New York Nighthawk

Midnight Improvisor

My life in comedy began after 11:00 on Monday and Wednesday nights. When I started doing improv, the only game to play for a beginner was Improdome and Beyond Improdome at The PIT, two free open mike jam shows. You show up at 11:00 p.m., form a team with two other people, and get five minutes to perform. Afterwards everyone would go out to the bar to get bombed and talk about comedy. I worked at nights and set my own audition schedule, so these late night jams were awesome. I definitely had my fair share of nights stumbling out of the bar at four in the morning, hailing a cab, and then trying to fall asleep as the sun came up. On those choice nights I was buzzing, you would look outside to the streets: Canal, Lafayette, 6th Avenue – everything was different. This was my New York for a year.

Times Square Goes Silent

I was fired from my first day job after barely four months. In a desperate move to start making money, I went back to my old job at Starbucks. The best way to make it work around my acting and my comedy career was to take the morning shifts… at 5:00 a.m. Being that I lived in Brooklyn and opted to work in Midtown, this meant waking up at 3:00 a.m. and being on the train by 4:00. I always ran late and often, I cut through Times Square rather than make a transfer. If you ever want an eerie experience, show up at “The Center of The World” at 4:30 in the morning on a Wednesday. The veritable tourist nest is a ghost town; several times I would walk straight-up Broadway in the middle of the road because there was no traffic. It’s a weird reminder that certain parts of New York do close. It’s also extremely sobering to know that without it’s commerce, Times Square can just be a big empty place with bright lights.

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Breaking a Hack's Heart

A little tip if you find yourself heading to the outer boroughs late night: don’t tell them where you’re going until you’re in the cab and the door is closed. The standard policy for NYC Cabs and car services is that they can’t refuse a fare once you are secure inside the car. Hacks, in general, hate driving to the outer boroughs. If you’re going to Queens, they can at least charge you extra for tolls, but Brooklyn? Forget it. Do yourself a favor. Stay quiet until the door is closed.

28th and Lex

Going home after a long night of drinking and your best efforts have left you empty-handed? No one to wake up next to and make a half-decent cup of coffee for? In that case, swing by 28th and Lex during the midnight hours to meet a “friend.” I personally can’t say if she’ll be high maintenance or not, but I imagine she’ll definitely take away the lonely blues. Hope you didn’t drop any fifty notes at the bar.