N/N #9: Sabrina Stallone

"If you don’t know my name by now and my order, it’s not real"

Sabrina and I meet by the boathouse in Prospect Park (both our favorite) on a sunny Saturday. There are one thousand varied sounds around us, from singing to laughter to crying babies. We catch up on how are you’s and both agree that we are baby girls in a big girl world and that the FOMO does not exist for anything.

How did we meet?

S: I have no idea. We went to the same high school

K: I also, have no idea. Let’s call it on mutuals because we did have friends in common

What does being a New Yorker mean to you?

S: Being a New Yorker means making decisions on the fly and having good spatial awareness. I notice that many people get angry when they’re in congested places with tourists, there is zero self-awareness. So being self-aware

K: I see you biked here and I’ve always biked this city. So many people I speak to who are not from here are scared to bike here. For me, it’s about being cognizant of your surroundings, its the easiest place to bike I feel

S: I notice that visitors aren’t into walking in general. Everyone is big on their “Let’s just take an Uber”...hmm it’s a twenty-five-minute walk. I’ll walk the twenty-five minutes, it’s okay

K: I will take all the walks. Uber for me stems from late-night behavior or weather

S: It’s a safety thing as a woman past a certain time as well

Where did you grow up?

S: I grew up in Gerritsen Beach in super deep south Brooklyn, basically a suburb, there is one bus that goes in and out, the B31-the bane of my childhood existence. There is nothing over there, I had an interesting growing-up experience in New York, I got to go into the city and do things and my neighborhood was just…woods

K: Those woods made for good bonfire parties back in the day

S: It’s where we spent most of our youth doing degenerate activities

K: It’s who we are today

S: Just in a different wooded area

K: Does your family still live out there?

S: My mom does, my dad pretty randomly moved to South Carolina. He called me up one day and said “Yeah, I’m living in South Carolina now”

K: I’ve never been

S: I was there two weeks ago, it’s a place. It’s a time and a place. It’s slow-paced and a lot more expensive than I thought it would be

Do you feel like you grew up too fast being in the city?

S: Not particularly because I grew up in an area that was isolated from so many other parts of Brooklyn. I didn’t go to Williamsburg, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, etc. because those places weren’t even on my radar as a younger person because we spent so much time hanging out on my block. I also looked like I was seven years old until I was at least eighteen, which definitely limited my experiences in life

Are we gate-keeping or do you want to share the spots that have been unique to you?

S: A lot of them don’t exist anymore but here to share. South Brooklyn hot-spot, Brennan & Carr, I love a lot- a double dunked roast beef and cheese. It’s very specific to being from the area because what would anyone not from here be doing on Avenue U. That place is small on the inside, it’s been around since Gravesend had dirt roads, and there are photos inside which I like to look at for good historical context. All the guys that work there still wear lab coats… butcher coats I mean haha. It’s a vibe for sure. Another Ave U spot for me is Golden Sands Cafe, which was my first ever bubble tea experience, it’s a restaurant/cafe, and they have yummy sweet rolls, and milk bread sandwiches with cut corners. A good place in my heart, I used to spend so many days there after school

What has changed in the last five/ten years which has been hard to watch?

S: People who are from here not being able to afford to continue living here, my rent has gone up about $600 a month since I moved into my apartment. We got in at a pretty good price but it’s gone up so much. Seeing all these new high-rises pop up, you’ll look at the windows and they’re all empty, no one is living in these buildings. When I drive to work on the BQE, there are so many that have popped up, they’re here to drive up the cost of living

K: It’s shocking to see a majority of them now being placed in neighborhoods such as Midwood for example because they significantly do not belong there

S: They look so out of place. All the O.G. buildings are made out of bricks and they’re so nice!

What do you do for work?

S: I bartend and I substitute teach. I work at Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn Paramount and I’ve been substitute teaching for six years now. It’s all good flexible scheduling which I enjoy. I first started subbing at 206 on East 23rd and W, it’s where I went to middle school so I called them and said “Hey, can I come teach?” and they let me. It was nice and also crazy to work with some of my former teachers.

K: Would you get into perm teaching?

S: It’s something that I think about, which is why subbing works. I like the school I’m with right now in Parkslope. It is so much work but the kids are great and funny. I had a kindergarten class the other day where I had them writing poems and this one kid wrote a poem about bananas but he called them beninoos 

*We say beninoos out loud twenty times for effect*

S: Yeah, I love that stuff

K: Which of the three gigs is your favorite?

S: Brooklyn Steel, it’s the best bartending gig I’ve ever had. It’s straightforward. My boss is cool and I like all of my co-workers. I have co-workers there that are getting their medical degrees and they don’t even want to give up their shifts. They make sure that they’re on that schedule because it’s such an easygoing experience

K: I would say it's my favorite Brooklyn venue especially before someone’s hype gets to MSG levels

S: They all blow up and the ticket prices get so insane. We had Chappel Roan perform right before she got popular and the tickets were $30

K: See that’s what I’m looking for haha

What are your keys to productivity?

S: I am so lazy hahaha. 

K: What’s your sign?

S: I’m a taurus. I’m not into astrology but I align with being a taurus. If I could just lay on the couch all day or sit in the sun like a house cat, it would be that. Otherwise, I like to make lists, I love to cross things off of a list, it’s all about getting to the next thing I need to do. Being financially liable for things gets me out of the house, paying for studio space, I am proactive in that since I am paying for my time there. 

K: How’s ceramics going?

S: I enjoy it, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I like to play with dirt- I was into gardening for a long time but it’s not a thing for me anymore since I live in a four-floor walk-up. I’ve always liked working with my hands. Immediately post-pandemic, the studio that I go to, Mouse- had a three-week intro class, I took one, really liked it, and ended up speaking to the teacher who mentioned their eight-week sign-up. I ended up taking a bunch of classes and then becoming a member of the studio, which I was super happy about. It’s always a learning process

K: I did their three-week course myself haha. I wouldn’t say I found my skill in that world, to be fair I had sliced my thumb open with a mandolin the day before, a fun gush experience

S: The skin tax

K: I had to maneuver with that but I think it had nothing to do with me flinging my clay off the wheel, it was happening to no one else which was entertaining enough for me

S: It happens! 

K: For me, it was about controlling the pedal as well…the instructor kept telling me to treat it as if I was driving a car and I was like SIR!!! I don’t know how to do that either!! He was talking to the wrong person

S: My early stuff my mom wanted to keep around for the “You have to look back on them” moments but that shit was all lopsided

K: I have something that resembles a tea light and another thing, yes thing because I don’t know what it is but it houses my keys. People came out of there with crafted shit

S: They’re lying, they took classes before!

How do you typically spend a day off?

S: Usually in the park or at the studio and hanging with friends, there’s a group of us that have formed a supper club and we’ll do dinners or go for drinks. When the weather is nice, I’m usually here at Prospect Park, it takes me nine minutes to bike here so the time is easily spent. I walked it so often during the pandemic, my steps were at around 30,000.

What’s the story behind your home and how long have you lived there?

S: Currently I live in Crown-Heights with my boyfriend. We’ve lived there for about four years now, it was a covid deal. Before that I was mainly living at his and his roommates had gone away for six months which was great, they eventually came back and they were definitely an interesting couple, she would take baths for two hours twice a day, it was a lot

K: I always say I’m a bath person and then I tap out after about ten minutes, it's the heat of all of it

S: This was multiple times a day, I was like “We gotta go”. At that point finding an apartment was very much deposit is needed the second you walk through the door situation. I loved it, gave in the deposit and they called us a few hours later asking when we could move in. I like Crown Heights a lot

K: Same and a lot! I love Zelda’s, Doris and Rialto Grande

S: Ooh! I go there often. $10 cocktails is hard to go wrong with

K: At one point I had gone three weeks in a row and was like..If I’m not a regular by now?

S: If you don’t know my name by now and my order, it’s not real. 

What are your favorite must-read books and movies?

S: Let’s pull up the Good Reads. I keep meticulous track of all the books that I read. 

K: I need to. I just trust looking at them once they're placed back on a shelf, that being their discography

S: I’ve run out of space for books so I’m renting from the library as of late. I’m currently enjoying Julia Fox’s memoir

K: I did read that, it was a good time

*I interrupt the convo to point out someone crawling towards a group of their friends wearing an alligator mask*

S: This is going to be corny but I like Sally Rooney, I like the way she writes

K: I just started “The Rachel Incident” which I think mainly because it’s set in Ireland reminds me of Roony’s writing. That type of fiction is a great way of not having to think about anything because it takes you out of the moments

S: It’s fun because it’s very manic pixie dream girl. I eat it up

K: She does have a new book out in the fall!

S: Intermezzo, I’ve been seeing it all over. Booktok got internet popular. I don’t have TikTok but I do spend too much time on Instagram so I keep seeing all these book reviewers post their limit editions which they’ve already secured and all the comments have been “I would sell my firstborn for this read”

K: Uh, a bit dramtiq

Song currently on repeat?

S: And now let’s pull up the Spotify. I listen to The Kooks a lot, multiple albums by them on repeat, and Labie Siffre, he’s from the ’60s, his voice is so beautiful. The song is “Bless the Telephone” beautiful song, beautiful man. Love him

*I notice that Sabrina’s paused song is Hot In It by Charli XCX*

Night in or Night out, how do you spend it?

S: Probably a combination of the two. Doing dinner at a friend's house, it's still in but it's outish because it's not my house. I enjoy things being food-centered because I like to cook, my boyfriend really likes to cook, and my friends do as well. Last night we made ceviche and had a friend over

What’s the one thing in your closet you would save in a fire?

S: Probably the top I am wearing

K: It’s a great top

S: I got it at Salvation Army when I was in college and it’s silk, I wish I took better care of it. I would just throw it in the dryer and the straps are falling apart. It’s so comfortable and could be dressed up or down. Or my cat..he does sleep in my closet

You decide to treat yourself, how do you indulge?

S: I am generally frugal but a vacation. I do like to travel, so it’s where I spend most of my money. I like to buy a spontaneous flight

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?

S: My mom, she is my best friend haha. We talk a lot but I wouldn’t say that I derive a lot of direct inspiration from her, it comes from a place of wanting to care for my parents when they get older, so that inspires me, even though I’m a bartender haha

K: You can be anything….

S: And still leverage paying that into some sort of bills

Who are your top three dream dinner guests?

S: Ah! I don’t know if I would want to worry about making small talk with someone who I have a certain image of. You know “Never meet your idols” sort of thing. Let’s go with Michelle Zauner, from Japanese Breakfast love her. Hayley Williams from Paramore. Lastly, my friend Megan, she’s good at breaking the ice with people, it’d be nice to have her there

Fuck, Marry, Kill- Olive oil, butter, salt?

S: Oh wow. As an Italian woman….. Haha. Unfortunately, olive oil is important culturally but I would kill it, I fucking love butter, you get a good Kerry Gold butter on your toast, can’t go wrong there. I would marry salt, I love all things briny, salty and so I’d fuck butter.

K: R.I.P olive oil