Exclusive | New York Nico on his favorite places in NYC – and 6 things you should never do on the subway

Disney World has Mickey Mouse – and New York City has Nicolas Heller.

Better known as New York Nico to his avid following, Heller, 35, has built a viral career chronicling the glorious nooks and crannies of life in the Big Apple.

But he has trouble answering the most common question people ask.

“I can’t tell you my favorite business here, because that’s like picking your favorite child,” he told The Post. Case in point: For his new book New York Nico’s Guide to NYC, Heller managed to whittle it down to just 100 of them.

Billing itself as “an authentic city tour for locals only,” don’t expect to find Times Square’s Olive Garden within its pages. Emulating Heller’s social media, he turns his lens on the mom-and-pop and old-school shops that make up the metropolitan landscape.

That includes the 70-year-old Peter Pan Donuts in Greenpoint, where Heller ordered an eyebrow-raising selection: a bacon, egg and cheese on a coconut donut glazed with hot sauce.

The first waitress was not bothered by the off-menu request. “That’s the least weird I’ve seen,” she said, to which Heller naturally replied, “What’s the weirdest order?” “Salmon with peanut butter and bacon jelly, sausage on a donut. That was wild.â€

While Heller doesn’t consider himself a foodie, he does have an appetite for the city’s many characters. After growing up in Union Square, a miserable post-college stint in Los Angeles led the young director to his hometown for some soul-searching.

“I was sitting in the park thinking about what my next move was when out of the corner of my eye I noticed this street character that I’ve seen all through high school but never talked to,” Heller recalled of the big personality. that would hold a sign that said 6’7″ Jew who will rap for you. “He was like a celebrity to me.”

After befriending the street performer, Heller was inspired to tell his story. “I’d never done a documentary before, but I was like, ‘Why not?'” he said of what became the 2014 viral series No Your City. “I thought I could do this for the other characters of New York that I have been curious about.”

From there, he’s been cleaning up the city ever since, helping to save struggling businesses along the way, including East Houston Street, Army & Navy Bags (his post about the store helped raise $50,000 for them during the pandemic) and lighting frequent spotlight on favorites including West Village literary hub Casa Magazine and Lower East Side landmark Katz’s Deli, for which he recently directed the commercial for first of the restaurant.

He also has a knack for finding the most unique sights at major Big Apple events, including the recent New York City Marathon.

Many of his best-known characters came out in force for his book launch in October at Astor Place Hairstyles, including personality known as the Green Lady of Brooklyn and New York icons like NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan and comedian Jeff Garlin .

“The idea of ​​doing a book wasn’t something I was interested in initially because I like things with instant gratification,” he said, alluding to social media. “But then I remembered that everyone is always asking for recommendations. So I was like, “OK, a guide would make sense.”

Eventually, the wild creation came out with the donut we ordered; with the sweet dessert of lips filled with breakfast foods. Peter Pan owner Demtri Siafakas stood by, thinking about the store’s virality thanks to the likes of Nico and Tina Fey.

“We get famous people here from time to time,” Siafakas said. “And that includes Nico.â€

New York MTA Guide Nico

As the unofficial chronicler of the Big Apple, Heller can usually be found roaming the underground. Here are his top tips the next time you use the MTA.

1. Avert your eyes! “Don’t make direct eye contact with people,” he said. “It’s your kind of business mind. That’s gotten me out of trouble many times in my life.â€
2. “Under no circumstances should you eat on the train,” he pleaded with the riders. “I mean, candy is fine, but anything that’s cooked with a smell, just don’t do it.”
3. While you’re at it, keep it down. “I’m not a big fan of people playing music on the train, but you don’t see that much anymore,” he explained. “When I was a kid, all my friends would do that and it would always annoy me.”
4. “When the train doors open and people get off, you make room for them to leave, wait, and then get on,” Heller explained of the often-missed common courtesy. “I think it’s obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people ignore it.”
5. Quit spreading your hands, guys. “Avoid taking more than one chair if you don’t need it,” Heller declared. “And that includes bags.â€
6. As soon as you get off the train, there is an order for the stairs. “Whether you’re going up or down, you walk on the right side, not the left side,” Heller said. “Then again, New Yorkers will walk any way they want.”