Staying Me7o in Midtown

Midtown is a terrible place to be stoned, but on Thursday afternoon, it was the best spot in the city to pick up weed—at least, for some of native Brooklynite and New York City basketball icon Carmelo Anthony's biggest fans.

Earlier this week, Anthony's weed brand, STAYME7O, officially touched down in New York after an Oregon debut in 2024. On Thursday, the dispensary chain Travel Agency's Fifth Avenue location played host to the Knicks legend as a part of their citywide "High Neighbor" programming to celebrate 4/20. Fans received an autograph for the price of two STAYME7O products, and if they purchased four they could get an autograph and a picture with Melo himself. So far, STAYME7O sells three vapes and three eighths of flower in New York, with names that nod to Anthony's illustrious career: Garden Grape, Hall of Flame, and Pressure Pack. (There's also a Sangria Slushie, which isn't a basketball thing as far as I can tell, but Anthony also has his own wine blend.)

I showed up to Travel Agency a little after 4:20 p.m., when an employee on the phone told me Anthony would be arriving, and got on line behind a dozen other people. Attendees had complimentary black and blue t-shirts tucked into their tote bags or draped over their shoulders, and poker chips designating what they'd bought and whether they'd be taking a photo with Anthony or just getting his John Hancock. Tourists on the street stopped to stare at the line or cast inquiring glances at Travel Agency's massive glass storefront. Jill Conforti, Travel Agency's senior marketing manager, told me that they'd gotten around 1,000 RSVPs for the event and were expecting roughly half that amount of people to actually show up. "Some people were in line at like 11 a.m. waiting for this, and it feels like summer, so it's a great day to wait on line," she said, laughing.