“Why We Love NYC” Partner Spotlight: A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour

Exactly two weeks from today, January 25th, we will be hosting a very special pop culture trivia night at The Bell House in Brooklyn, celebrating all things NYC. Our very own trivia host Pat Kiernan will be testing your knowledge of the things which make NYC great, as well as handing out “quintessential NYC experiences” as prizes (learn why we’re hosting this event in the first place).

Among those prizes is one of the most authentic, enjoyable and certifiable New York City experiences you will find anywhere – tickets to attend A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour! Voted the #1 tour of Brooklyn by Tripadvisor, there is no better way to see – and chew – your way across the Borough of Kings.

I first discovered this tour 4 years ago, when I was planning a friend’s bachelor party. He loves pizza, and wanted a fun activity to do during the day; being the designated party planner (a role which always falls on me, the entertainment event guy – go figure) I did some snooping around online, and lo and behold, I find A Slice of Brooklyn! I bought tickets.

This giant bus picks up a group at Union Square (Manhattan pick-up and drop-off, which is SO incredibly convenient – the only such pizza tour of Brooklyn which does that, by the way). Onto the bus bounds Tony Muia, the tour’s founder and operator. Tony is as “legit” a Brooklynite there is: born and raised in the borough, the ultra-proud Italian-American sports slicked black hair, arms full of tattoos and an accent which is straight out of Welcome Back Kotter. With a permanent smile beaming from ear to ear, Tony bursts forth with an energy and enthusiasm which instantly engages everyone on the bus – and continues to do so for the next 4 hours.

Taking us over the Manhattan Bridge and into DUMBO, Tony provides a running monologue on the history of – well, it seems like the entire city. He knows EVERYTHING, especially about Brooklyn! We pull up in front of Grimaldi’s, the famed pizza joint at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Tony leads us in – straight past the line of irritated-looking tourists (ha!) as we sit down at a long table which has already been set for us. Pies come out instantly, and we dig in – 2 ultra-thin slices and a soda per person, then it’s back on the bus!

After the bus weaves us down the BQE through Red Hook, past the army terminal and by the Verrazano bridge, Tony takes us inland, introducing us to Owl’s Head Park and Bay Ridge. Along the way, he pauses at the locations of iconic movie scenes from the likes of Saturday Night Fever, Goodfellas, Scent of a Woman, The French Connection and more – which he supplements by playing clips of those scenes on the bus’s TV screens (very, VERY cool).

We make our way through Bensonhurst and into Bath Beach, where we pull up to L&B Spumoni Gardens – which is now my favorite pizza place in the city! The famous square pie is made in layers – crust, cheese, crust, sauce and more cheese. The result is absolutely ridiculous, and like no other pizza anywhere.

Back on the bus, and it’s straight down to Coney Island. Tony leads us off the bus and onto the iconic Boardwalk, where after a comprehensive overview and enthralling history, he lets people go for a ride on The Cyclone if they so choose (I, for one, so chose NOT to). Back on the bus, and Tony takes us through Brighton Beach, where all of the storefronts are in Cyrillic. Up Coney Island Avenue we go, then back through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to Manhattan, where we arrive safe and sound back at Union Square.

To say that this tour is insanely great is an understatement. I’ve done it twice now, and even sent my entire family on it as a pre-wedding activity last year. Tony and his team are top-rate, and the experience is so drenched with authentic Brooklyn culture, flair and flavor that you feel like you, too, were born there. Tony’s tours have become so popular, in fact, that he’s expanded to include a Brooklyn Neighborhood Tour, as well as a truly unreal Christmas Lights Tour. He’s also going to be a television star, with a new reality show, “A Slice of Brooklyn,” debuting on The Travel Channel in the coming weeks.

At our January 25th event, some lucky attendees will win tickets to go aboard Tony’s bus  – and get to experience the very best “slice of Brooklyn” there is! In the meantime, learn more about TrivWorks here: www.trivworks.com/what-we-do/