Best of the World with Antoni Porowski (2026) s01e03 Episode Script
New York City
[upbeat music playing,
Natalie Cole "This Will Be"]
[alarm clock buzzing]
-Come on, come on.
[Natalie] This will be,
an everlasting love ♪
Good Morning.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Good morning.
-Thank you.
Downtown New York,
one of my happiest
places in the world.
I'm one of three million
immigrants living in this city.
Morning.
I arrived
almost 15 years ago,
bright-eyed and
ready to explore.
But since then,
my dog Neon and I have
become a little
stuck in our ways.
Now, I'm setting out
to rediscover NYC.
-Three, two, one.
[Antoni] To meet others who
came here to make their mark,
and to fall in love with
my hometown all over again.
This is unreal.
What makes
something the best?
Is it the view?
Wow.
You said don't look down,
and that was the
first thing that I did.
Is it the stay?
Oh, it's so romantic.
Or is it a meal so good
it makes you want to cry?
Oh, that was so
beautiful that, like,
warmed my soul.
Every year,
National Geographic names
its "Best Of The World."
Must-see destinations
that rise above the rest.
-This is the most
biodiverse place in
the whole world.
-And you're part
of that story.
-Absolutely.
[Antoni] Now they've given
me the best job in the world.
I just saw my reflection.
I'm crushing it.
To explore places to stay.
Restaurants, sights,
and experiences.
That's a fang.
I'm in the head.
In Paris
Mexico City
London and my hometown.
You're a
New York treasure.
I'm on a quest
to find the best.
Because for me, the
best is more than just hype.
This is like a beautiful
representation of cultures.
It's food, but it's also
a history of the people.
It's the sights,
the sounds.
-It's showtime.
[Antoni] The flavors.
-You can only taste
this in Mexico.
[Antoni] And it's almost
always the people.
-It's made with
a lot of love.
-Why the
Statue of Liberty?
-She's so New York.
I came to this
country for freedom.
-Unreal.
Best I've ever
had in my life.
-I'm Antoni Porowski,
and this is Best of the World.
[upbeat music playing]
[Antoni] New York.
It's the city
that never sleeps,
always surprises,
and where it helps to be
just a little bit extra.
800 languages
are spoken here.
It's a metropolis that's
been shaped by generations
of immigrants who, like me,
were drawn to the place where
it feels like
anything can happen.
New York might have the
best of the world on many,
if not all, fronts.
The diversity is what
kind of makes it so unique,
that's what
makes it exciting.
The city's divided
into five boroughs with
distinct personalities,
from Staten Island's
suburban vibe,
up to The Bronx,
where hip hop was invented.
Every borough is
full of people chasing
their dream in NYC,
and I've
handpicked six places
where they're crushing it.
First, I'm going South,
to the Battery.
Because where better to
start this adventure than
the birthplace of
New York City,
just 800 yards south
of Manhattan, by ferry.
[boat horn]
I might be generalizing,
but I feel like,
for the most part,
New Yorkers
have definitely heard
of Governors Island,
but that's kind of
where the knowledge ends.
And looking
how close it is, like,
it's basically swimmable.
Would I want to swim
in the East River,
probably not.
Is it weird that this is
a recommendation from my dog?
Neon's dog walker
brings her here,
and they both love it.
I've never joined them,
but I'm told it's completely
unique and
full of surprises.
I'm landing at the place
the very first Dutch settlers
set up camp in 1624,
the start of New York's
immigrant history.
Hello.
-Hey Antoni.
-How's it going?
Tristan is one of the
island's caretakers.
He knows this
place inside out.
[Tristan] Let's get
this thing started.
We're in the historic
district right now.
-Okay.
-It's amazing the layers
and layers of history
that are here.
-Yeah.
History lovers, buckle up,
this island's been around.
It originally belonged
to the Lenape people as
a fishing and foraging
ground until the Dutch
arrived in 1624 and
began their colonization
of the region.
-A lot of these
buildings we're looking
at right now date
back to the 1800s.
[Antoni] During the
American Revolution,
the British made it their
military headquarters
and named it
Governors Island.
Whoa, what's that
one with the columns?
[Tristan] So that's
the Admiral's house.
[Antoni] Right.
[Tristan] Um, that's where
the top brass used to live.
[Antoni] Then the
US Army took control,
and it was a military
post for nearly 200 years,
home to many a great,
moustache.
In 2003, the
Federal government
sold it to New York State
for public use for just $1.
That's gotta be the best
New York real estate deal ever.
I did not expect
any of this.
-Yeah.
-At all.
-It doesn't really feel
like New York at all.
-It could not feel
less like New York.
[Tristan] That, that's
sort of the reason I fell in
love with this place.
I come from like
rural Virginia.
When I first moved
to the city,
there's a lot of
people everywhere.
-This felt, it was like
a safe space for you.
[Tristan] This was like home.
[Antoni] Tristan is one
of very few who have the
privilege of
staying here overnight.
But there is a way
you can join them.
On the west side of the
island is Collective Retreats.
[Tristan] So here we are.
[Antoni] Full on like
commune vibes.
[laughing]
Ah, fire pits.
That's right, glamping
in New York City.
[boat horn]
You're a legend,
thank you so much.
I did not realize that
something like this could
exist even within
the State of New York,
if I'm perfectly honest,
but glamping,
overlooking the city,
is not something that I had
on the docket for things
I would ever imagined
the possibility
of existing.
It's kinda mind-blowing.
And okay, while on
the outside these tents
may be giving
Boy Scout vibes.
-Come on in.
-Oh wow!
Inside, manager Evan has
made them pretty swanky.
Think high
thread count linen,
designer toiletries,
and air conditioning.
I get it though,
wrap around canvas
isn't for everyone.
But this is New York,
there's always gonna be
an option to upgrade.
[Evan] This is the
summit suite
-Okay.
-which is our,
our top suite.
[Antoni] Oh my gosh.
You timed the entrance
perfectly for the sun setting
and getting like
that beautiful gradient
in the sky,
this is crazy.
-Your king-size bed,
overlooking
the Statue of Liberty
in the sunset.
[Antoni] Oh, thanks.
[Evan] Settle in, relax,
enjoy yourself.
[Antoni] Is this beautiful?
I think this'll do.
The only times that I've
experienced such a shift
in perspective is usually
in nature when you're
looking at like
a mountain range.
There's something
about the serenity and
the chaos of all of it.
Ships passing
and helicopters,
and we're out in nature on
this beautiful island
that's like
steeped in all of this,
like weird history, and then
you have this colossus that is
Manhattan just peeking
through to your right.
It's just like beautiful,
messy symphony.
I'm actually awestruck.
Now, I want to meet
my fellow glampers and
see what they
make of this place.
-Hi.
-Can I crash this s'mores party?
-Please.
-Of course.
-I'm Ant, this
is my dog, Neon.
-Hi, Neon.
-Neon, sit.
-Hi.
-Oh, so toasty.
[Anna] Neon's gonna
want your marshmallow.
-Sit, girl.
[Tiffanie] How do
you eat these things?
[Anna] Not like that.
[laughing]
-I think
you're crushing it.
Have you all
been here before?
[Anna] Yeah.
[Callie] Yes.
[Antoni] Are all
of you New Yorkers?
[campers] Yes, yes.
[Callie] Yeah.
I've been coming
here since 2010.
-Oh wow, okay.
[Callie] Yeah.
-And what brings you back?
[Anna] It's just magical.
It's the greatest.
You're like in the
middle of nature.
I like the idea
of being sort of outside,
and then I look up,
and I'm like, oh,
hey New York,
you're still here.
-Well, this strikes
that balance right,
you feel like you're
out in the elements,
but you still
have the amenities.
[Callie] I don't know
how to build a fire.
Someone else
did this for us.
Thank you so much.
-Someone else did, yeah.
Oh, it's spoken like
true New Yorkers.
Wow.
And wait, this island
isn't out of surprises yet.
Just a 10-minute
walk from the retreat,
in the most shocking
transformation since
Crocs got cool,
the old military barracks
have been turned into a spa.
15,000 square
feet of themed sensory
exploration rooms.
This is an
upside-down room,
like a
Salvador Dali fever dream.
This is
delightfully weird.
You've got your classics:
saunas, ice rooms,
steam baths.
I love an infrared.
While other rooms
are, inventive!
So I'm on a water bed,
and there is a video montage
of cereal being
sucked out of a bowl;
everything is
like reverse videos.
This is
absolutely bonkers.
But it's nice to
see waterbeds are
making a comeback.
Whatever
your relaxation jam,
I'm pretty sure
you'll find it here.
For me, this
is the winner.
Outdoor heated pools and
the Manhattan skyline by night.
I mean, come on!
This might be the single
most unique place I have
ever been to
in my entire life,
and if you know me,
that says a lot.
From fortification
to relaxation.
Safe to say this island's
been on quite a journey,
and mine's only
just started.
Tomorrow, I've got an
appointment across the water,
with a chef causing
a stir in Brooklyn.
[Antoni] With over
20,000 restaurants,
72 of them Michelin-starred,
it's kind of
impossible to pick
the best dining
experience in New York.
But as someone who caught
serious heat for mixing
Greek yogurt into guac,
I appreciate unusual
food fusion.
So I'm going across
the Manhattan Bridge,
to the Fort Greene
neighborhood of Brooklyn,
to a restaurant doing
Japanese fine dining
with a Polish twist.
So these are my
old stomping grounds.
Clinton Hill, Fort Greene,
is where I first moved to
when I came to New York
to pursue the dream of
becoming an actor.
The hustle.
I mean, Manhattan
with the skyscrapers,
it can feel
intimidating.
Brooklyn has that
neighborhood vibe where
everything just feels,
it's just 5% cozier.
This area isn't known
for Polish cuisine,
and although it's
the food I grew up with,
I've only known it as
hearty and home-cooked,
not high-end.
So I'm really intrigued
about this place.
[rings doorbell]
-Welcome to Ikigai.
-Hey.
-I'm Dan.
-I'm, I'm Antoni,
nice to meet you,
thanks for having me.
Whoa, not that
I knew what to expect,
but this is not
what I expected.
So different than outside.
This is a jewel box.
It's so calm.
[Dan] Eh, this
is chef Rafal.
-Rafal, hi.
-I'm Antoni,
nice to meet you.
Okay, this
place is stunning.
Chef Rafal and Owner
Dan opened Ikigai in 2024.
They've created their
personal take on the
Japanese 'kaiseki' concept.
An exquisitely presented,
hyper-seasonal tasting menu
combining Rafal's
Polish heritage with his
expert training under
legendary Chef Masa Takayama.
In beautiful symmetry,
they serve 12 courses,
to 12 guests,
12 times a week.
And prep for tonight's
service is in full flow.
I think I know what this is,
it's like a version
of Polish dumplings?
-It's a knedle.
-Knedle.
-You ready to get on it?
-Okay, let's do it.
I've had them
hundreds of times;
I've never made
them before.
-So let's start
with potatoes.
-Okay, so I have a lot of,
uh, cognitive dissonance
that's happening right now
because we are clearly in
a Japanese restaurant,
but we're making something
that my ancestors
have been making forever.
Tell me about the concept.
-This is something
I know from home,
from my grandparents,
and I was like, oh my God,
this is like mochi.
So, what if I take some of
the ingredients from mochi
and some ingredients
from knedle?
-You're so right.
Knedle are
potato dumplings,
stuffed and boiled,
and mochi are
Japanese rice cakes.
Both can be made
savory or sweet.
[Rafal] So we're using
this sweet mochiko flour,
and uh, for the whole
thing to make sense in
New York, we are,
we're gonna fill it
with the cheesecake.
-Of course, naturally,
a cheesecake, like,
that's genius.
I shouldn't be surprised,
since arriving
here from Poland,
Rafal's worked at not one,
but two of New York's
top top restaurants, Masa,
and the iconic
11 Madison Park.
So just grab one of these?
-And so just one of these,
just in the very center.
-Perfect, okay, alright.
-And then you're gonna fold
it kind of like a dumpling
or a pierogi,
you know.
-What do you listen
to when you cook?
-Always the happy music.
I have a rule, never start
making knedle when you're
unhappy or
when you're upset.
They're not going
to taste right.
-Oh my gosh.
I mean, I only listen
to sad music when I cook,
so that's probably a
question for my therapist.
I think I know what's next,
we got to boil
these puppies, right?
-We gotta do it.
-Hello chefs.
[chefs] Hi.
[Rafal] Perfect, and
just slowly submerge.
-This is already more refined
than I saw it growing up.
This is no shade
to my mother,
but we literally just plop
'em into the water, exactly.
-All right.
Gloves on.
Alright, 15 more seconds,
and service is about to start,
so let's go.
[Antoni] Okay, let's go.
Aside from the food,
Ikigai's been on my radar
because I've heard the
service is next level.
[Dan] So we bring them
from the busy street,
and we send them back there,
keep them in a quiet space
before we bring them inside.
-A really chic sensory
deprivation tank basically.
-Exact, exactly.
The guests will be
out there for 17 minutes
before they come here.
Everything needs
to go back to back.
[Antoni] 17 minutes.
[Dan] No more, no less.
So every step is
absolutely critical.
-Calculated, like
the subways in Japan.
[Dan] Yeah, exactly.
[Antoni] While they chill
out in the tea garden,
the diners are served
their first course.
Warm Japanese
milk bread with lotus,
chrysanthemum leaves,
and buraczki,
that's Polish beets.
[Rafal] You
would never start the,
the Japanese meal
with the bread,
however in Poland,
it's a must.
[Antoni] Of course.
It's so damn good.
No offense to
our ancestors,
those are the best
buraczki I've ever had.
When the guests move
to the dining room,
they're surrounded
by 8,000 pieces of wood,
designed for perfect acoustics,
so you can have
a private conversation
with your date,
while Rafal never
has to raise his voice.
-So our next course is
a warm chawanmushi with
some honey nut squash,
parmesan, and truffle.
Try to scoop all the way
to the bottom of the teacup.
This is how all the
flavors will come together.
[Antoni] And he might
be a calming presence,
but Rafal is
clearly a perfectionist.
Each course is
flawlessly presented,
so helping to finish the
next one is, intimidating.
[Antoni] And
it's so quiet.
[Rafal] For your portion,
you can put more sauce.
[Antoni] Yeah, I'm
putting more for mine.
[laughing]
This dish, at its heart,
couldn't be more Polish:
cabbage and potato.
But my grandma
never made it like this.
-Does it taste like home?
-I wish home tasted
like this, frankly.
And the crazy thing is,
my father would be shocked
because I was never
a fan of the cabbage.
But this is the best
cabbage I've ever had.
-We need to send it
to your dad then.
-I know.
No, he's gotta come here.
Finally, dessert,
the knedle.
Dumplings filled with
New York cheesecake,
and served with black sesame
seed sauce and sour cream.
-Alright, moment of truth.
-Oh my God, bursting.
God.
Ooh, the dough is so thin.
This is a world
away from the knedle with
meat and gravy that
I grew up eating.
I'm not a dessert guy.
This is the number one.
My friends always make fun
of me for being too nostalgic,
and my argument is, is
like if you're not nostalgic,
you don't get to create
things like this, you know.
-Exactly, I agree.
-Oi, ay yay,
yay, dios mio.
I could cry.
It's so beautiful.
The word 'Ikigai' means
'a passion that
gives life meaning'.
So Dan and Rafal's
mission doesn't stop with
the dining experience.
All profits and unused
food go to an organization
that fights
hunger in the city.
The more I learned
and the more I know like,
the more I got
to really like appreciate
and respect what you both do,
and it's really beautiful,
and it's important.
-I appreciate it,
thank you.
[Antoni] Yeah,
thank you, chef.
[Rafal] Thank you.
-Wild.
[Rafal] Thank you.
-Ahh, I love it when
food is emotional.
And I love that Rafal came
to New York to learn from
the best and is now
taking all that knowledge
to reinvent Polish
cuisine for New Yorkers.
You could really say he
took a bite out of the
Big Apple.
I'll see myself out.
[Antoni] I can't explore
the Best of New York
without looking at art.
New York has the most
galleries and museums
than anywhere
else in the States.
But I think the art that
really defines this city
This one's surreal,
almost.
can be found on the streets,
available to everyone.
New York is full of
living legends who inspired
street artists
across the world.
And today, I
get to meet one.
I've come to Queens,
New York's global village,
where more languages
are spoken than anywhere
else on earth,
if you can hear
them over those famous
elevated train tracks.
Oh, I haven't
been here in a while.
It's also a canvas,
for one of
street art's pioneers.
Good morning.
This is Lady Pink.
Born in Ecuador,
raised in New York City.
[Lady Pink] This
is a brick foot,
and it is
actually my foot.
It is, it is.
[Antoni] You have
beautiful toenails.
-Thank you.
I actually drew on
myself with a Sharpie.
-No.
-I drew the little bricks,
and then I took a photo.
[Antoni] From teenage
graffiti artist who
started in the 70s,
her work's been shown in
galleries and museums
all over the world,
and it's all over the
outside of this one, MoMA PS1.
It was one of your
first shows here at PS1.
-Yes.
-When you were how old?
-I was 17 years old.
-I was exhibiting with
great artists like Basquiat,
Keith Haring, Futura,
Dondi, Lee,
all of these guys, you know.
We have inspired the
world's biggest art movement,
and this is
what represents it.
[Antoni] When Lady Pink was
growing up here in the 70s,
New York was, for many people,
a tough place to live.
Graffiti was,
an admittedly kinda
illegal way for people
to express themselves,
and bring
color to the city,
and subway cars
became mobile galleries,
spreading the
art across the boroughs,
creating a global
phenomenon that defined
urban culture in the 80s,
and ever since.
[Lady Pink] The way you dress,
the way you talk,
the way you act,
the way you write,
that's all, that's all
graffiti in New York.
[Antoni] Today, there
are curated street art
hotspots across the city.
They change constantly,
so I swear I'm not being
lazy when I say,
'just Google it'.
But Lady Pink's art can
always be found in Astoria,
the area of Queens
where she grew up.
She has permission walls
that the owners let her paint
to brighten up
the neighborhood.
-I cannot be not creating,
so there you go.
-Wow.
[Lady Pink] This is
my latest creation.
What do you think?
You are gonna get
to help me finish it.
I will give you
that opportunity.
[Antoni] I've never picked
up a spray can before,
and now a legend is letting
me loose on her latest artwork.
I can't believe
we're doing this.
This is so awesome.
[Lady Pink] This
is funny, right?
You know I will show you
how to use the stencils
and how to use
the spray paint.
But these are
your choices.
You know art is
all about choices.
[Antoni] Yeah.
Ooh, mushrooms,
I appreciate that.
-Those guys are nice.
I'm gonna finish
doing the face
[Antoni] Okay.
[Lady Pink] and the crown,
and you get to do stencils
along all of
the background areas.
-But what if I
make a bad choice?
-It's only paint,
we can just paint over it.
-Oh, okay.
[laughs]
-You know we're
not carving into stone.
-Okay, okay.
-Look, here's a mushroom.
[Antoni] This looks like
a little chanterelle,
and that's one of
my favorite mushrooms,
so I'm gonna use that.
[Lady Pink] You're doing it.
You're doing it.
Yeah, yeah, all right.
[Antoni] Why the
Statue of Liberty and
not another symbol?
[Lady Pink] The Statue
of Liberty is so New York,
you know, and
I'm an immigrant,
she speaks to me.
I came to this country
for freedom and liberty.
[Antoni] How was it
like for your mom?
She's like in
a new country.
-Yes.
[Antoni] And then you're
out there doing your thing.
Was she supportive?
Terrified?
All of the above?
[Lady Pink] All of the above.
Terrified, of course,
because her daughter was
sneaking off to
the absolute worst
neighborhoods of
New York City,
because that's where they
were parking the trains.
She didn't know what
I was out doing,
sneaking out with, like, a
bunch of handsome young
men in the middle
of the night.
She was hoping that I
was only painting,
you know what I mean?
[Antoni] Yeah.
[laughs]
What do you want
your legacy to be?
[Lady Pink] Um, that I
was a trailblazer,
and when I set
an example like this,
it opens doors for all
[Antoni] Yeah.
-to come out
and paint as well.
It isn't just for the
elite who can frequent
galleries and museums;
it's for everyone
walking by, driving by.
People from all over the
world come to paint here.
Everyone wants to leave
their mark behind on New York.
That's what
makes it unique.
[Antoni] It's rare
in life where you get to
meet someone who not
only has a really important
imprint on
New York history.
The eyes are so good.
[Lady Pink]
It's happening.
[Antoni] But continues
to be this dynamic,
ever important presence.
How'd I do?
[Lady Pink] You
didn't do too bad.
But do you want to try to write
your name there underneath.
Come on, Antoni.
Steady now, steady.
That's how
graffiti happens.
-That's it.
-Yes!
[Antoni] I think it's a
reminder that all of the
people who make this city
and who built it have all
left their personal touch,
and now I have this newfound
respect for street art,
which I think is kind of like
an ultimate
symbol of that.
What a special day.
Meow.
[Lady Pink] Meow.
Yeah, thank you so much.
-I adore you.
You're amazing.
That's what's
great about New York:
it's shaped by people
who come here to fulfil
a creative vision,
and that's in no
way limited to art.
Here, cocktail
mixologists get the same
hype as graffiti legends.
The city that never sleeps
has no shortage of bars,
but back in Manhattan,
just skirting Chinatown,
there's one I
really need to check out.
It's been named Best Bar
in North America,
and you don't win that
title by playing it safe.
-Hey, how are you?
-How's it going?
-Please.
-Thank you so much.
-What would
you like to try?
-Okay, I can pretty much
have anything as long
as it's non-alcoholic.
-Okay.
-I'm in your hands.
Take me on a journey.
Double Chicken Please is
the brainchild of friends
GN and Faye.
After moving to
the States from Taiwan,
they set out on the road,
experimenting and selling
cocktails from a camper van.
They earned a reputation
for their reimagining of
iconic dishes
in liquid form.
Think Japanese Cold Noodle,
Red Eye Gravy,
and Key Lime Pie,
in a glass.
In 2020, they made the
huge leap to opening
a bar in Manhattan,
and now they have
lines out the door.
If there's one drink on
the menu, one that's like,
personal to you.
-I will say
Japanese cold noodle.
-Yeah.
-So we tried to mimic the
aroma and the flavor from
Japanese cold noodle,
which is like a very
traditional dish.
Really popular in Asia.
The drink itself is
almost like Piña Colada,
which is very classic
cocktail in the Western world,
and then we add in
cucumber and sesame oil,
which is a traditional
cucumber salad back home.
-Right.
-So it's almost like they
represent two different culture,
collide together.
-Oh my God.
There's no noodle
water in here?
[GN] No, no.
[Faye] No, no, no, no.
[Antoni] Wait, okay.
I feel like I'm having, like,
a cold char soba or something.
That's crazy.
-Gotch you.
-Good job.
It just, it messes
with your brain.
Like growing up, is
this something that
you wanted to do?
-For me personally,
I don't drink,
I don't drink alcohol,
it's like you.
So it's out of nowhere.
I used to be a,
a street magician.
So I was broke, and
I learned how to bartend,
and I fell in love with
it because this is the stage.
[Antoni] Right.
-You are performing,
but also you are
designing your drink,
and that's the place
I met Faye, actually.
-So you moved to one of
arguably the hardest cities
to start a business.
-Yeah, he tricked me.
[Antoni] He tricked you?
-Yeah, he didn't tell me
all the truth about New York.
I just, I was
young and naive.
I'm like, oh okay.
-But I mean,
it worked out.
These drinks aren't just
created behind the bar;
the real alchemy
happens in the kitchen,
with food
ingredients prepared,
before they're poured.
And GN and Faye are
gonna show me how they make
their signature
Custard Bun cocktail,
inspired by the
Chinese dim sum classic.
-So first of all,
the Koji Jam.
[Antoni] Yeah.
For the koji jam, rice
is fermented overnight,
then blended to bring
out the sweetness.
[GN] And then the
salty egg yolk sauce.
[Antoni] Perfect,
yeah, one of those.
The duck egg yolks are
simmered and flavored with
shrimp paste
for an umami kick.
-So a little
bit of whole milk.
[Antoni] Okay, yeah.
[GN] To the top.
[Antoni] To the top.
[GN] Yeah, you need
to cover it like this,
and then you
shake like this way.
Yes, awesome.
[Antoni] But these
creations aren't just
about the taste.
In fact, the experience
begins with the perfect scent.
-You know, in an old school
dim sum house in Chinatown.
-Yeah.
-When you
open the door,
you smell
chrysanthemum tea they serve.
[Antoni] Yeah, oh wait.
Yeah, no way.
I didn't know that.
-So that's the
aroma will hit your face.
So we tried to recreate
that in your drink.
So first of all,
you spray a little bit
chrysanthemum tea on the top.
Aroma is a big part
of flavor too
[Antoni] Yeah, yeah.
-so you will smell
it but will also taste it.
-And just a little
spritz over?
-Yeah, the last
touch is the, the aroma gun.
-Yeah.
-Create the, the smoke
and the bubble on top
to resemble a bun.
[Antoni] Okay.
[GN] It's a custard bun,
should be like a bowl.
[Antoni] Alright.
-And the way we recommend
people to drink is you get
closer to your nose,
your nose will poke it,
and you'll smell it,
and you drink it.
[Antoni] This is stunning
and very jiggly.
There's so much happening.
The palate really hits
you, that's beautiful.
These cocktails are so
much more than a drink.
-Once you press,
you need to come up,
your, your hand needs
to come up a little bit,
yep, exactly.
[Antoni] GN and Faye
create a multisensory
experience that feels both
familiar and completely new.
That one's better,
come on, give me credit.
-Too small, too small.
-Too small? What?
GN, come on, man,
progress not perfection,
hasn't anyone ever
told you that?
You're like,
no, perfection.
That's why Best Bar
in North America.
[GN] Yes.
-Opening up
any type of business in
New York is
a feat in itself.
-Not bad.
[Antoni] They've been
able to not only survive
but thrive and grow.
As immigrants from Taiwan,
it's the perfect example
of the manifestation of
the American dream that
people always talk about.
Enjoy your custard bun.
You can pop it
with your nose.
[customer] Okay.
[Antoni] You're welcome.
[customer] Thank you.
-And you get to see it
here in action in a way
that's incredibly modern
but also steeped in their
own personal histories.
Like how unique?
Isn't it stupid?
[customer] No, this is
actually incredible.
[Antoni] At
Double Chicken Please,
GN and Faye have taken
mixology and mixed it up.
They've even coined the
phrase 'Mind Cluck',
for what it does
to your brain.
A drink that
tastes like a meal,
but is somehow still a
cluckin' delicious cocktail.
It's wild.
And just so, New York.
[Antoni] I've been meeting
people who are standing out
in a city
of standouts.
But the real test is,
how do you cut through
the noise when you're
making the most popular
street food in New York?
And, don't come for me,
but that's obviously,
pizza.
Thin crust and
sold by the slice.
One of the main
differentiators between
a New York slice and
I think anywhere else
is it's huge.
Typically, the size
of like a human's face.
It can be easily folded.
Italian immigrants
realized that for busy
workers in the city,
the slice was just more
practical than a whole pie,
and now you can find a pizza
place on any busy street.
But the one I'm
interested in,
is in the neighborhood
of Bed-Stuy,
a historic center of
black culture that's
been home to
legends like Jay-Z and
the Notorious B.I.G.
This is definitely one of the
snoozier streets of Brooklyn.
Which actually to me,
is really exciting because
for a place like this
to not only survive,
but to thrive, it
must be doing damn well,
and the locals
must be coming,
which is always
a good sign.
-Let me get a fried salmon
for the window, please?
Can you ring them up?
-Have you got my order?
-Yeah, yeah, we got it.
-This is sweet chili salmon,
jerk barbecue salmon,
fried salmon,
black truffle alfredo.
Unless you want
to do the curry oxtail,
that's my favorite.
-Curried oxtail, what?
-Oh, hi.
-Hi.
-Welcome, welcome,
come on in.
-Hey, how's it going? Antoni.
-What's going on?
-You've never been
here before, right?
-No.
-We have so much to show you.
-I wanna try
every single one.
Cuts & Slices has made
its name for breaking all
the pizza topping rules,
with creations like
shrimp black
truffle alfredo,
and Caribbean-inspired
flavors like jerk chicken
and their
viral sensation, oxtail.
[influencer] Y'all know
how long I been waiting
to try this pizza?
It's been a long
time coming.
[Desus Nice] The best
pizza I've had recently
comes from Cuts & Slices.
-Is that right?
Wow.
-Have you ever had oxtail?
-Not on a pizza, though.
[Antoni] Launched in 2018
by husband-and-wife duo
Randy and Ashlee.
People in the know
have traveled hours
to try their slices.
[Randy] I love
the jerk chicken,
I love uh jerk chicken
black truffle alfredo.
-I've never heard of
that combination before.
-Because we knew that
we had to do something
that was unique.
-Yeah, yeah.
-You know something,
something that really
separates us from all other
pizzerias in New York City.
Especially being a
black-owned pizzeria.
-Ah, 100%.
-We're not known for
pizza, obviously, right.
[Ashlee] We would love to
have you come on back and
-Please, let's go.
[Randy] Yeah, you wanna
come on back?
[Antoni] Yeah,
get right into it.
Neither Randy nor Ashlee
have any chef training.
Randy learned pizza
making from YouTube,
and Ashlee spent 15 years
as a flight attendant.
Many of the toppings
are inspired by Randy's
Caribbean roots and
Ashlee's Southern heritage.
They started Cuts & Slices
in this one small room.
So what's the
origin story?
How and why did you
decide to start a thing,
like pizza
places in New York?
They're on every
single block.
-I feel like when
we did start this in 2018,
a big thing
was dollar slices.
Dollar slice
spots everywhere,
nobody making
quality pizza anymore.
[Ashlee] In this community,
they didn't have
something of quality.
-Especially introducing our
community to new ingredients.
So when we first
introduced black truffle,
everyone was
coming in here like,
what is a black truffle?
[Antoni] The new
flavors caught on, though,
and eight years later,
they have two more spots in
Manhattan and Queens.
And that's in large part,
down to their top-secret
Caribbean oxtail
recipe that they make in
four different styles.
Tell me about
how that's made.
-That is the question.
'Cause everyone
obviously loves oxtail now,
so everybody, but
everybody makes it different.
-Right.
-You know, so we
make it different.
-That's your
way of telling me,
you're just not
gonna tell me.
-I mean,
you know, it's, it's,
it's made
with a lot of love.
-Okay, okay.
-It is made
with a lot of love,
and it is hand deboned.
-Listen, all right,
it's hand deboned,
you gave him that much?
Wow.
It is hand deboned daily.
It is cooked for
about eight hours.
-Yeah.
That's oxtail.
-Until it's falling
off the bone.
-I love that, like the
things that I feel like
you're getting most
of the attention for,
are all directly
tied to your history,
to where you come from.
-Yes.
-Yeah, yeah,
most definitely.
[Antoni] And that's why
they're so protective over
their recipes.
But a slice isn't cheap,
and I need to know,
is the oxtail
really worth it?
[Randy] So we got
sweet chili oxtail,
brown stew oxtail,
curry oxtail,
and teriyaki oxtail.
-It's so crispy,
I don't even have to fold it.
Oh my God.
Please excuse me
while I stuff my face.
Mm, this is so incredible.
Very different.
-Oh, he went two bites
on that one, I told you.
-The crust is like
a solid 10 out of 10.
The oxtail is so freaking
brilliant because you can
really get the right
amount in every single bite.
These things
are important.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Right.
[Antoni] It's hard to get
impressed by pizza in New York,
and I'm like, I'm
shockingly impressed.
The food is
objectively delicious,
but I think what
gives a place a real soul
and longevity
it's always the story
and the people
that are behind it.
Randy and Ashlee learned
all the rules of making a
great pizza base,
then used it as a foundation
to build something
that reflects them
and their community.
I mean, it's incredible.
And I don't think
there's anything
more New York than that,
except maybe my
final Best of the World
experience in the city.
[Antoni] Today's one of
those very magical days in
New York where the streets
are snoozier than usual.
And that's because
everyone is at an annual
event that I'm told brings
the whole city together
like nothing else.
[cheering]
The 54th
New York City Marathon.
It's record-breaking.
The biggest
marathon in history.
That's the most
runners ever,
with 132 countries
represented.
And by far, the
highest number of spectators.
Every neighborhood,
community, race, religion,
and color, coming out
to support and celebrate.
With a route that goes
through all five boroughs,
starting in Staten Island,
through Brooklyn,
into Queens halfway through,
up to the Bronx,
and then back into
Manhattan for a final push
to the finish in Central Park.
So embarrassingly,
I've never actually
attended the marathon.
I've never been there
to cheer anybody on,
but this year's a little
different because my partner
Zach happens to
be running it.
He was up at 3 o'clock
in the morning today.
You gonna do this?
-Yeah, we're gonna do it.
[Antoni] Yeah.
I'm so excited to see Zach
at the finish, but first,
as a Marathon noob,
I have questions.
Why do people run?
Why do people
watch people run?
Why does the whole city
come to a standstill for
an event that, to my eyes,
is all about pain and suffering?
I need answers.
It's definitely a very
rare situation where you
can walk smack in
the middle of Broadway.
The level of support
for runners is epic,
26 miles lined
by friends, family,
and organized cheer squads.
And I'm joining one
of the most enthusiastic,
in East Harlem.
This is the closest
I've ever gotten to the
marathon in all
of my years in New York.
Better late than never,
though, it's fine.
All right,
let's do this.
Hi.
-I'm Stacey.
-I'm Ant, so
nice to meet you.
-Hi Ant, nice
to meet you Ant,
and welcome to
our cheer station.
-This is incredible.
Stacey's a
member of TeamWRK,
a local run club with
45 runners in today's race.
-This is my absolute
favorite day of the year.
I've been coming out
here since probably 2011
to cheer for the marathon.
I've run it three times.
[Antoni] Nice.
-Um, so I, I feel
their pain and
I just love to
come out here.
We cheer all day;
we've been out
here since 9:30.
Okay, one of our
members are coming.
-Okay, okay, okay.
-One of our members,
let's go, let's go, let's go!
Yeah!
-Wooo.
Oh, there it is.
Yeah.
-Let's goooo,
let's go, baby.
-Let's go, let's go,
let's gooooo.
TeamWRKS goal is to create
an inclusive environment
to support and represent
black and brown runners
in their training.
[cheerer] Let's go,
let's go, let's go.
[Stacey] Something
that's really cool.
-Yeah.
-Is that if people put
their name on their shirt,
you can yell their
name on the shirt.
Like, go, Laura.
-Go, Laura, go Laura!
[Stacey] See,
there's a smile.
Go Jesse!
[Antoni] Go, Jesse!
-Yeah.
-I have like
permanent chills.
-Let's go, team.
[Antoni] You got this!
It's a revelation to me
that you don't have to run
the marathon to feel
like you're a part of it.
Or to feel so
connected to the city.
Salted oranges?
Yes.
That is a weird sense
of pride and joy that I
have for literally
doing nothing.
It was a local
run club that started
the New York Marathon in 1970.
There were
just 127 runners,
doing laps
around Central Park,
supported by 100 people.
Now, it's in its
Taylor Swift era.
Massive.
It's incredible.
It's like you get to be
a literal cheerleader.
Which I never fully
understood until now.
And it's like the
best thing ever.
Cookies and gummies,
cookies and gummies,
I got cookies and gummies.
-Not the fun kind,
regular gummies.
You're amazing.
-Oh, thank you so much.
-I have so much respect
for this part alone.
It's beautiful, and
it's so nice to be out
here on the street
and experiencing it.
But I also want to, like,
there's more, right?
My guy, Zach, is
gonna be finishing soon,
so I got to get there.
Now.
You got this!
You got this,
you got this.
You're almost there.
[Antoni] I've been given
special access to the
New York City Marathon
finish line in Central Park.
This is pretty cool.
Making this world-class event
happen takes a mind-blowing
level of dedication
from volunteers.
Over 12,000 people give up
their time to be a part of it,
and a lot of them are here,
helping runners at the
finish and
handing out medals.
Pure chaos.
But of all the volunteers,
there's one who's become a
fully-fledged
New York icon.
I think I see her.
-Hi, how are you,
congratulations.
-Hi, thank you.
-Both sides, folks,
both sides.
[Antoni] This is Janelle.
I'm supposed to
interrupt her,
but I don't wanna
interrupt because
what she's doing is
actually really important.
[Janelle] And you'll
get your spot,
they'll find you.
Keep going.
No, keep going.
-Janelle?
-Hello.
-Hi.
-How are you?
Welcome.
[Antoni] After 12
years at the finish line,
regular runners
seek Janelle out;
they want her to
present their medal.
-I started
volunteering in 2013.
-Okay.
-And, in 2018,
I finally said,
I want to know what
it is that gets people
across the lines.
-Yeah.
-So I did the
marathon myself.
I was the final finisher.
-You were the
final finisher.
-I closed down
the whole thing.
[Antoni] That's amazing.
When Janelle reached the
finish line at 10 p.m.,
a whole crowd of
volunteers were waiting
to cheer her on,
and every year she
pays it forward,
giving out medals until the
last runner crosses the line.
And you're like such
an important part of it.
Like, that's
pretty amazing.
[Janelle] Oh well, it's
almost overwhelming because
I know how important
each of these medals are.
[Antoni] And it's like a
sense of responsibility,
you know?
-It is.
This experience is so
life-changing that they
connect your face with
that life-changing moment.
[Antoni] Of course.
Okay, so if I mess this up,
I ruin their whole
marathon experience.
No pressure.
Okay.
Do I put it in your
hand or around your neck?
-No, around my neck.
-Let's go.
-Thank you so much.
-May I put this on?
-Yes, please do.
-You crushed it.
Can I give you a hug?
-I couldn't care less.
I'm honored.
Congratulations.
First marathon?
-25th.
-25th?
Some of these volunteers
were up at 5 a.m.,
and won't quit till
everyone's over the finish.
They'll hand out
nearly 60,000 medals,
around 75,000
gallons of water,
and a whole load of Band-Aids.
Congratulations.
Love the hair.
Just a massive
amount of respect for,
for these volunteers.
Janelle is a damn legend.
It's just,
it's so beautiful.
You're amazing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're a treasure.
You're a New York treasure.
I know I shouldn't say
this in current company,
but I'm kind of exhausted.
I just have one
more medal to give.
Oh my God, there he is.
Ah, yeah!
Baby! Oh my God.
I got something for you.
Where is it?
-Is that it?
-That's it.
-Oh, thank you.
-Can I put it on you?
Aw.
-Aw, like a baby giraffe.
-You did it.
-Yeah.
-Standing at the literal
finish line and just like
watching him
come towards me,
I don't think I've ever been,
like, more proud of like,
a, a, a single
person in my life.
I really hope all
of his nails make it intact
because I don't deal
with blood very well.
But I'll make
sure that he's fed.
Yeah.
Until now, the
New York Marathon was
something I'd literally
ignored was happening in my
backyard for 14 years.
Congrats, baby.
[Zach] Thank you, babe.
[Antoni] You did it.
I'm in awe.
I'm just in awe.
But after everything
I've experienced today,
I've got news, guys.
I'm gonna run
this thing next year.
I kind of have to.
It's one of those things
that, like, I got a taste,
literally, from the
sweat off of a bunch of
strangers that
I was hugging.
It's like, once
you experience that,
I'm sort of like, ah, I need
to know what that's about.
You come to
something like this,
that is so
incredibly unifying,
like it's an
incredibly beautiful thing.
It makes me so proud
to be a New Yorker.
I might not be a native,
but I'm a local,
and I'm damn
proud of that.
[boat horn]
At the end of all of this,
exploring whether it's
parts of New York that
I've never been to,
or experiencing a
perspective of the city
through a different lens,
you realize that it's just a
whole bunch of people who
had a vision or a dream or
something that they were
pursuing that brought them here.
I mean, almost everyone
I've met on this journey
and exploring in New York
is either an immigrant or
a child of immigrants.
It's that diversity that
makes New York so unique
and magical,
and it's why
I'll always call it home.
Natalie Cole "This Will Be"]
[alarm clock buzzing]
-Come on, come on.
[Natalie] This will be,
an everlasting love ♪
Good Morning.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Good morning.
-Thank you.
Downtown New York,
one of my happiest
places in the world.
I'm one of three million
immigrants living in this city.
Morning.
I arrived
almost 15 years ago,
bright-eyed and
ready to explore.
But since then,
my dog Neon and I have
become a little
stuck in our ways.
Now, I'm setting out
to rediscover NYC.
-Three, two, one.
[Antoni] To meet others who
came here to make their mark,
and to fall in love with
my hometown all over again.
This is unreal.
What makes
something the best?
Is it the view?
Wow.
You said don't look down,
and that was the
first thing that I did.
Is it the stay?
Oh, it's so romantic.
Or is it a meal so good
it makes you want to cry?
Oh, that was so
beautiful that, like,
warmed my soul.
Every year,
National Geographic names
its "Best Of The World."
Must-see destinations
that rise above the rest.
-This is the most
biodiverse place in
the whole world.
-And you're part
of that story.
-Absolutely.
[Antoni] Now they've given
me the best job in the world.
I just saw my reflection.
I'm crushing it.
To explore places to stay.
Restaurants, sights,
and experiences.
That's a fang.
I'm in the head.
In Paris
Mexico City
London and my hometown.
You're a
New York treasure.
I'm on a quest
to find the best.
Because for me, the
best is more than just hype.
This is like a beautiful
representation of cultures.
It's food, but it's also
a history of the people.
It's the sights,
the sounds.
-It's showtime.
[Antoni] The flavors.
-You can only taste
this in Mexico.
[Antoni] And it's almost
always the people.
-It's made with
a lot of love.
-Why the
Statue of Liberty?
-She's so New York.
I came to this
country for freedom.
-Unreal.
Best I've ever
had in my life.
-I'm Antoni Porowski,
and this is Best of the World.
[upbeat music playing]
[Antoni] New York.
It's the city
that never sleeps,
always surprises,
and where it helps to be
just a little bit extra.
800 languages
are spoken here.
It's a metropolis that's
been shaped by generations
of immigrants who, like me,
were drawn to the place where
it feels like
anything can happen.
New York might have the
best of the world on many,
if not all, fronts.
The diversity is what
kind of makes it so unique,
that's what
makes it exciting.
The city's divided
into five boroughs with
distinct personalities,
from Staten Island's
suburban vibe,
up to The Bronx,
where hip hop was invented.
Every borough is
full of people chasing
their dream in NYC,
and I've
handpicked six places
where they're crushing it.
First, I'm going South,
to the Battery.
Because where better to
start this adventure than
the birthplace of
New York City,
just 800 yards south
of Manhattan, by ferry.
[boat horn]
I might be generalizing,
but I feel like,
for the most part,
New Yorkers
have definitely heard
of Governors Island,
but that's kind of
where the knowledge ends.
And looking
how close it is, like,
it's basically swimmable.
Would I want to swim
in the East River,
probably not.
Is it weird that this is
a recommendation from my dog?
Neon's dog walker
brings her here,
and they both love it.
I've never joined them,
but I'm told it's completely
unique and
full of surprises.
I'm landing at the place
the very first Dutch settlers
set up camp in 1624,
the start of New York's
immigrant history.
Hello.
-Hey Antoni.
-How's it going?
Tristan is one of the
island's caretakers.
He knows this
place inside out.
[Tristan] Let's get
this thing started.
We're in the historic
district right now.
-Okay.
-It's amazing the layers
and layers of history
that are here.
-Yeah.
History lovers, buckle up,
this island's been around.
It originally belonged
to the Lenape people as
a fishing and foraging
ground until the Dutch
arrived in 1624 and
began their colonization
of the region.
-A lot of these
buildings we're looking
at right now date
back to the 1800s.
[Antoni] During the
American Revolution,
the British made it their
military headquarters
and named it
Governors Island.
Whoa, what's that
one with the columns?
[Tristan] So that's
the Admiral's house.
[Antoni] Right.
[Tristan] Um, that's where
the top brass used to live.
[Antoni] Then the
US Army took control,
and it was a military
post for nearly 200 years,
home to many a great,
moustache.
In 2003, the
Federal government
sold it to New York State
for public use for just $1.
That's gotta be the best
New York real estate deal ever.
I did not expect
any of this.
-Yeah.
-At all.
-It doesn't really feel
like New York at all.
-It could not feel
less like New York.
[Tristan] That, that's
sort of the reason I fell in
love with this place.
I come from like
rural Virginia.
When I first moved
to the city,
there's a lot of
people everywhere.
-This felt, it was like
a safe space for you.
[Tristan] This was like home.
[Antoni] Tristan is one
of very few who have the
privilege of
staying here overnight.
But there is a way
you can join them.
On the west side of the
island is Collective Retreats.
[Tristan] So here we are.
[Antoni] Full on like
commune vibes.
[laughing]
Ah, fire pits.
That's right, glamping
in New York City.
[boat horn]
You're a legend,
thank you so much.
I did not realize that
something like this could
exist even within
the State of New York,
if I'm perfectly honest,
but glamping,
overlooking the city,
is not something that I had
on the docket for things
I would ever imagined
the possibility
of existing.
It's kinda mind-blowing.
And okay, while on
the outside these tents
may be giving
Boy Scout vibes.
-Come on in.
-Oh wow!
Inside, manager Evan has
made them pretty swanky.
Think high
thread count linen,
designer toiletries,
and air conditioning.
I get it though,
wrap around canvas
isn't for everyone.
But this is New York,
there's always gonna be
an option to upgrade.
[Evan] This is the
summit suite
-Okay.
-which is our,
our top suite.
[Antoni] Oh my gosh.
You timed the entrance
perfectly for the sun setting
and getting like
that beautiful gradient
in the sky,
this is crazy.
-Your king-size bed,
overlooking
the Statue of Liberty
in the sunset.
[Antoni] Oh, thanks.
[Evan] Settle in, relax,
enjoy yourself.
[Antoni] Is this beautiful?
I think this'll do.
The only times that I've
experienced such a shift
in perspective is usually
in nature when you're
looking at like
a mountain range.
There's something
about the serenity and
the chaos of all of it.
Ships passing
and helicopters,
and we're out in nature on
this beautiful island
that's like
steeped in all of this,
like weird history, and then
you have this colossus that is
Manhattan just peeking
through to your right.
It's just like beautiful,
messy symphony.
I'm actually awestruck.
Now, I want to meet
my fellow glampers and
see what they
make of this place.
-Hi.
-Can I crash this s'mores party?
-Please.
-Of course.
-I'm Ant, this
is my dog, Neon.
-Hi, Neon.
-Neon, sit.
-Hi.
-Oh, so toasty.
[Anna] Neon's gonna
want your marshmallow.
-Sit, girl.
[Tiffanie] How do
you eat these things?
[Anna] Not like that.
[laughing]
-I think
you're crushing it.
Have you all
been here before?
[Anna] Yeah.
[Callie] Yes.
[Antoni] Are all
of you New Yorkers?
[campers] Yes, yes.
[Callie] Yeah.
I've been coming
here since 2010.
-Oh wow, okay.
[Callie] Yeah.
-And what brings you back?
[Anna] It's just magical.
It's the greatest.
You're like in the
middle of nature.
I like the idea
of being sort of outside,
and then I look up,
and I'm like, oh,
hey New York,
you're still here.
-Well, this strikes
that balance right,
you feel like you're
out in the elements,
but you still
have the amenities.
[Callie] I don't know
how to build a fire.
Someone else
did this for us.
Thank you so much.
-Someone else did, yeah.
Oh, it's spoken like
true New Yorkers.
Wow.
And wait, this island
isn't out of surprises yet.
Just a 10-minute
walk from the retreat,
in the most shocking
transformation since
Crocs got cool,
the old military barracks
have been turned into a spa.
15,000 square
feet of themed sensory
exploration rooms.
This is an
upside-down room,
like a
Salvador Dali fever dream.
This is
delightfully weird.
You've got your classics:
saunas, ice rooms,
steam baths.
I love an infrared.
While other rooms
are, inventive!
So I'm on a water bed,
and there is a video montage
of cereal being
sucked out of a bowl;
everything is
like reverse videos.
This is
absolutely bonkers.
But it's nice to
see waterbeds are
making a comeback.
Whatever
your relaxation jam,
I'm pretty sure
you'll find it here.
For me, this
is the winner.
Outdoor heated pools and
the Manhattan skyline by night.
I mean, come on!
This might be the single
most unique place I have
ever been to
in my entire life,
and if you know me,
that says a lot.
From fortification
to relaxation.
Safe to say this island's
been on quite a journey,
and mine's only
just started.
Tomorrow, I've got an
appointment across the water,
with a chef causing
a stir in Brooklyn.
[Antoni] With over
20,000 restaurants,
72 of them Michelin-starred,
it's kind of
impossible to pick
the best dining
experience in New York.
But as someone who caught
serious heat for mixing
Greek yogurt into guac,
I appreciate unusual
food fusion.
So I'm going across
the Manhattan Bridge,
to the Fort Greene
neighborhood of Brooklyn,
to a restaurant doing
Japanese fine dining
with a Polish twist.
So these are my
old stomping grounds.
Clinton Hill, Fort Greene,
is where I first moved to
when I came to New York
to pursue the dream of
becoming an actor.
The hustle.
I mean, Manhattan
with the skyscrapers,
it can feel
intimidating.
Brooklyn has that
neighborhood vibe where
everything just feels,
it's just 5% cozier.
This area isn't known
for Polish cuisine,
and although it's
the food I grew up with,
I've only known it as
hearty and home-cooked,
not high-end.
So I'm really intrigued
about this place.
[rings doorbell]
-Welcome to Ikigai.
-Hey.
-I'm Dan.
-I'm, I'm Antoni,
nice to meet you,
thanks for having me.
Whoa, not that
I knew what to expect,
but this is not
what I expected.
So different than outside.
This is a jewel box.
It's so calm.
[Dan] Eh, this
is chef Rafal.
-Rafal, hi.
-I'm Antoni,
nice to meet you.
Okay, this
place is stunning.
Chef Rafal and Owner
Dan opened Ikigai in 2024.
They've created their
personal take on the
Japanese 'kaiseki' concept.
An exquisitely presented,
hyper-seasonal tasting menu
combining Rafal's
Polish heritage with his
expert training under
legendary Chef Masa Takayama.
In beautiful symmetry,
they serve 12 courses,
to 12 guests,
12 times a week.
And prep for tonight's
service is in full flow.
I think I know what this is,
it's like a version
of Polish dumplings?
-It's a knedle.
-Knedle.
-You ready to get on it?
-Okay, let's do it.
I've had them
hundreds of times;
I've never made
them before.
-So let's start
with potatoes.
-Okay, so I have a lot of,
uh, cognitive dissonance
that's happening right now
because we are clearly in
a Japanese restaurant,
but we're making something
that my ancestors
have been making forever.
Tell me about the concept.
-This is something
I know from home,
from my grandparents,
and I was like, oh my God,
this is like mochi.
So, what if I take some of
the ingredients from mochi
and some ingredients
from knedle?
-You're so right.
Knedle are
potato dumplings,
stuffed and boiled,
and mochi are
Japanese rice cakes.
Both can be made
savory or sweet.
[Rafal] So we're using
this sweet mochiko flour,
and uh, for the whole
thing to make sense in
New York, we are,
we're gonna fill it
with the cheesecake.
-Of course, naturally,
a cheesecake, like,
that's genius.
I shouldn't be surprised,
since arriving
here from Poland,
Rafal's worked at not one,
but two of New York's
top top restaurants, Masa,
and the iconic
11 Madison Park.
So just grab one of these?
-And so just one of these,
just in the very center.
-Perfect, okay, alright.
-And then you're gonna fold
it kind of like a dumpling
or a pierogi,
you know.
-What do you listen
to when you cook?
-Always the happy music.
I have a rule, never start
making knedle when you're
unhappy or
when you're upset.
They're not going
to taste right.
-Oh my gosh.
I mean, I only listen
to sad music when I cook,
so that's probably a
question for my therapist.
I think I know what's next,
we got to boil
these puppies, right?
-We gotta do it.
-Hello chefs.
[chefs] Hi.
[Rafal] Perfect, and
just slowly submerge.
-This is already more refined
than I saw it growing up.
This is no shade
to my mother,
but we literally just plop
'em into the water, exactly.
-All right.
Gloves on.
Alright, 15 more seconds,
and service is about to start,
so let's go.
[Antoni] Okay, let's go.
Aside from the food,
Ikigai's been on my radar
because I've heard the
service is next level.
[Dan] So we bring them
from the busy street,
and we send them back there,
keep them in a quiet space
before we bring them inside.
-A really chic sensory
deprivation tank basically.
-Exact, exactly.
The guests will be
out there for 17 minutes
before they come here.
Everything needs
to go back to back.
[Antoni] 17 minutes.
[Dan] No more, no less.
So every step is
absolutely critical.
-Calculated, like
the subways in Japan.
[Dan] Yeah, exactly.
[Antoni] While they chill
out in the tea garden,
the diners are served
their first course.
Warm Japanese
milk bread with lotus,
chrysanthemum leaves,
and buraczki,
that's Polish beets.
[Rafal] You
would never start the,
the Japanese meal
with the bread,
however in Poland,
it's a must.
[Antoni] Of course.
It's so damn good.
No offense to
our ancestors,
those are the best
buraczki I've ever had.
When the guests move
to the dining room,
they're surrounded
by 8,000 pieces of wood,
designed for perfect acoustics,
so you can have
a private conversation
with your date,
while Rafal never
has to raise his voice.
-So our next course is
a warm chawanmushi with
some honey nut squash,
parmesan, and truffle.
Try to scoop all the way
to the bottom of the teacup.
This is how all the
flavors will come together.
[Antoni] And he might
be a calming presence,
but Rafal is
clearly a perfectionist.
Each course is
flawlessly presented,
so helping to finish the
next one is, intimidating.
[Antoni] And
it's so quiet.
[Rafal] For your portion,
you can put more sauce.
[Antoni] Yeah, I'm
putting more for mine.
[laughing]
This dish, at its heart,
couldn't be more Polish:
cabbage and potato.
But my grandma
never made it like this.
-Does it taste like home?
-I wish home tasted
like this, frankly.
And the crazy thing is,
my father would be shocked
because I was never
a fan of the cabbage.
But this is the best
cabbage I've ever had.
-We need to send it
to your dad then.
-I know.
No, he's gotta come here.
Finally, dessert,
the knedle.
Dumplings filled with
New York cheesecake,
and served with black sesame
seed sauce and sour cream.
-Alright, moment of truth.
-Oh my God, bursting.
God.
Ooh, the dough is so thin.
This is a world
away from the knedle with
meat and gravy that
I grew up eating.
I'm not a dessert guy.
This is the number one.
My friends always make fun
of me for being too nostalgic,
and my argument is, is
like if you're not nostalgic,
you don't get to create
things like this, you know.
-Exactly, I agree.
-Oi, ay yay,
yay, dios mio.
I could cry.
It's so beautiful.
The word 'Ikigai' means
'a passion that
gives life meaning'.
So Dan and Rafal's
mission doesn't stop with
the dining experience.
All profits and unused
food go to an organization
that fights
hunger in the city.
The more I learned
and the more I know like,
the more I got
to really like appreciate
and respect what you both do,
and it's really beautiful,
and it's important.
-I appreciate it,
thank you.
[Antoni] Yeah,
thank you, chef.
[Rafal] Thank you.
-Wild.
[Rafal] Thank you.
-Ahh, I love it when
food is emotional.
And I love that Rafal came
to New York to learn from
the best and is now
taking all that knowledge
to reinvent Polish
cuisine for New Yorkers.
You could really say he
took a bite out of the
Big Apple.
I'll see myself out.
[Antoni] I can't explore
the Best of New York
without looking at art.
New York has the most
galleries and museums
than anywhere
else in the States.
But I think the art that
really defines this city
This one's surreal,
almost.
can be found on the streets,
available to everyone.
New York is full of
living legends who inspired
street artists
across the world.
And today, I
get to meet one.
I've come to Queens,
New York's global village,
where more languages
are spoken than anywhere
else on earth,
if you can hear
them over those famous
elevated train tracks.
Oh, I haven't
been here in a while.
It's also a canvas,
for one of
street art's pioneers.
Good morning.
This is Lady Pink.
Born in Ecuador,
raised in New York City.
[Lady Pink] This
is a brick foot,
and it is
actually my foot.
It is, it is.
[Antoni] You have
beautiful toenails.
-Thank you.
I actually drew on
myself with a Sharpie.
-No.
-I drew the little bricks,
and then I took a photo.
[Antoni] From teenage
graffiti artist who
started in the 70s,
her work's been shown in
galleries and museums
all over the world,
and it's all over the
outside of this one, MoMA PS1.
It was one of your
first shows here at PS1.
-Yes.
-When you were how old?
-I was 17 years old.
-I was exhibiting with
great artists like Basquiat,
Keith Haring, Futura,
Dondi, Lee,
all of these guys, you know.
We have inspired the
world's biggest art movement,
and this is
what represents it.
[Antoni] When Lady Pink was
growing up here in the 70s,
New York was, for many people,
a tough place to live.
Graffiti was,
an admittedly kinda
illegal way for people
to express themselves,
and bring
color to the city,
and subway cars
became mobile galleries,
spreading the
art across the boroughs,
creating a global
phenomenon that defined
urban culture in the 80s,
and ever since.
[Lady Pink] The way you dress,
the way you talk,
the way you act,
the way you write,
that's all, that's all
graffiti in New York.
[Antoni] Today, there
are curated street art
hotspots across the city.
They change constantly,
so I swear I'm not being
lazy when I say,
'just Google it'.
But Lady Pink's art can
always be found in Astoria,
the area of Queens
where she grew up.
She has permission walls
that the owners let her paint
to brighten up
the neighborhood.
-I cannot be not creating,
so there you go.
-Wow.
[Lady Pink] This is
my latest creation.
What do you think?
You are gonna get
to help me finish it.
I will give you
that opportunity.
[Antoni] I've never picked
up a spray can before,
and now a legend is letting
me loose on her latest artwork.
I can't believe
we're doing this.
This is so awesome.
[Lady Pink] This
is funny, right?
You know I will show you
how to use the stencils
and how to use
the spray paint.
But these are
your choices.
You know art is
all about choices.
[Antoni] Yeah.
Ooh, mushrooms,
I appreciate that.
-Those guys are nice.
I'm gonna finish
doing the face
[Antoni] Okay.
[Lady Pink] and the crown,
and you get to do stencils
along all of
the background areas.
-But what if I
make a bad choice?
-It's only paint,
we can just paint over it.
-Oh, okay.
[laughs]
-You know we're
not carving into stone.
-Okay, okay.
-Look, here's a mushroom.
[Antoni] This looks like
a little chanterelle,
and that's one of
my favorite mushrooms,
so I'm gonna use that.
[Lady Pink] You're doing it.
You're doing it.
Yeah, yeah, all right.
[Antoni] Why the
Statue of Liberty and
not another symbol?
[Lady Pink] The Statue
of Liberty is so New York,
you know, and
I'm an immigrant,
she speaks to me.
I came to this country
for freedom and liberty.
[Antoni] How was it
like for your mom?
She's like in
a new country.
-Yes.
[Antoni] And then you're
out there doing your thing.
Was she supportive?
Terrified?
All of the above?
[Lady Pink] All of the above.
Terrified, of course,
because her daughter was
sneaking off to
the absolute worst
neighborhoods of
New York City,
because that's where they
were parking the trains.
She didn't know what
I was out doing,
sneaking out with, like, a
bunch of handsome young
men in the middle
of the night.
She was hoping that I
was only painting,
you know what I mean?
[Antoni] Yeah.
[laughs]
What do you want
your legacy to be?
[Lady Pink] Um, that I
was a trailblazer,
and when I set
an example like this,
it opens doors for all
[Antoni] Yeah.
-to come out
and paint as well.
It isn't just for the
elite who can frequent
galleries and museums;
it's for everyone
walking by, driving by.
People from all over the
world come to paint here.
Everyone wants to leave
their mark behind on New York.
That's what
makes it unique.
[Antoni] It's rare
in life where you get to
meet someone who not
only has a really important
imprint on
New York history.
The eyes are so good.
[Lady Pink]
It's happening.
[Antoni] But continues
to be this dynamic,
ever important presence.
How'd I do?
[Lady Pink] You
didn't do too bad.
But do you want to try to write
your name there underneath.
Come on, Antoni.
Steady now, steady.
That's how
graffiti happens.
-That's it.
-Yes!
[Antoni] I think it's a
reminder that all of the
people who make this city
and who built it have all
left their personal touch,
and now I have this newfound
respect for street art,
which I think is kind of like
an ultimate
symbol of that.
What a special day.
Meow.
[Lady Pink] Meow.
Yeah, thank you so much.
-I adore you.
You're amazing.
That's what's
great about New York:
it's shaped by people
who come here to fulfil
a creative vision,
and that's in no
way limited to art.
Here, cocktail
mixologists get the same
hype as graffiti legends.
The city that never sleeps
has no shortage of bars,
but back in Manhattan,
just skirting Chinatown,
there's one I
really need to check out.
It's been named Best Bar
in North America,
and you don't win that
title by playing it safe.
-Hey, how are you?
-How's it going?
-Please.
-Thank you so much.
-What would
you like to try?
-Okay, I can pretty much
have anything as long
as it's non-alcoholic.
-Okay.
-I'm in your hands.
Take me on a journey.
Double Chicken Please is
the brainchild of friends
GN and Faye.
After moving to
the States from Taiwan,
they set out on the road,
experimenting and selling
cocktails from a camper van.
They earned a reputation
for their reimagining of
iconic dishes
in liquid form.
Think Japanese Cold Noodle,
Red Eye Gravy,
and Key Lime Pie,
in a glass.
In 2020, they made the
huge leap to opening
a bar in Manhattan,
and now they have
lines out the door.
If there's one drink on
the menu, one that's like,
personal to you.
-I will say
Japanese cold noodle.
-Yeah.
-So we tried to mimic the
aroma and the flavor from
Japanese cold noodle,
which is like a very
traditional dish.
Really popular in Asia.
The drink itself is
almost like Piña Colada,
which is very classic
cocktail in the Western world,
and then we add in
cucumber and sesame oil,
which is a traditional
cucumber salad back home.
-Right.
-So it's almost like they
represent two different culture,
collide together.
-Oh my God.
There's no noodle
water in here?
[GN] No, no.
[Faye] No, no, no, no.
[Antoni] Wait, okay.
I feel like I'm having, like,
a cold char soba or something.
That's crazy.
-Gotch you.
-Good job.
It just, it messes
with your brain.
Like growing up, is
this something that
you wanted to do?
-For me personally,
I don't drink,
I don't drink alcohol,
it's like you.
So it's out of nowhere.
I used to be a,
a street magician.
So I was broke, and
I learned how to bartend,
and I fell in love with
it because this is the stage.
[Antoni] Right.
-You are performing,
but also you are
designing your drink,
and that's the place
I met Faye, actually.
-So you moved to one of
arguably the hardest cities
to start a business.
-Yeah, he tricked me.
[Antoni] He tricked you?
-Yeah, he didn't tell me
all the truth about New York.
I just, I was
young and naive.
I'm like, oh okay.
-But I mean,
it worked out.
These drinks aren't just
created behind the bar;
the real alchemy
happens in the kitchen,
with food
ingredients prepared,
before they're poured.
And GN and Faye are
gonna show me how they make
their signature
Custard Bun cocktail,
inspired by the
Chinese dim sum classic.
-So first of all,
the Koji Jam.
[Antoni] Yeah.
For the koji jam, rice
is fermented overnight,
then blended to bring
out the sweetness.
[GN] And then the
salty egg yolk sauce.
[Antoni] Perfect,
yeah, one of those.
The duck egg yolks are
simmered and flavored with
shrimp paste
for an umami kick.
-So a little
bit of whole milk.
[Antoni] Okay, yeah.
[GN] To the top.
[Antoni] To the top.
[GN] Yeah, you need
to cover it like this,
and then you
shake like this way.
Yes, awesome.
[Antoni] But these
creations aren't just
about the taste.
In fact, the experience
begins with the perfect scent.
-You know, in an old school
dim sum house in Chinatown.
-Yeah.
-When you
open the door,
you smell
chrysanthemum tea they serve.
[Antoni] Yeah, oh wait.
Yeah, no way.
I didn't know that.
-So that's the
aroma will hit your face.
So we tried to recreate
that in your drink.
So first of all,
you spray a little bit
chrysanthemum tea on the top.
Aroma is a big part
of flavor too
[Antoni] Yeah, yeah.
-so you will smell
it but will also taste it.
-And just a little
spritz over?
-Yeah, the last
touch is the, the aroma gun.
-Yeah.
-Create the, the smoke
and the bubble on top
to resemble a bun.
[Antoni] Okay.
[GN] It's a custard bun,
should be like a bowl.
[Antoni] Alright.
-And the way we recommend
people to drink is you get
closer to your nose,
your nose will poke it,
and you'll smell it,
and you drink it.
[Antoni] This is stunning
and very jiggly.
There's so much happening.
The palate really hits
you, that's beautiful.
These cocktails are so
much more than a drink.
-Once you press,
you need to come up,
your, your hand needs
to come up a little bit,
yep, exactly.
[Antoni] GN and Faye
create a multisensory
experience that feels both
familiar and completely new.
That one's better,
come on, give me credit.
-Too small, too small.
-Too small? What?
GN, come on, man,
progress not perfection,
hasn't anyone ever
told you that?
You're like,
no, perfection.
That's why Best Bar
in North America.
[GN] Yes.
-Opening up
any type of business in
New York is
a feat in itself.
-Not bad.
[Antoni] They've been
able to not only survive
but thrive and grow.
As immigrants from Taiwan,
it's the perfect example
of the manifestation of
the American dream that
people always talk about.
Enjoy your custard bun.
You can pop it
with your nose.
[customer] Okay.
[Antoni] You're welcome.
[customer] Thank you.
-And you get to see it
here in action in a way
that's incredibly modern
but also steeped in their
own personal histories.
Like how unique?
Isn't it stupid?
[customer] No, this is
actually incredible.
[Antoni] At
Double Chicken Please,
GN and Faye have taken
mixology and mixed it up.
They've even coined the
phrase 'Mind Cluck',
for what it does
to your brain.
A drink that
tastes like a meal,
but is somehow still a
cluckin' delicious cocktail.
It's wild.
And just so, New York.
[Antoni] I've been meeting
people who are standing out
in a city
of standouts.
But the real test is,
how do you cut through
the noise when you're
making the most popular
street food in New York?
And, don't come for me,
but that's obviously,
pizza.
Thin crust and
sold by the slice.
One of the main
differentiators between
a New York slice and
I think anywhere else
is it's huge.
Typically, the size
of like a human's face.
It can be easily folded.
Italian immigrants
realized that for busy
workers in the city,
the slice was just more
practical than a whole pie,
and now you can find a pizza
place on any busy street.
But the one I'm
interested in,
is in the neighborhood
of Bed-Stuy,
a historic center of
black culture that's
been home to
legends like Jay-Z and
the Notorious B.I.G.
This is definitely one of the
snoozier streets of Brooklyn.
Which actually to me,
is really exciting because
for a place like this
to not only survive,
but to thrive, it
must be doing damn well,
and the locals
must be coming,
which is always
a good sign.
-Let me get a fried salmon
for the window, please?
Can you ring them up?
-Have you got my order?
-Yeah, yeah, we got it.
-This is sweet chili salmon,
jerk barbecue salmon,
fried salmon,
black truffle alfredo.
Unless you want
to do the curry oxtail,
that's my favorite.
-Curried oxtail, what?
-Oh, hi.
-Hi.
-Welcome, welcome,
come on in.
-Hey, how's it going? Antoni.
-What's going on?
-You've never been
here before, right?
-No.
-We have so much to show you.
-I wanna try
every single one.
Cuts & Slices has made
its name for breaking all
the pizza topping rules,
with creations like
shrimp black
truffle alfredo,
and Caribbean-inspired
flavors like jerk chicken
and their
viral sensation, oxtail.
[influencer] Y'all know
how long I been waiting
to try this pizza?
It's been a long
time coming.
[Desus Nice] The best
pizza I've had recently
comes from Cuts & Slices.
-Is that right?
Wow.
-Have you ever had oxtail?
-Not on a pizza, though.
[Antoni] Launched in 2018
by husband-and-wife duo
Randy and Ashlee.
People in the know
have traveled hours
to try their slices.
[Randy] I love
the jerk chicken,
I love uh jerk chicken
black truffle alfredo.
-I've never heard of
that combination before.
-Because we knew that
we had to do something
that was unique.
-Yeah, yeah.
-You know something,
something that really
separates us from all other
pizzerias in New York City.
Especially being a
black-owned pizzeria.
-Ah, 100%.
-We're not known for
pizza, obviously, right.
[Ashlee] We would love to
have you come on back and
-Please, let's go.
[Randy] Yeah, you wanna
come on back?
[Antoni] Yeah,
get right into it.
Neither Randy nor Ashlee
have any chef training.
Randy learned pizza
making from YouTube,
and Ashlee spent 15 years
as a flight attendant.
Many of the toppings
are inspired by Randy's
Caribbean roots and
Ashlee's Southern heritage.
They started Cuts & Slices
in this one small room.
So what's the
origin story?
How and why did you
decide to start a thing,
like pizza
places in New York?
They're on every
single block.
-I feel like when
we did start this in 2018,
a big thing
was dollar slices.
Dollar slice
spots everywhere,
nobody making
quality pizza anymore.
[Ashlee] In this community,
they didn't have
something of quality.
-Especially introducing our
community to new ingredients.
So when we first
introduced black truffle,
everyone was
coming in here like,
what is a black truffle?
[Antoni] The new
flavors caught on, though,
and eight years later,
they have two more spots in
Manhattan and Queens.
And that's in large part,
down to their top-secret
Caribbean oxtail
recipe that they make in
four different styles.
Tell me about
how that's made.
-That is the question.
'Cause everyone
obviously loves oxtail now,
so everybody, but
everybody makes it different.
-Right.
-You know, so we
make it different.
-That's your
way of telling me,
you're just not
gonna tell me.
-I mean,
you know, it's, it's,
it's made
with a lot of love.
-Okay, okay.
-It is made
with a lot of love,
and it is hand deboned.
-Listen, all right,
it's hand deboned,
you gave him that much?
Wow.
It is hand deboned daily.
It is cooked for
about eight hours.
-Yeah.
That's oxtail.
-Until it's falling
off the bone.
-I love that, like the
things that I feel like
you're getting most
of the attention for,
are all directly
tied to your history,
to where you come from.
-Yes.
-Yeah, yeah,
most definitely.
[Antoni] And that's why
they're so protective over
their recipes.
But a slice isn't cheap,
and I need to know,
is the oxtail
really worth it?
[Randy] So we got
sweet chili oxtail,
brown stew oxtail,
curry oxtail,
and teriyaki oxtail.
-It's so crispy,
I don't even have to fold it.
Oh my God.
Please excuse me
while I stuff my face.
Mm, this is so incredible.
Very different.
-Oh, he went two bites
on that one, I told you.
-The crust is like
a solid 10 out of 10.
The oxtail is so freaking
brilliant because you can
really get the right
amount in every single bite.
These things
are important.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Right.
[Antoni] It's hard to get
impressed by pizza in New York,
and I'm like, I'm
shockingly impressed.
The food is
objectively delicious,
but I think what
gives a place a real soul
and longevity
it's always the story
and the people
that are behind it.
Randy and Ashlee learned
all the rules of making a
great pizza base,
then used it as a foundation
to build something
that reflects them
and their community.
I mean, it's incredible.
And I don't think
there's anything
more New York than that,
except maybe my
final Best of the World
experience in the city.
[Antoni] Today's one of
those very magical days in
New York where the streets
are snoozier than usual.
And that's because
everyone is at an annual
event that I'm told brings
the whole city together
like nothing else.
[cheering]
The 54th
New York City Marathon.
It's record-breaking.
The biggest
marathon in history.
That's the most
runners ever,
with 132 countries
represented.
And by far, the
highest number of spectators.
Every neighborhood,
community, race, religion,
and color, coming out
to support and celebrate.
With a route that goes
through all five boroughs,
starting in Staten Island,
through Brooklyn,
into Queens halfway through,
up to the Bronx,
and then back into
Manhattan for a final push
to the finish in Central Park.
So embarrassingly,
I've never actually
attended the marathon.
I've never been there
to cheer anybody on,
but this year's a little
different because my partner
Zach happens to
be running it.
He was up at 3 o'clock
in the morning today.
You gonna do this?
-Yeah, we're gonna do it.
[Antoni] Yeah.
I'm so excited to see Zach
at the finish, but first,
as a Marathon noob,
I have questions.
Why do people run?
Why do people
watch people run?
Why does the whole city
come to a standstill for
an event that, to my eyes,
is all about pain and suffering?
I need answers.
It's definitely a very
rare situation where you
can walk smack in
the middle of Broadway.
The level of support
for runners is epic,
26 miles lined
by friends, family,
and organized cheer squads.
And I'm joining one
of the most enthusiastic,
in East Harlem.
This is the closest
I've ever gotten to the
marathon in all
of my years in New York.
Better late than never,
though, it's fine.
All right,
let's do this.
Hi.
-I'm Stacey.
-I'm Ant, so
nice to meet you.
-Hi Ant, nice
to meet you Ant,
and welcome to
our cheer station.
-This is incredible.
Stacey's a
member of TeamWRK,
a local run club with
45 runners in today's race.
-This is my absolute
favorite day of the year.
I've been coming out
here since probably 2011
to cheer for the marathon.
I've run it three times.
[Antoni] Nice.
-Um, so I, I feel
their pain and
I just love to
come out here.
We cheer all day;
we've been out
here since 9:30.
Okay, one of our
members are coming.
-Okay, okay, okay.
-One of our members,
let's go, let's go, let's go!
Yeah!
-Wooo.
Oh, there it is.
Yeah.
-Let's goooo,
let's go, baby.
-Let's go, let's go,
let's gooooo.
TeamWRKS goal is to create
an inclusive environment
to support and represent
black and brown runners
in their training.
[cheerer] Let's go,
let's go, let's go.
[Stacey] Something
that's really cool.
-Yeah.
-Is that if people put
their name on their shirt,
you can yell their
name on the shirt.
Like, go, Laura.
-Go, Laura, go Laura!
[Stacey] See,
there's a smile.
Go Jesse!
[Antoni] Go, Jesse!
-Yeah.
-I have like
permanent chills.
-Let's go, team.
[Antoni] You got this!
It's a revelation to me
that you don't have to run
the marathon to feel
like you're a part of it.
Or to feel so
connected to the city.
Salted oranges?
Yes.
That is a weird sense
of pride and joy that I
have for literally
doing nothing.
It was a local
run club that started
the New York Marathon in 1970.
There were
just 127 runners,
doing laps
around Central Park,
supported by 100 people.
Now, it's in its
Taylor Swift era.
Massive.
It's incredible.
It's like you get to be
a literal cheerleader.
Which I never fully
understood until now.
And it's like the
best thing ever.
Cookies and gummies,
cookies and gummies,
I got cookies and gummies.
-Not the fun kind,
regular gummies.
You're amazing.
-Oh, thank you so much.
-I have so much respect
for this part alone.
It's beautiful, and
it's so nice to be out
here on the street
and experiencing it.
But I also want to, like,
there's more, right?
My guy, Zach, is
gonna be finishing soon,
so I got to get there.
Now.
You got this!
You got this,
you got this.
You're almost there.
[Antoni] I've been given
special access to the
New York City Marathon
finish line in Central Park.
This is pretty cool.
Making this world-class event
happen takes a mind-blowing
level of dedication
from volunteers.
Over 12,000 people give up
their time to be a part of it,
and a lot of them are here,
helping runners at the
finish and
handing out medals.
Pure chaos.
But of all the volunteers,
there's one who's become a
fully-fledged
New York icon.
I think I see her.
-Hi, how are you,
congratulations.
-Hi, thank you.
-Both sides, folks,
both sides.
[Antoni] This is Janelle.
I'm supposed to
interrupt her,
but I don't wanna
interrupt because
what she's doing is
actually really important.
[Janelle] And you'll
get your spot,
they'll find you.
Keep going.
No, keep going.
-Janelle?
-Hello.
-Hi.
-How are you?
Welcome.
[Antoni] After 12
years at the finish line,
regular runners
seek Janelle out;
they want her to
present their medal.
-I started
volunteering in 2013.
-Okay.
-And, in 2018,
I finally said,
I want to know what
it is that gets people
across the lines.
-Yeah.
-So I did the
marathon myself.
I was the final finisher.
-You were the
final finisher.
-I closed down
the whole thing.
[Antoni] That's amazing.
When Janelle reached the
finish line at 10 p.m.,
a whole crowd of
volunteers were waiting
to cheer her on,
and every year she
pays it forward,
giving out medals until the
last runner crosses the line.
And you're like such
an important part of it.
Like, that's
pretty amazing.
[Janelle] Oh well, it's
almost overwhelming because
I know how important
each of these medals are.
[Antoni] And it's like a
sense of responsibility,
you know?
-It is.
This experience is so
life-changing that they
connect your face with
that life-changing moment.
[Antoni] Of course.
Okay, so if I mess this up,
I ruin their whole
marathon experience.
No pressure.
Okay.
Do I put it in your
hand or around your neck?
-No, around my neck.
-Let's go.
-Thank you so much.
-May I put this on?
-Yes, please do.
-You crushed it.
Can I give you a hug?
-I couldn't care less.
I'm honored.
Congratulations.
First marathon?
-25th.
-25th?
Some of these volunteers
were up at 5 a.m.,
and won't quit till
everyone's over the finish.
They'll hand out
nearly 60,000 medals,
around 75,000
gallons of water,
and a whole load of Band-Aids.
Congratulations.
Love the hair.
Just a massive
amount of respect for,
for these volunteers.
Janelle is a damn legend.
It's just,
it's so beautiful.
You're amazing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're a treasure.
You're a New York treasure.
I know I shouldn't say
this in current company,
but I'm kind of exhausted.
I just have one
more medal to give.
Oh my God, there he is.
Ah, yeah!
Baby! Oh my God.
I got something for you.
Where is it?
-Is that it?
-That's it.
-Oh, thank you.
-Can I put it on you?
Aw.
-Aw, like a baby giraffe.
-You did it.
-Yeah.
-Standing at the literal
finish line and just like
watching him
come towards me,
I don't think I've ever been,
like, more proud of like,
a, a, a single
person in my life.
I really hope all
of his nails make it intact
because I don't deal
with blood very well.
But I'll make
sure that he's fed.
Yeah.
Until now, the
New York Marathon was
something I'd literally
ignored was happening in my
backyard for 14 years.
Congrats, baby.
[Zach] Thank you, babe.
[Antoni] You did it.
I'm in awe.
I'm just in awe.
But after everything
I've experienced today,
I've got news, guys.
I'm gonna run
this thing next year.
I kind of have to.
It's one of those things
that, like, I got a taste,
literally, from the
sweat off of a bunch of
strangers that
I was hugging.
It's like, once
you experience that,
I'm sort of like, ah, I need
to know what that's about.
You come to
something like this,
that is so
incredibly unifying,
like it's an
incredibly beautiful thing.
It makes me so proud
to be a New Yorker.
I might not be a native,
but I'm a local,
and I'm damn
proud of that.
[boat horn]
At the end of all of this,
exploring whether it's
parts of New York that
I've never been to,
or experiencing a
perspective of the city
through a different lens,
you realize that it's just a
whole bunch of people who
had a vision or a dream or
something that they were
pursuing that brought them here.
I mean, almost everyone
I've met on this journey
and exploring in New York
is either an immigrant or
a child of immigrants.
It's that diversity that
makes New York so unique
and magical,
and it's why
I'll always call it home.