Entering Pace University as a first–year can be a harrowing experience: you’re left stranded in the middle of New York City, forced to live with a bunch of strangers, and—worst of all—you have no one to make you home-cooked meals. You have no pantry to raid at 2 a.m., nor any room in your dorm to even put a pantry. You wait five hours for your dining hall tacos, you can’t get a sandwich until 12 p.m., and if you happen to be craving sushi over the weekend, forget it! So, where does a starving, scrounging Pace student look to for delicious, timely, and—most importantly—cheap food? The Honors Advisory Board answered these questions and more at the FiDi Street Food Crawl event!

On Friday, September 13, Events Committee Leader Julie Vukaj (‘27) and I led a group of hungry Honors students through the streets of FiDi (otherwise known as Pace’s campus) on a tour of the cheapest eats around. We started outside 1 Pace Plaza where, if you’re lucky, you’ll sometimes find free food trucks sponsored by Pace events.    

To the tune of Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA,” we forged on past Variety Coffee to a well-kept secret: Pace Gourmet Deli. A deli-convenience-store-grill that takes Flex dollars, Pace Gourmet Deli is a great place to go to eat freshly made food after the dining hall closes at 10 p.m., to satisfy your caffeine addiction, or to pick up shampoo after impulsively dying your hair. It’s just around the corner from 15 Beekman, so it’s situated at a perfect distance for students living on Beekman Street to take a nice walk without changing out of their pajama pants. Their menu is vast and delicious, including salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, and Philly Cheesesteaks (from the comfort of New York City!). 

After everyone acquired their Häagen-Dazs mini ice creams, so heartily recommended by Events Team Member Caroline Lattanzio (‘27), we listened to Katy Perry’s “Roar” as we crossed the street to another gatekept beauty on Nassau Street: Vietspot. Unfortunately, our lovely dining hall at Pace is bereft of any Thai influence, but if you ever have a hankering for some Pad Thai or some of the most delicious (and cheapest) boba NYC can offer, Vietspot is just a five-minute walk away! Continuing down Nassau, we visited the internationally-famous Joe’s Pizza, the most popular stop on our crawl. Whether you’re Team Joe’s or Team 2 Bros., you can’t deny how delectable that Joe’s Sicilian slice is.

Eating on the go, we turned down Fulton Street and pointed out the Flex-accepting Red Mango and Chipotle, some Pace student classics. We took a right on William Street, admiring the beauty of the REMI Flower & Coffee shop across the street from Dim Sum Palace, a great pick for sushi, pork buns, congee, and—of course—dim sum! Julie then took the opportunity to shout-out her favorite place to get coffee, Blank Street, before we moved on to the more affordable Matto Espresso on John Street. Julie shocked the tour group when she revealed that, earlier that day, she was able to buy a tasty iced coffee with caramel and oat milk for only $3.81! 

We walked on to hear from some Carmen’s Kitchen cooks, who recommended anything off their menu of huge portions of Dominican soul food for great prices. Saving the best for last, we finally rounded the corner to find 2 Bros., a Pace staple and truly beloved restaurant to many students. As we were recommending their combo of two slices and a drink for only $4, we came across a real-live Pace student eating 2 Bros. pizza in the wild, Leah Eastwood (‘27). When interviewed on her experience of 2 Bros., she gave it a 10/10!  

To conclude our tour of FiDi, we took a walk to the Pier 17 Seaport, listening to Taylor Swift as we went, and shouting out Seaport Deli on the way. We hosted a photo-op in front of the picturesque view of the Brooklyn Bridge with Julie’s digital camera, then handed out some goodie bags of stress balls, Honors stickers, bouncy balls, and bubbles! If there’s anything that can bring a group of people together, it’s blowing bubbles and laughing as if we’re kids again. Enjoying the beautiful weather, eating delicious food, and getting connected with fellow Honors students was a great way to spend our Friday afternoon!

Thanks to HAB leaders Julie Vukaj, Amanda Francesca-Bordei, and Annie Driscoll for helping put the food crawl together, and to all who came along for the ride! Below is the beautiful brochure we handed out on the tour, and, if you missed it, I highly recommend you go out and try the crawl with some friends!