What Is John Turturro’s NYQ?

On a scale from a pocket park to The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, where does John Turturro fit? This is NYQ, a series in which we find out how “New York” notable New Yorkers really are. How many years have you lived in New York City? Over 50. How many times have you moved in NYC? Maybe seven times. Something like that. How would you get from Barney Greengrass to the Morgan Library without looking it up? You could take a train, but then you’ve got to have to go a little bit across town. I think I would at least walk to the East Side and then maybe take the 6 train. Your cab driver is taking a horrible route. Do you interrupt? A lot of times they only know the route from the GPS, whereas the old cab drivers did know a lot of alternative routes. You’re under the impression that the GPS is always going to be correct, and that’s not necessarily true. Have you ever actually been to Staten Island? I worked in Staten Island many times. My father built a lot of houses there. We used to always work in areas where the ground was full of red clay, and it would get his car filthy. My father used to call Staten Island “the Blob.” He said, “We’re going to the Blob.” Someone tries to hand you a flyer on the street. What do you do? I used to hand out flyers when I did Off–Off Broadway. That was a time that was the sexual revolution, and everybody was cruising and stuff like that. And we wanted to get audiences for our Off–Off Broadway show, so I’d have flyers. My friend encouraged me to wear really short shorts. I would hand out these flyers, and you’d always get an audience. You’re in town for a long holiday weekend and know the city will empty out. Where do you go? Oh, I love going to the park. I love going to the botanical gardens, Green-Wood Cemetery, go to Film Forum and stuff. I really like when everybody leaves. Do you call Manhattan “the city” or just “Manhattan”? When I grew up in Queens, that was like you’re going to go to the city. They never said you’re going to Manhattan. What’s the longest you’ve ever waited on a subway platform? I don’t know, maybe an hour, 45 minutes? What is something a tourist does that you secretly still do? I occasionally discover something brand new. So I went to the Beekman. I was like amazed at this place. I was like, “This is unbelievable. This is like another world inside.” What’s your best NYC celeb sighting? When Al Pacino was at his peak, I was his bartender at the Right Bank. I used to give him ice cream to take home, and it was really beautiful in those days. What’s a place that closed that you wish you could bring back? The Ridiculous Theatrical Company that Charles Ludlam ran, Sheridan Square. I loved that theater. He made me laugh so much. He was a brilliant cross-dresser, and he would play every character. I thought he was like a genius. Who is the sexiest New Yorker? I had a terrible crush on Barbra Streisand for years. I felt like I had a—almost a relationship with her. Last time you ate a hot dog from a hot-dog stand? A long time ago, but I did once on Staten Island, coming home, because I loved Sabrett hot dogs when I was young. My father and I, we were starving because we worked late, before we came home for dinner, I ate 11 hot dogs. My father was watching me eat it with sauerkraut and mustard. He was like, “You’re unbelievable. You want another one?” he kept saying. I said, “Yeah, I want one more.” And my mother said, “What did you eat?” An 11-hot-dog lunch, and I didn’t get sick! What Is Murray Hill’s NYQ? What Is SNL Cast Member Ben Marshall’s NYQ? What Is Anne Hathaway’s NYQ? See All What Is John Turturro’s NYQ? Your product is saved! You’ll receive emails when your saved products go on sale. Manage preferences.