Pi Day 2021
One year ago on March 13th 2020, it felt like the world was ending. The subway was eerily empty, hand sanitizer was sold out, bottled water was rationed, and then for a long time people stayed home. New vocabulary was introduced such as social distancing, quarantine, transmission, asymptomatic, and more that now feels comfortable. One year ago, we forgot about Pi Day in lieu of the start of a global pandemic. Today we celebrate Pi Day and the magic that is 3/14.
Rachel and her PPTC bubble: Louise Carbery and Will Ngo
March 14th represents the first three digits of Pi (π) which is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. Pi is an irrational number which means that its decimal form does not end or become repetitive. Pi Day is celebrated by more than school aged children and mathematical adults. Of course, Pi Day represents the importance of Pi in mathematical advancement. To honor the importance of Pi, Pi Day is celebrated through eating pie! Pi Day, like Valentine's Day is a time to wish everyone special in your life a happy day filled with delicious pie!
Of course pie comes in many forms and flavors and on Sunday, March 14th I had the opportunity to take part in a Pi(e) Day run with Will Ngo (he/him) and Louise Carbery (she/her), two fellow members of PPTC who are in my bubble. There are no social club runs yet (in accordance with CDC guidelines), so I met (socially distanced) with my friends to explore the pies of New York City! We visited some of the shops shared by the Social Committee and further explored pie in the Park Slope neighborhood.
This was a fun run in which we had the opportunity to enjoy many flavors of delicious pie.
We tried a slice of pie from four bakeries on a 3.14 mile running loop: Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Miss American Pie, The Flying Hippo, and Le French Tarte. Each bakery was delicious in their own way. Will, Louise, and I communally rated each pie slice on crust consistency, filling, creativity, and presentation to find some of the best pie in our neighborhood! This run was a friendly reminder that spring is almost here with the warm weather and gaggle of people outside on the warm Sunday.
Breakdown of the Pies
634 Dean Street
Pie: Salty Honey Pie
Crust Consistency: 10
Filling: 9
Creativity and Presentation: 10
Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a fan favorite with original flavors such as Black Bottom Oat, Salty Honey, Matcha Custard, and more! Salty Honey Pie is a gorgeous golden brown with thick flaky salt on top. Upon the first bite we were all concerned that we started with the best! Luckily we were pleasantly surprised with the remainder of our pie run. This pie is delicious and we happily pranced over to our next location.
86 5th Avenue
Pie: Banana Cream Pie
Crust Consistency: 7
Filling: 8
Creativity and Presentation: 6
Pie is in the store’s name! This pie shop had a line out the door. While waiting, a woman asked us a question about the house special because Will, Louise, and I were decked out in our PPTC gear and she thought we worked there! While we do not work at Miss American Pie, we were thrilled with the kind man working at the pie shop and decided to go with a classic Banana Cream Pie. This pie was creamy and decadent, and we would highly recommend coming to this shop for a hearty slice of pie!
383 5th Avenue
Pie: Caramel Pecan Tarte
Crust Consistency: 8
Filling: 9
Creativity and Presentation: 10
The Flying Hippo is a beautiful artisan bakery that has gorgeous pastries. We had to try the Caramel Pecan Tarte decked with thick swirls of carmel and large, crunchy pecans. This pastry was delightful. This is a wonderful spot to try for dazzling baked goods.
579 5th Ave
Pie: Raspberry Peach Tarte
Crust Consistency: 10
Filling: 9
Creativity and Presentation: 8
We ended our pie extravaganza at Le French Tarte and we could smell the decadent butter from a mile away! We ordered the raspberry peach tarte to end the last pie with a fruit pie! This pie was the perfect size with delicious filling and a flaky crust. We had no crumbs left at this location (or any other location).
We completed our 3.14 route for our Pi(e) Day Run celebrating the Pi Day holiday, proud to have completed our Sunday run and experience local bakery shops in the Park Slope neighborhood that we will be back to!
Pi Day 2021 was vastly different from Pi Day 2020 and it is a reminder that things get better. 3/14/20 was a time of fear where people were fleeing New York City scared of the months to come. It was a time right before isolation, masks, and loss. The pandemic is not over yet, and there are many hurdles to overcome before any semblance of normalcy. The pandemic has kept us apart for safety and well being, but it has also brought us closer together. As shared in the Monthly Meeting, we did not know that we would be using Zoom for so many months, but PPTC has continued to foster a community of runners who support one another through this challenging time. Linda Chan (she/her) wrote a recap of social events in 2019 including a Pi(e) Day Run, and although we are not back to this level of socializing, it is a reminder of all the memories to come.
Pi Day 2021 was a day of eating lots of pie with friends running all over Brooklyn eager to taste each shop's pies. We followed the CDC’s guidelines wearing our masks and practicing social distancing, however it simply felt like a fun spring day enjoying one another's company chattering about our favorite pies and spring runs. Pi Day is a holiday that fosters magic, magic that we all have something to look forward to and celebrate.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Pi Day!
PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.
Text by: Rachel Harris (she/her)
Photos Courtesy of: William Ngo (he/him)
Edited by: Rachael De Palma (she/her) and Linda S. Chan (she/her)
Produced by: Linda Chan (she/her)