’re in Times Square versus the tourists’ faces. The tourist is understandably awestruck, and the New Yorkers are visibly annoyed at themselves for putting themselves in Times Square.”
5. Katz’s Deli, 205 E. Houston St., at Ludlow Street
“I’m watching my 2-year-old and I take her to Katz’s Deli. My wife will be like, ‘You brought a 2-year-old to Katz’s Deli?’ And I’ll be like, ‘She loves it. She loves the pastrami.’ Giving a 2-year-old the most unhealthy meat on Earth; I just thought it was funny.”
6. Bar Centrale, 324 W. 46th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
“When I was doing ‘That Championship Season’ [on Broadway], our entire cast got kicked out of there. I won’t say which cast member, but someone was rude to the owner. That was the first time I’ve been kicked out of a place since I was, like, 21. It was kind of funny to be 45 and kicked out of a place. And Bar Centrale is where performers go after Broadway shows to hang out, so to get kicked out of there is just absurd.”
7. Tompkins Square Park, Seventh to 10th streets between Avenue A and Avenue B
“Taking your kid to Tompkins Square Park is hysterical, because you’re trying to explain to your 5-year-old why the heroin addict is sleeping on the bench in such a precise manner. My son will be like, ‘Why is that guy sleeping?’ And I’ll be like, ‘He was tired.’”
8. Crif Dog, 113 St. Marks Place, between First Avenue and Avenue A
“I go there with my son before soccer. It’s fun to see people eating the most unhealthy food in the world and to see the guilty look on their faces as they enjoy tater tots.”