What’s it like working the graveyard shift in NYC?

The fishmonger 2.0
Jody Meade, founder of Fultonfishmarket.com

There’s something fishy about Jody Meade’s commute: He drives from his Manhattan apartment to the Bronx in—sigh—less than 10 minutes. As the entrepreneur responsible for bringing the more than 200-year-old Fulton Fish Market (800 Food Center Dr, Bronx; fultonfishmarket.com) into the digital age, this onetime Zagat employee and Upper East Side denizen typically rolls into the office around 1am. (Workers at the legendary emporium, which moved from downtown to a 400,000-square-foot facility in Hunts Point in 2005, start arriving at 10pm.) The 30-year-old stays at the windowless market, where he oversees e-commerce and online deliveries, and scarfs down his hybrid brunch-dinner, of, you guessed it, fish (and maybe some veggies and pasta) before heading home. “You spend your whole life going to bed at a certain time—you just never get used to this unique schedule,” says Meade. And while going to work when people are still out for the night is a challenge, he says, the end results hardly stink. “We have to do it to get the freshest fish in the world on airplanes by 4am.”—Melissa Kravitz

The emergency veterinarian
Katie Slade, staff doctor at Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group (VERG)

When you work the night shift at a veterinary practice, your job is a cross between detective and therapist. Senses are heightened thanks to ungodly amounts of coffee, and you’re fighting both sleep deprivation and some serious FOMO. At least that’s according to Katie Slade, whose 12-hour shifts typically start at either 8pm or 2pm at VERG Brooklyn (196 Fourth Ave; 718-522-9400, verg-brooklyn.com), a 24/7 emergency practice specializing in surgery, cardiology and neurology. “Going to work on weekends, I’ll see people sitting outside for dinner,” she says, “and when I’m going home they’ll be lined up for brunch.” But the adage still applies when it comes to the four-legged: Nothing good happens after 4am. Tact is crucial when sharing one frequent late-night diagnosis: Your pet found your stash—and got stoned. When a 16-year-old and his mom recently brought in a woozy, wobbly dog, “I mentioned it, and his face just went red.” Owners are often clueless about their pooch’s pot intake, but Slade has good news for them: “Marijuana toxicity is one of my favorite things. I just like being able to say, ‘Congratulations, he’s going to be normal in 12 hours!’ ”—Giulia Pines

The hot-spot handler
Jonathan Parrilla, overnight manager at Cafeteria

A 24-hour joint sees its share of drunks. Just ask Jonathan Parrilla. “Typically, people have had a couple drinks and want to continue the party,” says Parrilla, who oversees the midnight-to-8am shift at Chelsea’s swanky, modern all-night eatery Cafeteria (119 Seventh Ave; 646-791-7908, cafeteriagroup.com). But don’t let the loud music and low lighting here fool you. “It’s a restaurant, not a club,” he insists. Postgame athletes, celebs, DJs and club kids are all part of the regular cast of characters. And while some of the after–Le Bain crowd can cause trouble—revelers from that club and elsewhere have been known to be kicked out by Cafeteria security—famous faces are “the best guests” he says. The top one in Parrilla’s decade-plus of working the night shift? The diva of divas, Mariah friggin’ Carey. “She came in after a concert,” he says. “We sat her and she just started singing.”—MK

The sisters 
The nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery

Church bells ring out at 5:30 across Longwood Avenue in the South Bronx, alerting the Dominican sisters of Corpus Christi Monastery (1230 Lafayette Ave, Bronx; opbronx.org) that it is time for early-morning prayer. This is how the day begins for the 10 nuns who have given up the bustle of ordinary life to follow a higher calling of prayer and contemplation. Wearing long white habits, they walk in procession from their bare-bones living quarters to the chapel for the first prayer service of the day. They chant psalms, listen to Bible readings and pray for others. “Every day, I pray for everyone—for my sisters, relatives, people in the neighborhood, the people in our city and the whole world,” says Sister Mary, pictured. A nun for 35 years, she wakes up before the bells chime. “Usually, I get up at 4:30am,” she says. “It’s a very quiet, peaceful time. You can really feel the presence of God with you.”—Belle Hann