My Towns 7 – Driving at 13!

So, we’re back in Napoli!  We’ve been here several times, and frankly, I can’t get enough.  The energy that I feel makes Manhattan feel like Smugtown (see link).  But, despite its chaos, it has a homey feeling for me also.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Napoli Traffic
2. Driving at 13!
3. Post Office – Titusville, PA
4. Jay’s Artisan Pizza – Kenmore (N. Buffalo), NY

Napoli Traffic

Let me start with a little video of what it’s like driving or crossing the street in Napoli!  It’s one more thing that’s endearing for me.  I’m most certain that most others would feel it’s chaos though)!

We’ve all heard the phase, “the sign/light is ‘just a suggestion.'” In most cases, that phase is a joke, but it’s reality in Napoli. 

In our nearly a month of time spent in Napoli, I’ve not driven; we walk and take subway or funicular.  But even walking, especially across the street, is not for the  faint of heart.  We’ve learned to wait until the Partenope (native Neapolitan) cross traffic, and we follow closely along.

Driving at 13!

Speaking of driving, back on my September 5, 2023 blog post (see here), I talked about my mother’s (Grandma Joanne) and her driving, and I was lucky not to die (dai).   

Well, that wasn’t the worst of what happened in my small town.  I did some dumb (stupid?!) things and am truly lucky that I didn’t get arrested, or worse…one such thing was starting to drive at 13!

I started moving my dad’s (Grandpa Tony) old, brown Mercury Comet down the driveway to clear room for our garage mounted basketball hoop when I was maybe 12.  This grew to driving with my father next to me in the neighborhood. 

Finally, at 13, you guessed it…just like when my mother sent me to the store at 4 years old (see 8/18/23 blog post), my mother told me to take the car to Aunt Theresa’s house for something.

It was only a couple of miles, but the drive included a lift bridge crossing and other “hazards” such as other cars and pedestrians!

But just like my trip to the store at 4, I navigated the task successfully!

Post Office – Titusville, PA

The Titusville, PA Post office  is the 3rd in a row from Northwestern PA, just south of Erie.  In the mid to late 1800’s, this area was one of the richest in the world owing to that fact that oil was first found in the US. 

As a result of this wealth, the population in each town was large for that era, and the US Government speculated that it would be larger.  Therefore, each Post Office in this area is very large, much larger than the current population can support.  I personally fear, that these old PO’s will meet their demise.  And that’s why, I want to capture their history.  If you go to the WPA site (Works Progress Administration – see here) much detail about these PO’s is lacking.

The Titusville, PA was built in 1916.  It is red brick and symmetric like many of the WPA PO’s that followed 25 years later.  Its exterior is not the most majestic nor beautiful as others of these early era, but still cool!

As with the exterior, the Titusville, PA PO’s interior is not the greatest, but I really do love the green on white verde marble throughout.  Verde marble is common in the Northeast US.  Although common, it’s still beautiful.  This PO is unique in its use of verde marble.  Notice its use on the doorframe.  I don’t recall it being that way at another PO.

Jay’s Artisan Pizza – Kenmore (N. Buffalo), NY

After my ride on September 1, 2023, we met friends from Buffalo at Jay’s Artisan Pizza.  Jay’s has been ranked in the TOP 10 INTERNATIONALLY (see here) for several years, and has been on “my list” of pizzerias to visit for several years also.

Date	September 1, 2023
Website	https://www.jaysbuffalo.com/
Location	Kenmore  (N. Buffalo), NY
Strava Ride	Morning Gravel Ride | Ride | Strava
Ambiance	Jay’s Buffalo offers a great old-school storefront experience right in the heart of northside of Buffalo, NY, specifically in the town of Kenmore. The interior exudes the authentic ambiance of a Neapolitan pizza place in Napoli. The pizza was delivered on a 12″ white porcelain, flat plate, again very reminiscent of Napoli. We chose there table service which is a nice change of pace for a pizza joint.

	Rating Criteria
Style	Neapolitan (also Detroit style pizza is made and served here)
Shape	Round
Toppings	I tried the Pepperoni pizza, which featured a delightful combination of sauce, moozedell, pepperoni, and ample basil
Dough/Crust	The pizza had a thin Neapolitan crust with a great char and was perfectly cooked.  It’s taste was good, although it lacked a certain punch since it lacked the yeasty flavor one expects in a long fermented dough/crust, this likely is the cause of a distinct flour taste instead. Despite this, the pizza was still very enjoyable, although not exceptional.
Cornicione	The crust’s edge, known as the cornicione, was also perfectly cooked with a great char. It had a soft and airy texture with a satisfying crunch. However, it suffered from the same taste issue as the crust.
Sauce	Perfect amount and thin style for a Neapolitan, tangy
Cheese	The cheese used was “regular” mozzarella, applied in splotches, and it provided a nice salty finish to the pizza.
Sauce to Cheese Ratio	Sauce = medium to low Cheese = medium to low Balance = good balance

	The Verdict!
Value	Good value for the pizza itself with prices at $15 for a Margherita and $17 for a pepperoni pizza.  However, the wine was significantly overpriced at $40 for a “fake” Brunello (specifically Brunello di Abruzzo, which is not the authentic Brunello di Montalcino). Given that, the wine should have reasonably cost double the store price, this was a disappointment.
Overall	Good, but not great
Would I Go Back?	Maybe…but only for pizza, not for the wine, certainly NOT WORTH THE HYPE!   There are other pizzerias in Buffalo that I’d like to explore first, such as Bocce Club. Additionally, with several DiCamillo Bakeries to visit, it might be a while before I return to Jay’s Buffalo.