[mpl]

I think you're spot-on. Naturally, people from NY are going to have their favorite spots (just like everyone else, everywhere, for anything). Those preferences, though, come from many experiences over time. For an out-of-towner who isn't a NYC pizza connoisseur, practically any spot is going to give you a solid experience representative of the NYC pizza scene. The overall consistency of quality in the city is something that you just don't find in most places.

I'd go as for to say that looking for "the best" NYC pizza is not what you want to do (at least, not for your first NY pizza slice!). Experience just how good an average slice is; if you're not blown-away, at least it's not "the best" and the disappointment won't be as great.

One last point is that "the best" might refer to something very specific. Atop many "best pizza (in the US)" lists is Frank Pepe's in New Haven, CT. While their pizza is very good, nearly every writeup is specifically talking about their white clam pie.